humanity – Saturday Soul with Sandy Hibbard

It’s Memorial Day – What are You Honoring?

Sandy Hibbard — Sun, 26 May 2019 18:06:48 +0000

Flags are waving, families are gathering, barbecue is wafting through the neighborhood, old people are out in their lawn chairs, fireworks are going off while orchestras are playing patriotic songs. It’s Memorial Day!

You may feel a little disconnected from the core of this holiday, but you will probably benefit from it anyway. Maybe a poolside party or a Monday gathering with friends; a drive to the lake for a camping trip, or a last minute vacation “deal”; getting that extra day off work is a boon no matter what reason, right?

You may not have an emotional tie to this holiday. It may be hard to relate if no one close to you has served, but for many in this country who have lost family and loved one’s while serving in the armed forces, this holiday is sacred.

War is atrocious. Beyond tragic. The worst of the worst. In my mind, I try to find a way to attribute some ultimate good to the wars or conflicts that historically carried out a purpose that benefitted mankind. But not all wars do so, and men and women have lost their lives regardless. My prayer is that no war would be political. That no war would be to flex a political muscle or social ideology. That no war would be to gain power for a religious doctrine. And that certainly no war would be born to support a regime, demagog, dictator or royal, or to serve self interest of those in power. So I guess you get the drift – I pray for no war ever. That no woman or man should suffer the pains of war in life or death.

I have not had immediate family members involved in the military, but I did have two uncles who fought in WWII and in Korea. Hearing their stories as a young girl set my mind against war at an early age. They were good men, gave themselves to the cause, and suffered for the rest of their lives. Like my Uncles, throughout history men and women have paid a heavy price for war: death, dismemberment, PTSD, suicide, homelessness, drugs and abuse.

Most of us are safe here in our cozy little American “micro-bubble” lives, we’re not really in tune with the ravages of war like say the Palestinians or Iraqis, and the civilians in Yemen and Afghanistan. Why would we be? Most of us are disconnected in time from the service men and women who fought in World War I or World War II, and Korea, and many from Vietnam, Iraq and the rest. We are, in comparison, quite comfortable here in the US. Mostly untouched. The wars we deal with are quite different – gun and domestic violence mostly – and because of that we have become somewhat desensitized to the pain and suffering caused by war.

Let us take pause to remember…

Maybe what we should be remembering is the effects of war on those who served. Remember that war kills. It kills people we love. It ends lives and families. It destroys everything in it’s path. I simply do not believe in war, I believe in love. I believe in freedom for human beings wherever they are. My [your] right to live and pursue life as desired is a beautiful thing and should be held in the highest esteem.

This Memorial Day I will remember my Uncles and I will think about the damage that war does. With compassion I will think on the soldiers whose lives have been lost and the families that have suffered as a result. I will hope that the passion for a world where people are free will grow and spread until it is the preferred ideology. It just takes one persona at a time, loving and caring and showing their tolerance for humans who are different from themselves, to create a better world. Be certain that bravery is right there within you. Your voice matters when you stand up against the demagogs and tyrants who would destroy innocent people. We love these people who have died at the hands of war, let’s try loving our neighbors too – no matter who or where they are.

"A Brooklyn Moment" … a little story from my morning adventure

Sandy Hibbard — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 07:49:48 +0000

“…my little universe of Brooklyn, New York is never stingy in offering adventures into the diversity of human experience.”

“A Brooklyn Moment”
… a little story from my morning adventure

Listen to the full story at the audio link below and get all the personal details and thoughts on my “Brooklyn Moment” …

https://saturdaysoul.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/looking-for-love-and-kindness.m4a

*** * * * ***

Before starting work, my mornings usually involve going for coffee, stopping by the post office and a quick visit to the bank or grocery store. Somedays, as I walk through my neighborhood completing my errands, I run across some real delights. I am lucky to live in the most amazing place in the world and my little universe of Brooklyn, New York is never stingy in offering adventures into the diversity of human experience. Today was just one of those days.
I am always amazed at the kindness that you can find in this world when you need it most, when you choose to open your eyes and see. You have often heard me say, “if you smile at the world, the world will smile back at you”. Today, in my “Brooklyn Moment”, I found kindness. It was as though the world was not only smiling, but winking at me.
It started at breakfast at the Iris Cafe…

While enjoying my soy latte and Avocado toast and eggs, a gentleman (who was not my waiter) offered to refill my water after noticing my glass was getting low. Then, when my eyes began to scan the room for my waiter so I could ask for a bottle of Cholula for my eggs – this same man offered to help, got up from his table to retrieve the hot sauce and quickly delivered it to my table. He was kind and so attentive, wanting to make sure that everything I needed to enjoy my little breakfast, I would have. He was the owner (or manager) of the Iris Cafe, but I didn’t catch his name, although I wish I had. I recognized him from seeing him there at the cafe before. Busy doing taxes or working on a bookkeeping or accounting project at a table next to me, he had transformed the 4-topper to a make-shift office there in the cozy Brooklyn Heights cafe. Although he was busy doing his own thing, he still took the time to notice when my water was getting low, or to watch my body language to see if I was enjoying my meal. He cared about his place of business and what I thought about the experience. Perhaps he was short staffed so he was hyper sensitive to help out when needed. Whatever the reason, he was tuned in to my need. There in his place of business, he went out of his way to make sure I was a happy camper. Needless to say, I was impressed. Not just because I was having a good breakfast with great service, but also because his display of genuine human kindness made the difference to me in that moment in time.
As I left the restaurant on this beautiful day, it was hard to return to the office, so I took the long way back via the Brooklyn Bridge Greenway down by the East River. The path takes me all the way up the river walk from Atlantic to Fulton Street where I turn on Columbia Heights to get back to my little abode and work space. The walk along the Greenway offers a stunning view. I NEVER get tired of it. You can feel the pulse and the hum of the city there – the people, nature, industry, business – all in tandem, offer an energy that is so inspiring.

As I am walking along the Greenway by the River, I come along the Picnic Peninsula at Pier 5 and decide to stop for a few minutes to respond to a text from my friend in Greece. Oddly enough, when the following scenario began to happen, he and I were talking about the problems in the world today and how much we wish we could all come together.

As I am sitting at the picnic table under a blue umbrella taking in the view and feeling the sun and sea breeze on my face, I notice a group of Hasidic Jews walking my way. Not just one or two like I have seen before, but this was a GROUP of maybe 20 or more. Aside from their unique clothing, the first thing I noticed as they approached was their interest in a large and very beautiful poodle that a woman was walking. They all stopped together to look at the dog. One of the men was explaining to the others that it was a big dog and they could pet it! They seemed to be genuinely intrigued by the animal, it’s size and golden curly hair, so much so that they pressed in further to touch the dog until after a couple of minutes the woman politely excused herself and walked away. At that point they all headed over in my direction to sit down with me at the long picnic table. It was then that I realized these were special needs men and must have been part of a community group of some kind.
There were several caretakers along with them, each one monitoring and helping the other men eat, unpacking their lunches, making sure they had a good seat and a view of the city. They were ALL dressed in their religious garb as I have seen many times in Brooklyn and Manhattan – some with curls flowing down from their big hats, others with a simple kippot (yarmulke), black coats and shoes, black shirts and pants. It was such an odd sight to see on an early Tuesday morning – yet touching and beautiful. I admit, I was a little intrigued by the scene and rather than cut and run on, I decided to hang out with them and see what was going on and soak up a little bit of that love.

During my time at the picnic table, a ton of thoughts ran through my head (listen to the audio podcast above to hear more details), until they all converged and landed on the awesomeness of DIVERSITY, and yet another opportunity to learn about LOVE. Here were adult professional men (very different from me or the world I come from) who were working with other mentally and physically challenged men – some who could hardly speak or use their fork to eat, some who could barely walk or comprehend where (or who) they were. These were fellow human beings, yet unlike me, they were challenged to do the things that I and my friend take for granted – like ease of thought, speech, or physical movement. By noticing this activity and bearing witness of this GIVING, I was blessed to see another form of LOVE in action.
I had a brief conversation with one of the workers who explained their mission to me of helping these guys live a better life. He actually seemed grateful to me for staying around and talking to him, asking about his work. It was a worthwhile break on many levels.
[I am aware that many of you cannot do what I did this morning – you have a corporate job, or babies at home, your schedule will not allow it, so I share this to make you aware that it is in the NOTICING that we discover these little treasures in our day. Putting away our phones for a time, getting off the computer for a minute, stepping outside, taking a walk where ever you are, noticing the cashier or the coworker – will offer up a million ways that you can discover and BE love in action. You simply must create a habit of looking for the opportunities.]
My take away from the Brooklyn Moment today was this: what a major impact it would make in the world if each of us would focus on providing the service of human kindness to the people in our lives, our work, our family, our community. Let’s become increasingly AWARE. Do NOT shuck our gifts and talents, but use them to BENEFIT others in a greater way for all of humanity. Wouldn’t it be something to see the RESULTS if each of us did that?! It could resolve all our problems. Think about it.
Love and peace…

A New Measure of Success

Sandy Hibbard — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 16:40:09 +0000

Must we quantify success?

Fine.
I get it.
We’re a society in love with numbers.
I don’t hate math.
But if we must keep some sort of count,
To wrap our human minds around value,
Let us not do it in hours of work,
Dollars in the bank,
The weight of jewelry that exists only to say,
“Look, I’ve done the things,
To buy the things, so I can be the things”
Success?
If we so need tangibles
Physical, quantifiable evidence
Of a life lived well,
Let us keep count in eye crinkles.
Yes, eye crinkles.
Lets measure the depth and length,
Of those smile lines that have become fixed
In the corner of our eyes.
Lets count the number of moments
We’ve worn joy on our faces.

A Bunch of Squashes

Sandy Hibbard — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:14:03 +0000

A bunch of squashes

I think we are in for a long hot Texas summer. I am sitting here trying to get inspired to go run (it’s about 97 degrees this evening) and of course like any good Texan right now, I am hoping, praying for, and thinking about a wonderful, cooling, inspiring RAIN (I’m so jealous of places like Seattle and Park City!). Ahh Rain, the kind that makes me think of going to school when I was a kid, riding bikes in the rain, running around White Rock Lake in a cooling mist in the middle of summer….and so I fantasize!

And speaking of simple, cooling, natural things – here is a quick story I want to share that I read not long ago that really spoke to me – it is from my daily calendar that is filled with stories to ponder, thoughts and meditations on letting go and just “being”

“Behind a temple was a vine with many squashes growing on it. One day a fight broke out among them, and the squashes split up into angry groups, making a big racket. Hearing the uproar, the head priest went outside, saw the quarreling, and scolded them: “HEY! Squashes! Why are you fighting? Now- everybody do zazen (meditation as practiced in Zen Buddhism).” The priest taught them how, showing them how to fold their legs and sit up straight, and as the squashes began to follow the priest’s instructions, they calmed down and stopped fighting. “Now”, the priest said, “everyone put your hand on top of your head”. When the squashes felt the top of their heads, they found something attached there, which turned out to be the vine that connected them all together. “What a mistake!” the squashes said, realizing their predicament. “We’re actually all tied together, living just one life!”. From that moment on the squashes never again fought.”

This story stopped me in my tracks. I was taught this growing up as a preacher’s kid, Jesus teaches that we are all one – love your neighbor as yourself. And I believe that. But when I look at this practically, not religiously or spiritually, I see that we really are one community of living human beings – we share the same need for love, the same hurts and despair, same pains, same need for food and shelter and dignity, etc. Stop and think about that – soak it in, put away your preconceived ideas of “how” we are suppose to be and look at the fact that we are all connected by this “vine of life”. I can see it bringing greater tolerance and peace….and binding us to each other!
My takeaway from this? We are one. Let’s stop warring, fighting over this and that – we will never ALL agree on EVERYTHING and that is quite ok – but if we stop, silence our thoughts and be still, we will understand…. and maybe if we ALL THINK RAIN, it will come! ; )

Love and Peace!
Sandy