Hi Friends,
I have moved my blog to the following web address: http://sharondelgado.org.
Recent posts include: The Myth of Redemptive Violence, Hope in the Face of Violence, and Light in this Present Darkness.
This blog site has been discontinued, so find me there.
Blessings and Peace in this New Year.
Sharon
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
When the Music Plays I Just Want to Move
I stand corrected. In my last blog post I quoted some videos circulating on the Internet of these two dancers claiming that they are grandmother and grandson. In reality, this is Sarah (Paddy) Jones at age 75 and her dance teacher Nico. That was in 2009.
Still, pretty awesome. And fun.
Today Paddy is 78 and, according to Wikipedia, they are still competing at Salsa congresses around the world. After winning one competition, she said, "I'm living proof age is no barrier. When the music plays I just want to move."
Amen to that. For me, dance is a metaphor for following the leading of the Spirit. In life, as in Salsa, "When the music plays I just want to move." I do my best to follow the Lead, trusting that practice, intuition, and spontaneity will carry me through.
If I Can't Dance
Emma Goldman said, "If I can't dance I don't want to be
part of your revolution." That's
how I feel. I love to dance, especially
Salsa. Dance is such a wonderful way to
express bodily joy. It's a perfect
celebration of incarnation, as children of Spirit, children of Earth.
This video of a 92-year old grandma dancing Salsa with her
grandson says it all. If I keep dancing, who knows? With God all
things are possible. Keep dancing.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Celebrating in Ways that Bring Joy
There are many ways to celebrate the coming of the light in
this dark season of the year, including the Winter Solstice, Hanukah, Kwanza, and
Christmas. Christmas is supposedly a
Christian holiday, but the orgy of consumption that accompanies this holiday in
the United States makes that questionable.
How ironic it is that people celebrate the birth of a poor baby born in
a stable (as the story goes) by spending billions on "stuff" that
will ultimately end up in overflowing landfills. However, Christian or not, many are swept
along by the dominant media message:
"Buy gifts for your loved ones to show them how much they are loved
and how precious they are." The
pressure can be hard to resist.
This may not present a problem for those who practice a Christianity
that is conformed to consumer culture, but for those who seek to follow Jesus
it challenges us with one of his core teachings: "You cannot serve both God and mammon."
Mammon: wealth, riches, money, stuff.
If you haven't yet watched Annie Leonard's "The Story
of Stuff," now is the time. This 20
minute, easy to watch animation, will inoculate you against unrestrained
consumerism during this holiday season. The sequels are also great.
The Commercialization of Christmas challenges people of
every spiritual tradition to resist cultural accommodation, practice integrity,
and celebrate in ways that bring joy. I personally love going to Christmas
concerts and street fairs, watching my grandkids in the Christmas pageant and
the Nutcracker, singing Christmas Carols, having meals with my beautiful
extended family, organizing crafts for the Sunday School children, spending an
evening at Hospitality House (our local rotating homeless shelter), reaching
out to a family in need, putting cedar branches and nativity scenes in our
window sills, decorating a tiny living tree that we'll plant outside after
Christmas.
I plan, with God's help, to weigh my gift-giving choices
well. I hope to not find myself walking
vacant-eyed down aisles of plastic toys.
The organization "Alternatives for Simple Living"
has a Treasury of Celebrations with some great ideas of ways to celebrate the
different holidays, including Advent and Christmas. Scroll down the page at their website to find
out more:
May you experience and share the true gifts of peace, joy,
and love during this season.
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