Bubbles

What is real life?

Is it the space within MY bubble?

Is it the beautiful truth

that I have 10 gorgeous grandchildren 

(one waiting to be born at any moment) 

Which is the outgrowth from my relationship 

with a wonderful husband and father 

who has sadly gone on from this reality 

to reside with his Creator?

Is this REAL LIFE? 

YES. IT IS.

It is real life. It is my life. 

but. . . . 

I submit to you

That REAL LIFE exists outside of MY bubble as well 

It exists in the conversations that  

defy my mother’s voice

“to never discuss religion and politics” 

because in her view I imagine 

it was safer to stay 

in the shallowness of a lack of information. 

Than it is to compare facts and ideas. 

In her defense, there is a truth to the fact that Nobody 

can disagree  in this place of NOTHINGNESS.  

So indeed it is safe. 

But is it REALITY?

My mother is gone. She has gone to be with her Maker. 

She was a wonderful mother. I honor her memory. 

But . . . 

I am NOT A child anymore.

I am an elderly woman. Grown up. Full of wrinkles.

Able to discern my own truth. 

That is reality as well. 

And WHILE . . .

I can easily pretend that ‘my reality’ 

within my very safe & privileged bubble 

will always remain so, & I can decide 

that  “THIS reality IS ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME.” ;

I also have the choice

To be willing to pop my own bubble

And to attempt to crawl out from within this ‘safe haven’

into the GREAT UNKNOWN OF LIFE 

where somebody else’s bubble may intersect with my own. 

I have the choice to look, to PEER into their bubble 

To consider the validity of their paradigm 

and their view of reality as well. 

This idea  is FRIGHTENING . 

What will I FIND if I look outside of my bubble?

What if their truth disrupts my own comfortable float?

Yes   . . .  Frightening indeed!

As a Christian

(albeit embarrassed to call myself such in these times)

I believe that Jesus Christ himself was  a popper of bubbles. 

He  was metaphorically speaking-

 the annoying child at a ‘bubble blowing’ birthday party 

that runs ahead of the other children and pops and pops & pops . . . 

All of the bubbles everywhere. 

Never allowing even one solo bubble to escape without his pursuit. 

His direct ideas did NOT allow us to float free and easy and clueless

Uncaring about the bubbles outside of our own

Even IF we attempt to  settle so easily in suburbia

nonchalantly floating without pressure.

Jesus defied the norms. 

He defied the insulation that protects us from the pain

& the opinions of others

Those tedious views that do not align with our own 

Simply because they have NOT walked OUR paths. 

He challenged us. 

TO POP OUR BUBBLES. 

To jump into the mess of other popped bubbles 

Until . . . 

All of our little worlds are reduced to a new mess

of slimy soap upon the ground.   

Messy yes!  Ahhhhhhh!

But . . .  Abounding with hope. 

Humanity as a whole is NOT about ME.   SURPRISE!!!

It is not about YOU either!     SURPRISE as well! 🤪

We are important.  INDEED.
We are important.   Each of us. 

INDIVIDUALLY.   We Are IMPORTANT.  

Yes. We are important. 

But humanity itself as a WHOLE is also IMPORTANT. 

All of us are individuals that make up the greater humanity

as a WHOLE which are the IMAGE BEARERS OF GOD.

AND thus it becomes   NOT only Important but CRITICAL

For us to consider the bubbles of others

As we strive to create our own utopian flights.

When our individual bubbles of reality are tested by facts and by truth;-

I submit to you that it behooves us to consider our own soapy mess 

& Not to disregard the soapy mess of another’s circle of life. 

As IF only ‘our understanding’ is valid while we float above REALITY

As IF we are not inextricably connected,

To the greater soapy mess that is the WHOLE  of reality. 

It behooves us to consider the difficult question :

“How can we set this WHOLE soapy mess to flight?”

Indeed,  I ask you:

What is more beautiful to the delight of a child

at this ‘bubble blowing ‘Birthday party?’

“What is more beautiful? – One solo bubble or an orchestrated symphony of bubbles that intersect  and are floating free?”

So, as  I float in my own utopian BUBBLE; 

I offer this genuine prayer to my GOD:

PLEASE. DEAR GOD. POP MY BUBBLE. 

ALLOW IT TO FALL TO THE DIRT. 

Judge it for the deterrent that it is 

to YOUR understanding OF the greater REALITY. 

 Help me to RISE above my own uninformed paradigms 

Teach me  GOD how to rise from this mess.

Show me the BIG BUBBLE that encompasses all of us

So as bubbles floating  free and beautiful  and intertwined 

We are in alignment with YOUR FLIGHT!