Month: June 2017

As I was driving this morning I noticed how pretty the sky was.  It was medium blue and there were many large white cumulus clouds.  What especially caught my eye were sun rays coming down through the clouds.  It was similar to the image I’ve chosen to accompany this post.  I often look at the sky and take pleasure in seeing its variations:  some days there’s not a cloud in the sky; other times there are clouds of various sizes, shapes, and colors–the very white clouds such as those I saw today, gray rain-filled clouds, black storm clouds with lightning flashing in them, and clouds of different hues caused by the angle of the sun.  And of course there are the beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Having a connection to nature is often emphasized as being important to people’s well-being, and taking walks, spending time in parks, hiking, camping, etc. are encouraged.  I stay busy with many commitments and am not “in nature” very often.  I enjoy seeing the trees, bushes, and flowers in the yards in the area where I live, and also seeing the birds and rabbits and squirrels.  In this way I’m able to take in those nearby aspects of nature.  But noticing the beauty of the sky is probably my most consistent connection to nature.  And I can see its beauty wherever I happen to be, whether I’m waiting for my bus on a busy street corner in the city or taking a walk in a park near my home.

For me, there’s something particularly special about sun rays.  There’s a kind of majesty to them.  When they appear, I think of the majesty and presence of the Creator, the One who created the beauty that I’m seeing.  I also associate the presence of the Creator with the presence of hope.  That was the inspiration for the name of my blog, Ever Present Hope.  And that is also why my main blog image shows pretty sun rays.

In my post titled “Acts of Kindness,” I wrote about people who I did not know going out of their way to be helpful to my elderly mother and me, and how special it is when people act in caring ways toward others.  Recently I saw an example of an act of unkindness, so to speak.  I ride a bus to and from work most days.  I was on the bus when I heard a young man ask the driver if this bus would be going to a certain suburb.  The driver answered “That’s what it says,” referring to the bus number and destination that appear on the front and side of the bus.  The driver’s tone suggested the young man shouldn’t have needed to ask because the answer was obvious.  Actually, the suburb isn’t listed; the name of the bus station is, and the bus station name doesn’t include the suburb name.  But even if that wasn’t the case, was there any reason to respond in that way to the young man?

I’m happy to say that in my experience the majority of bus drivers answer questions in a courteous manner, demonstrating good customer service.  And even though I can think of many actions that are more demeaning and cruel, sometimes those seemingly minor words or actions have a harsher effect than a person might think.  The young man might have been riding the bus for the first time, English might be his second language, he might have gotten on a wrong bus once and wanted to be reassured that he was on the right bus–there are many reasons to ask that simple question of the bus driver.

Treating others as one would like to be treated is a concept that occurs in some form in nearly every religious and ethical tradition.  I believe treating others as we would like to be treated is a goal we should all strive for.