Strength from memories
In his masterful thoughts on home in his book, The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran tells his listeners their houses need to contain peace, remembrances and beauty. Peace and beauty we will leave for another time. Because right now, there is an urgency to explore the minefield of memory as the Senate prepares to hear the testimony of Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh at the hearings on the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Remembrance
Gibran describes remembrances as “the glimmering arches that span the summits of the mind.” But what does that mean? And how do we bring it into our homes? First, I think of photos. Because photos of family, vacations and friends connect us beyond our own minds to places and people that can expand our own thinking. But I think he must have meant even more than that.
Images of remembrance
Sunday I attended a worship service at Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle. It is a space that embodies Gibran’s vision of remembrance. First because the walls serve only as scaffolding for the repeating, glimmering images of upward flight. Our thoughts are transported. Secondly, because there are no images of prophets or saints defining our memories. Instead wavering images of light allow our minds to engage with memory.
But I also think the picture of that worn out old glove, squashed on rough common concrete, but still reflecting light, holds part of the truth too.
Finding strength
This is what I think a space having remembrances would feel like. There would be warmth and complexity. Embracing of irregularities. Room for shadow as well as light. There would be a sense of the renewal of life. Because it is when we see those connections, those arches between us that we will find strength.
Below are some ways to further experience remembrances.
Sound
Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band. Because this is a song of remembrance, making the old story that everyone knows new again.
Appalachia Waltz with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyers and Mark O’Connor. Because it is a tribute to remembrance of all things essential. Country, dancing, silliness, and mama to name a few.
Sight
An old, old tree. Because when you crane your neck, you will see it touch the sky. Next follow its roots, using your mind’s eye to imagine it spreading beneath you. And finally, go and sit under it and rest in the wonder of how much it has seen.
The Detectorists written and directed by Mackenzie Crook. Because it is about the power and pull of memory. It is about a couple of friends who spend their spare time looking for archeological treasure. And the title song is amazing too. I cry every time for the men who can never sing again.
Thought
The Beginnings of Desire by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Because Zornberg will give you new hope in the power of story and remembrance.
Immersion
Finally, visit a holy place. Because holiness and remembrance cannot live without the other. Plymouth Congregational Church in downtown Seattle and St Ignatius Chapel on the Seattle University Campus are both holy places that speak to me.