Life is not a race.....harmony.

There is a certain gentleness and peace about the word given today : harmony. It suggests hand holding and dancing in a circle. It may be one of my favorites although I don't quite know where to go with this. One of the definitions is agreement, another, concord. I think of the Concord Bridge in Massachusetts where the American Revolution started. Not much harmony that day except among the patriots who were tired of being ruled from miles away.

The poem Desiderata encourages this: "..as far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons." Sometimes that takes work  and forgiveness. For me, it required walking into my sister's hospital room when, for four years, she had made it clear that she didn't want to speak to me. She was very ill but alert. I didn't know how it was going to go when I walked in but my husband and niece stood outside the door in case of fireworks. When I went through the doorway she just said:  "Oh" I sat down, took her hand and we talked for a long time. I had prayed for that reconciliation and it happened. A peaceful coming together. Harmony, though quiet, requires effort.

I think the Creator of the Universe desires harmony. As the stars hum , the moon moves and the planets spin, it all works. His creatures should do no less.

Perhaps harmony is this: the placid acceptance of each other in the knowledge that we all are on the same path. That we are all made of the same God stuff and are loved equally and eternally by the same Person. Again the poem: "If you compare yourself with others you may become vain and bitter. Enjoy your own achievements as well as your plans."

I wonder if we can be in harmony with others if our interior is not in agreement with how we are living our lives. Do we reflect our own values? Balance. Are we at peace with who we are?
And this from the poem:

...."Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whether it is clear to you, the world is probably unfolding as it should. With all its sham,  drudgery and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." Max Erhman