Will innocence protect us from our own violence?

Anger, rage, aggression, violence.

These are ugly aspects of humanity.

For some reason these vices are particularly egregious on a woman.  These vices are accepted as a necessary evil from men.  Hence this seemingly endless and perpetual warfare - both internal and external - here on our odd little planet, Earth.

I have been wrestling with my own inner 'ballistic psycho bitch' energy.  This aspect of my own ugly humanity comes out with force in certain circumstances - self defense - husband defense - child defense - sister defense - mother-father defense.

So why am I on the defense?  And why do I shield my self with the song of this wise young lady above?  She calls her self: Lady Lamb the Bee Keeper.  She seems to embody a strange confluence of innocence and worldly knowing that hit my heart.  Her song made my eyes well up morning.

And now I remember this quote, which has always been for me a source of confusion:

"The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force."  

---St. Matthew, quoting the Lord Jesus Christ (ch. 11, v. 12)

I have too much to say at this moment and nothing will be answered on this strangely public half-reflection.

Let us not end on a dour and incomplete note.


May I share one last song? It is from a precious and beautiful member of the male contingent:

Own Stunts

by our dear friends in Michigan, Micah Middaugh and Andrea Moreno-Beals 

with Mr. Trevor on drums:

This is all terribly disjointed and unintelligible, I fear.  This mind of mine draws connections where others see none.

I will not try to prove or clarify anything.  Nor will I try to tie a bow on this impressionistic and mucky hodge-podge.

Let's just stand up straight and conclude with all sincerity,

Happy Feast Day of St. Herman of Alaska.  

Precious Father, intercede for all of us,

 your sinful children trying to figure out how to live like Christ in America.