Cluttered Hearts

I have been promising myself that I would de-clutter my home.
Piles of books and papers. Winter coats and boots and gloves.
A rolled yoga mat. Art work which has come home from a show only to
find that as nature abhors a vacuum other pieces have filled in all the
available wall space. Car keys rest on one newel post. My prayerbook/bible is on the other.
There's a box of dog biscuits by the front door, past the barrier which keeps the
chewing puppy in check. Dog toys litter the living room rug. DVDs from Blockbuster,
Sudoku books, hand cream, remotes and a Tibetan singing bowl rest on top of the t.v.
And where is my cell phone?

What if this is all a sign of something much deeper?

St. John of Kronstadt (1829 -1908), a beloved Russian saint, wrote:

The purer the heart becomes the larger it becomes;
consequently it is able to find room for more and more loved ones;
the more sinful it is the more it contracts;
consequesntly it is able to find room for fewer and fewer loved ones--
it is limited by a false love: self-love.

So, I'm pondering.

Honk if you love Peace

Today, driving past Allen High School, I spotted a large sign that read:

Honk to End War.

Well, hey, that's me. A flower child. A child of God.
I honked.
The tall man in a green army jacket flashed me a peace sign.
[You know, the two fingers in a V.]
I smiled and flashed him.
He smiled and waved and ran over to my car window to give me literature.

There is a march on Washington- on the Pentagon- this Saturday. March 17.
Forty years ago, my sister and I were there to protest the Vietnam war.
Four years ago, before we went into Iraq, my daughter went there to say "no, don't go."

More than 3,000 U.S. soliders have been killed.
More than 650,000 Iraquis have died since March 19, 2003.
I dare you. Let these numbers sink in.

Iraq costs the "coaliltion" $2 billion each month.
I double dog dare you. Let these numbers sink in.