My devotion this morning was Free, ‘for you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters’. My first reaction was, have you seen things around here lately? I fight with God every morning, in part because I’m not a morning person, but mostly because s/he always makes me think. 

This is what I realized: Many of us choose to live each day in a consciousness of freedom despite the realities of unrelenting, systemic oppression, discrimination, perpetual violence, adversity. We can be, and are, victims of injustice and abuse. Some of us might even be traumatized by those experiences, but have found a way, by choice, not to live in the psychological prison of victimhood.

We deserve freedom in all domains of life but until we become a collectively enlightened global family, we, as individuals, can give ourselves mental freedom. Isn’t that what Bob Marley was saying: emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind, and what so many others have taught us?

As a survivor of complex trauma and poverty, there are days when my skill set fails to adequately equip me for dealing with ignorance, unwanted anxiety, nightmares, passive aggressive threats from wounded bullies, or just the world treating me like a worthless doormat. Wipe your feet on my dreams, but please spray them with Lysol first cause there’s a pandemic. Thanks. I want to die, sulk, scream, evaporate, pole vault myself onto an impaling stake; you know, Mondays. Then the universe reminds me of all those who’ve chosen a consciousness of freedom, despite having absolute justification to succumb to the vulnerability of their own humanity, and continue, generation after generation, to rise; so, I get my ass in gear and join them.

~

The photo is a pigeon taking flight outside a church in Seattle circa a past life when I went on a vacation. The pigeon is a nod to a series called Sending Love by my brother from another mother, Jeff Henriquez, a brilliant artist and the funniest person I know. Here’s a link to his work:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxtF-J-p3Rt/?igshid=14vkcdn9cmuee

Jeff said it was ok to tell you he’s the greatest.

18 thoughts on “Free”

  2. It’s the second time you surprise me about your attitude towards God. Today the S/He and a previous time (long ago) where you confirmed Eve wasn’t an afterthought of God, male-codified. Makes me wonder which Bible you read? And where can I get a copy? 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Well, as you could tell from my last comment, I deal with it in a passive sarcastic way. I make fun of it and point out the less than obvious ways that life is BUT I am happy. Not always, not in all ways, but for the most part I am happy. The key, I feel, is not to wallow in it or else we could drown in it, if that makes sense. When I start to sink I point it out, make a joke until I can laugh about it and move on. Like letting the pressure off a pot so it doesn’t boil over 🙂 My key to winning the war is not telling anyone there is a war, where it is, or what time it starts hahaha. I WIN! 🙂 and the key to having all the cookies to myself is by putting them in the bottom of the laundry basket because no one goes in that but me 🙂 Of course people can judge me aaallllll they want, as long as they are cleaning the toilet whilst they do it 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  4. “As a survivor of complex trauma and poverty, there are days when my skill set fails to adequately equip me for dealing with ignorance, unwanted anxiety, nightmares, passive aggressive threats from wounded bullies, or just the world treating me like a worthless doormat. Wipe your feet on my dreams, but please spray them with Lysol first cause there’s a pandemic. Thanks. I want to die, sulk, scream, evaporate, pole vault myself onto an impaling stake; you know, Mondays. Then the universe reminds me of all those who’ve chosen a consciousness of freedom, despite having absolute justification to succumb to the vulnerability of their own humanity, and continue, generation after generation, to rise; so, I get my ass in gear and join them.”

    You just summed up perfectly something vastly unpleasant that happened to me yesterday, Thank you – it’s good to feel the common threads that we deal with.

    And the solution: “Isn’t that what Bob Marley was saying: emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind, and what so many others have taught us?” ❤

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment