IN GRATITUDE FOR THE SEAGULL

Early morning friend on Folly Beach, June 25, 2020

As I stroll the beach during sunrise, I am reminded of Rip Van Winkle who falls asleep high in the Catskill Mountains and sleeps for twenty years.  He awakens to discover that his sovereign is no longer King George III.  George Washington has been elected president of the United States of America.  Rip has slept through the American Revolution!

Everything has changed.  Rip hardly knew how to adjust.  

I am reminded that in his last sermon, Martin Luther King refers to Rip Van Winkle and urges his listeners to "remain awake through a great revolution."  This is a powerful reference to what is taking place in America.  Dr. King understood that the old institution of slavery was dissolving and a new era of racial equality was emerging, fueled by those who held onto the promise of America.  Racial disparities were being brought to the light and those who were awake would see what to do as history was being made right in front of their eyes.  Of course, there were plenty of people who were asleep.  Plenty of people who wanted to pull the covers over their heads and not see what was happening.  There were a mountain of people who believed that the current system of equality was just fine.  

"Stay awake,  my brothers and sisters!  I've been to the top of the mountain and seen the Promised Land!" Dr. King exhorts.  "One day little black children will play with little white children.  One day a person will be judged for the content of their character and not the color of their skin.  Stay awake and don't give up."  

That revolution for racial equality is still being fought by those who believe in the promise of America:  that all people are created equal.  We've come a long way in this country, but there is still a way to go.  It is all happening right in front of our eyes as the world has recently seen the murder of a black man in police custody and is demanding justice.  

Everything is changing.  

Perhaps the pandemic that has seized the globe is bringing with it another revolution.  For sure everything is changing day by day.  Life as we knew it is gone.  This is a new day.  

As I stroll the beach, a seagull flies up to me.  He is not frightened by my presence and looks right into my eyes.  Instead of flying away, he stays close as I admire his beauty.  I ponder how much I admire his ability to fly and his freedom to soar in the sky.  My heart opens in love as I look at him.  

The seagull reminds me how important it is to be awake and alert, yielded to the Spirit within me.  I feel totally connected to this little seagull in front of me and with everything all around me.  The Spirit connects me to the sunrise and the good earth and the ocean and all living things.  She makes me aware of the needs of others and connects me with all living things.  

The revolution is underway.  The Spirit leads those who are awake and surrendered.  She is redeeming the brokenness of the world one heart at a time.  

By the way, the seagull who prompted this reflection is pictured above.   Thanks, Mr. Seagull.