As Ships At Sea
Raising children is a precarious business. I have found great challenges in the everyday and amazement in their far reaching capacity. Always teetering the scales of life, whirlwinds come to batter and we attempt to keep the scale balanced by adding to the other side. Education, arts, athletics, family, travel, on we heap the good seeking balance and elusive peace.
I have been thinking of the peace and balance and my thoughts crossed over to my recent reading of Herman Melville’s Israel Potter. Peace is the goal but not what is often the recalled moment. In his book the great battle with the Serapsis at sea is the greatest moment. Not unlike Melville’s Moby Dick it is the struggle that has become the epic not the 10,000 days of peaceful sailing on calm seas. Those days pass with nary a word but the foe conquered, triumph in adversity spills forward in millions of volumes.
So the journey raising children is to seek the calm sea, but count the battles fought as moments in our history. Riding out the storms is the test of skills as they teach new lessons.
I launch these children into the world as vessels of my faith, hope and aspirations. As admiral I prepare my small fleet. I see it is fitted appropriately, trained for the challenges and set off to test the waters. The time of smooth sailing is opportunity for continued training and savoring what life offers. On the horizon a dark cloud. The wind fills the fleet’s sails, head on we travel with God Speed and high hope, what adventure lies ahead?
Blog for Oct. 1, 2009 Carolyn Stearns
Raising children is a precarious business. I have found great challenges in the everyday and amazement in their far reaching capacity. Always teetering the scales of life, whirlwinds come to batter and we attempt to keep the scale balanced by adding to the other side. Education, arts, athletics, family, travel, on we heap the good seeking balance and elusive peace.
I have been thinking of the peace and balance and my thoughts crossed over to my recent reading of Herman Melville’s Israel Potter. Peace is the goal but not what is often the recalled moment. In his book the great battle with the Serapsis at sea is the greatest moment. Not unlike Melville’s Moby Dick it is the struggle that has become the epic not the 10,000 days of peaceful sailing on calm seas. Those days pass with nary a word but the foe conquered, triumph in adversity spills forward in millions of volumes.
So the journey raising children is to seek the calm sea, but count the battles fought as moments in our history. Riding out the storms is the test of skills as they teach new lessons.
I launch these children into the world as vessels of my faith, hope and aspirations. As admiral I prepare my small fleet. I see it is fitted appropriately, trained for the challenges and set off to test the waters. The time of smooth sailing is opportunity for continued training and savoring what life offers. On the horizon a dark cloud. The wind fills the fleet’s sails, head on we travel with God Speed and high hope, what adventure lies ahead?
Blog for Oct. 1, 2009 Carolyn Stearns
