I rearrangd my office in the Fall. I wanted to watch the changing seasons from my windows while I worked on the computer. This is especially nice during Meeting for (Quaker) Worship - heretofore referred to as MfW -, when long periods of contemplation are broken by thoughtful messages. Looking at the trees in the Fall and Winter, watching the passers-by, even noticing cars on the street below me, - all this adds to the meditative feel.
The first thing I noticed after I changed the room around was how dirty the windows were. Sigh. How many cleaning services announce that they DO NOT clean windows? But windows today are easy to clean. So I tipped the panes in and cleaned the dust and street grime from my windows. The result was startling.
It's time for us to clean our windows. This past year has thrown all manners of grime, dust and dirt on the lenses through which we look at the world around us. Mornings have become littered with the burdens of the day before.
We should never forget what happened in 2020. Forgetting is a sure way to repeat mistakes. We can wipe it away from our daily view. We can see more clearly what we need to do.
The light shines in differently through clean windows.
Messages at today's MfW focused on Hope. One message quoted a poet as saying that hope was an "axe" to break down doors. To me hope is a cleaning rag or a broom, to clear away the cobwebs and dust. The doors are open. We just can't see the way through if we don't clear away the anger, fear and despair of the past year.
Clean windows...a world of hope.
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