February 7, 2025
According to the Urban Dictionary a Holy Mess is, “A mess that is so epic and terrible in its nature that it recalls plagues and disasters of Biblical times.”
Rod took the photo below during the little girls’ visit last month and distributed it to the family with these words, “Artwork is a messy, creative, process”! It sure is, at least when I’m involved. The worst mess, of almost Biblical proportions was the Saturday Dan and Kristie went out for a date and left me alone with Lily, Ross, and Jackson (their dearly departed Black Lab and Boxer mix).
I’d come prepared with several projects we could work on, from making bead bracelets to baking cookies. We began our fun with the bead project. What I hadn’t counted on was the tendency little round beads could travel so far, so fast, rolling off the table and scattering across the kitchen floor. The faster we tried to pick them up the faster they rolled. Jackson thought we were playing a game chasing little beads, so he joined in the action and chased us. Once we got them picked up and placed in bowls (a brilliant idea I came up with too late), we managed to bead a few creations. That done, we moved on to baking.
After gathering up necessary ingredients, measuring cups, spoons and bowls, we donned aprons and set to work. Things got messy fast. Who knew that scooping flour and sugar could result in those ingredients becoming air borne? In short, within a few minutes there was flour and sugar everywhere, even in the mixing bowl. I looked at Jackson and noticed that he seemed to have aged overnight as his black coat was like a magnet for dry ingredients. I am happy to report that the cookies got baked. I caved to their request to sample the dough. Of course, some of the dough got on their lips and shirts. The grandkids had cookie dough on their fingers and lips, their tops were spattered with dough, which Jackson was helpful in licking off. It was a holy mess.
I looked at the clock and realized the Parents would soon be home. We set about cleaning all the floured surfaces, and got hands and faces washed. The parents walked into a clean kitchen, a freshly brushed Jackson, two happy children, and one Nana who was exhausted with a love-tinted memory of the fun and the mess.
I share this story today because we are experiencing a Holy Mess of epic proportions since the inauguration. It is one that a broom, dustpan, soap and water cannot fix. This will take determined people in all walks of life to open wide the gates of justice that have been abruptly closed. It will require acts of truth-telling and justice from people of faith. It will require fierce love, from our dining rooms to our congregations. Find ways on any level to speak truth in these times with love. Love a neighbor as you love your own family. Give of your resources to community services that address the needs of the least, the lost, and the last. Find others to work with. Look for light and shiny moments and love and share them with others.
With fierce love for those who are hurting, for you, for our world. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 