Hallelujah Anyway

Yes, I took the title of this post from the title of Anne Lamott's new book, Hallelujah Anyway. I think the phrase is apropos of the world right now. The crazy, wacky, often scary world. 

I went for a walk the last 2 or 3 days at a local park that butts up against the Connecticut River. I looked through the trees and out to the river, and, yes, I thought Hallelujah Anyway. Hallelujah despite all the stuff going on. Anne Lamott says on page 11 that: "Hallelujah that in spite of it all, there is love, there is singing, nature, laughing, mercy."

In spite of federal governments, singing, nature, laughter, mercy, and action continue on state and local levels. Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Accord (although I read that it will take 4 years to be able to be out of the agreement). Yet, the Governors of the States of California, New York and Washington have created the U.S. Climate Coalition because they believe in continuing to work for the goals of the Paris Accord. The Governor of Vermont announced shortly after that that Vermont is joining the coalition. Interestingly, he is a rich, former businessman and a Republican. (He also, along with the Mayor of Burlington, declared Burlington to be a sanctuary city.)

Fighting seems to be going all across the globe, whether on warfare scale, or between individuals. There seems to be so much division. So much that is good, kind, and loving, however, is happening. I receive The Optimist Daily. I subscribe to Yes! magazine. Both are full of stories about ways that people are creating new ways of being or products that help the world, the stories that you don't hear on the nightly news. 

Someone I know was bemoaning the lack of leadership in Washington D.C. I thought about it later, and my thought was that maybe he is looking in the wrong place for leadership, or possible expecting things to unfold faster than they can.

I am going to continue to try to find those Hallelujah Anyway moments to help me keep on track, keep me grounded and moving forward.

Note: The first picture was taken at Kilowat Park North, Wilder, VT. The second picture was taken at the Flume Gorge, Franconia State Park, NH. Please only use with permission and credit.