"And have you brought the wisdom
That we have near lost?
Or have you brought the peace
That we're all aching for?"
~Mary McLaughlin

Wisdom? Peace? These are words we often throw around with abandon particularly in church circles. We are 'searching' for wisdom, we say as we look for the right answer to a question, a problem situation. We are trying to 'find' peace as if it is a misplaced glove or a stray quarter. Wisdom and peace are two of the really big words that represent some of our core desires as humans. And yet they always seem just outside our reach. Why is that?

When I saw these words of Mary McLaughlin, I wondered what she meant in writing them.  I had seen them in a book over Christmas break and jotted them down for further reflection. I did not know who Mary was so, in typical 21st century fashion, I googled her. Of course, there were at least three people with that name who bubbled to the top of my google search: a Celtic singer, a U.S. judge and a ceramic box artist. Not knowing which Mary wrote the words made me wonder what each one might mean when they spoke the words 'wisdom' and 'peace'. What might each have intended in writing this quote that caught my eye?

But, perhaps, that is not the point. The writer, whether singer, artist or judge, looks outward toward someone who will bring whatever wisdom and peace is needed. And haven't we all done this? Looked to another person to bring the wisdom which will turn us toward vision, the compassion that will turn us toward peace. Rather than mining our own wisdom we look to someone else…..someone older, richer, seemingly more powerful. Rather than listening for the deep peace that resides within, we wait for another to bring the olive branch. 

We each carry the wisdom of our lives to offer the world. We each bring a small offering that can ignite a larger flame of peace. The mirror is ours to hold. The time is now.