Fiction and life . . . from the desk of Gwen M. Plano
  • Home
  • Blog Reflections
  • REDEMPTION THRILLER
  • THE CONTRACT Series
  • My Memoir
  • Poetry
  • About

Family and the refugees...

11/22/2015

0 Comments

 
by Gwendolyn M Plano
Picture
     One of the most important pilgrimages during medieval times was the Way of St. James – El Camino de Santiago. There is no single starting point for this pilgrimage; rather, there is a large network of trails and roads that cross-cross much of Europe. The route is often marked with a simple scallop shell. With its grooves meeting at the hinge, the shells are a metaphor of the multitude of paths traveled to arrive at the tomb of James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela, often many months later.

Recently my friend walked 500 miles to the blessed site. While her blisters are visible testimony to the arduousness of her journey, it is her smile that speaks to her inner transformation.   

We may not be as adventuresome as my friend or as strong (certainly I am not), but whether we embark on a physical or interior journey, we travel. And, similar to the hikers on the Camino, it can take months and perhaps years for us to reach that which we seek. Our paths may be quite different from one another, but we share common hopes for peace, meaning, or love; and, it is these ideals that draw us together—and remind us that we are family. 
 
Last night I watched a short documentary of a journey of a different kind—a Syrian refugee family (a young couple with two little children). Their 1,500-mile trek to Germany, through unimaginable obstacles, left me speechless. And, to my amazement, there was no anger when they spoke with the journalist; there was only hope—for their children and for their future life.

Their journey, shared by thousands, weighs heavily on my heart. I see my children in them; how could I not?

Like most I have concerns about our collective well-being. And, like most, I want to help those victimized by circumstance and war. John F. Kennedy said: “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer.” If we are a global family, then it follows that we help one another. But how?

The battlefield is the domain of our military, and I trust in and am grateful for their dedication, skill and intelligence. But, the refugees, the scorned victims of fanaticism, aren’t they our responsibility? Who doesn’t relate to their desolation, their fear? Who doesn’t want to give a starving child food?

As family, we are stretched and pulled across the war-torn terrain of our beautiful planet. Though we civilians cannot eradicate terrorism, we can at least love and care for its victims through one of the numerous faith-based and charitable organizations focused on their needs.

Jimmy Carter’s haunting reminder is particularly apropos:
 
     "Each of us must rededicate ourselves to serving the common good.  We are a community. Our individual fates are linked; our futures intertwined; and if we act in that knowledge and in that spirit together, as the Bible says: "We can move mountains.""

Picture

0 Comments

Past and present, a matter of perspective...

11/12/2015

1 Comment

 
by Gwendolyn M Plano
Picture
We were driving to the grocery store, my son at the steering wheel and I in the back seat with my two grandchildren. Giggles and gyrations entertained us, while buildings and manicured yards zoomed past.

And then, the unexpected occurred.

With one simple statement, my four-year-old granddaughter silenced the frivolity.

“Grandma, if you were still with grandpa, you’d have a dog!”

A look of horror went over my grandson’s face. Three years older than she, he bore the weight of propriety in that moment and quickly whispered in his sister’s ear,

“You’re not supposed to talk about that!”

Unfazed, my granddaughter frowned at him and then turned to check on my reaction.

I met her quizzical look with my own declaration, “I could get a dog if I wanted too, sweetie; in fact, I think I will!”

With that, she smiled and excitedly pointed to the neighborhood park, which she had just spotted. She wanted to play there—not later, “right now!”  

Order had been restored.

I often think back to this exchange. The unencumberedness of my granddaughter helps me see how the “stuff” of life can color our perspective. She could care less about what had happened years before; she was focused on a dog.

And I wonder, when Jesus told his disciples, “…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” was he speaking about this?  

When I’m with my grandchildren, I’m brought into a world of play and immediacy that otherwise can elude me. Amidst the chaos of darting little feet and flying objects, I’m focused entirely on the present. I have to be! And in that space of frantic activity, I don’t think about politics, my “to do” list, or the past. I am simply present.

Author Eckhart Tolle wrote, “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” I think children bring us into the Now, don't you?

Wow…another reason to visit my grandchildren!

Picture

1 Comment

Love Multiplied...

11/2/2015

0 Comments

 
by Gwendolyn M Plano
Picture
My mom’s family is having a reunion, and hundreds of cousins will soon congregate at a local park to celebrate the Val Butters' extended family.

I remember my grandfather, in whose name we meet, but only barely. His hearty laugh, his strong embrace—these I remember, as well as the day he passed away.

A humble man with a big heart, I doubt he could have imagined that his name would stretch across the United States through grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As a farmer, his day was simple and direct, uncomplicated by life as we know it now.

Originally from Iowa, his family moved to Southern California in the early 1900s, for the dreams common to that time. Later they became pioneers in the desert terrain of the vast Imperial Valley. Though not quite the land of “milk and honey” (which they had imagined), it nevertheless provided opportunity and hope.

As one of the organizers of the Reunion, I went through old letters and photos to better understand my grandfather. What began as scattered puzzle pieces has now evolved into a beautiful mosaic, and I am left with an unquenchable thirst for more information—about his life and the times in which he lived.

Throughout the preparations for this event, I’ve thought of C.S. Lewis’ quote about choices, because my grandfather’s decisions laid the foundation for the whole family. The quote that has haunted me is this:
 
“…every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature…”

My grandfather’s choices taught the family how to live. I see that now—in my mother, my aunts and uncle, and my cousins and siblings. His courage in the face of profound adversity, his generosity during financial crises, and his kindness towards all—shaped his family. He became the “heavenly creature” about which Lewis writes.

Love Multiplied is the theme of the reunion. I think my grandfather might have a hearty laugh in heaven over this, while the rest of us celebrate!

Picture

0 Comments
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    For blog updates, please subscribe below. 
    * indicates required

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    June 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


Plano Enterprises, LLC
Photos used under Creative Commons from Kevin M. Gill, Joel Bedford, qthomasbower, crosescribe, Juho Holmi, diana_robinson, W Presley & B Kunce Photography......WI. USA, U.S. Geological Survey, Ian Sane, florianric, NikoMC, van Van Es, Yen Chao 趙彥, MissMessie, Yuriy Kuzin, Ben Zvan, Bichuas (E. Carton), Nina Matthews Photography, hehaden, alexdecarvalho, Tim RT, Kurdistan Photo كوردستان, Candida.Performa, peddhapati (Thanks for 1M Views!!!), Jhong Dizon | Photography, Waheed Akhtar Photography, lawmurray, USFWS Pacific, JalilArfaoui, SurFeRGiRL30, Lauren Finkel Photography, maf04, SantaRosa OLD SKOOL, Dakiny, vauvau, Zanastardust, Monica's Dad, timpeartrice, marumeganechan, Rafael Acorsi, seyed mostafa zamani, Jorge Franganillo, Irene Grassi (sun sand & sea), The National Guard, D.Fletcher, nada abdalla, Ted LaBar, alison.mckellar, Infomastern, Elvert Barnes, m01229, theglobalpanorama