'Wisdom and Care'

Contemporary Originals And Limited Editions by Yardley Artists & Artisans Zatista

Wisdom can be learned
It can also be ignored or lost
Care starts with listening
And an openness to understand the other
It is not soft or misguided
It is in fact the tougher choice

The guest who made others uncomfortable saw and heard care expressed
It came through being present and attending to their situation
The man who felt insecure about the picture of himself sought redemptive change in action
It came through hospitality and inclusion
An un-named woman was surprised and inspired and emboldened by that depth of knowing
It came through the metaphor of water and the well
Life changed for each one whether circumstance followed or not
These are ways of speaking about God with clarity and power
Power through humility

Wisdom and care are an expression of community
In a culture that celebrates the individual
We also have capacity to objectify and ignore

Fear and anxiety masquerade as certainty and truth
Intellect is used as a weapon
All the while people's lives hold them down
What is becomes how it will always be
Quiet screams of desperation are masked
And all the while the caravan rolls on

Who we are and how we gather is important
Who we include and what we create becomes our mark
Museums gather dust and hold great stories from the past
They can open up a future
But "where you stand determines what you will see
Whom you stand with will determine what you hear
and what you see and hear will determine what you say and how you act"*

* quote from Robert McAfee Brown