Star-making

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,

begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.

Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.

Through violence you may murder the liar,

but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.

Through violence you may murder the hater,

but you do not murder hate.

In fact, violence merely increases hate.

So it goes.

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,

adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness:

only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Recently, while in Ames, my husband and I picked up a few wooden stars at this fine shop. It amazes me every year, right after Christmas, how many stars are marked down 50 or even 75 percent. In honor of MLK I sewed four more out of some lovely fabric my mother-in-law gifted me.

This was also inspired by the friends we were visiting in Ames, who also had stars hanging from their ceiling.

I've been hearing many things about the stars of late. How our star-signs have changed. How new stars are made. Who knew? Green blobs of all things. It reminds me of a quote: "I tell you: one must still have chaos in oneself, to give birth to a dancing star. I tell you: you have still chaos in yourselves." -Nietzsche

And isn't that how we get through the winters, both the metaphorical ones and the real ones? Through star-gazing and making our own star-inspired light?

As for me, there is something wild deep-within that keeps me going when I am feeling dim-witted and dull.

Here are a few songs that bring me some light on these dark winter nights. Here & Here.