Monday, April 05, 2010

They Have Sisu

The scene on the header leads your eye down the road  to my grandparent's homestead.  The butte in the horizon is Liisa Butte, just west of the homeplace.  Early springs found my grandma, aunts and mother taking me to find the first of the crocus on the northern side of the hill.  A little later, cousins faster, bigger, much braver and  advernturesome hunted rattlesnakes on it.    Thanks for the photo!

This is truely a thin place that Marcus Borg speaks of;  those places with a particular spirituality, where God is near,  the air is full of a poignant special scent, the Meadow Larks call, and your heart nearly bursts for the love of it all.

2 comments:

Hildred said...

A very mindful post Willo, - I had to look up the meaning of the word 'sisu', and when I understood it I could see how very appropriate it was to this 'thin' place you speak of.
You must cherish your memories....

Willo said...

I truely do cherish the memories of the generations that formed my world view. As I work on the biography of a Great Aunt homestead school teacher, and include a few pages of each of her five sisters and six brothers I am overwhelmed by thier love for one another and thier grit and sisu.

They carved out livings in this wild land and in community built a church and schools for their children. I only pray that I can honor them, as I rescue and remember their courage and determination, in writing their history

Thanks for your comments, Hildred.