Building Cathedrals

Visiting cathedrals around the world, including the High Gothic Cologne Cathedral in Germany, its bays and naves with deeply hued stained-glass windows and arcade piers and spires, its statuary and candles; the Vatican, its riches and art; the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City, the Great Buddha of Kamakura – an outdoor cathedral of peace, I marveled the grandeur of artisanship and the length of time it took to complete each one.  632 years for the Cologne Cathedral, 21 years for India’s Taj Mahal; 400 years for Chichen Itza in Yucatan, Mexico; 400 years for the Angor Wat temple in Cambodia, and Stonehenge in England over 1,600 years.  What was the promise of fulfillment for each artisan? Was the mindfulness and service required to create the work enough to sustain their daily toil?

I think of what I have built in my life – what is completed now and what will continue to be built when I am no longer on this plane of existence.  My paternal grandparents, Sarah and Judge King, built the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Oroville and then Oakland, both the buildings and communities. They were persecuted by local citizens and police in Oroville for their style of worship and arrested for having geese in their possession. That church lives on today as Memorial Tabernacle in Oakland, CA. Although I do not worship there, I remember the stained-glass windows, the melodious choir voices each Sunday, and the presence of peace and love within those walls.

Cathedrals are magnificent, but I say let’s build lasting monuments of healing by the love we give to one another, the generosity of sharing our wealth, no matter how modest, and the compassion with which we care for our fellow travelers on the path.

To build a cathedral of support for women in Afghanistan, please join me in donating to Women for Women International* a non-profit organization that provides aid and support to women in war-torn countries. Women for Women has long had a presence in Afghanistan and their Stronger Women, Stronger Nations program has proven to have a significant impact in the country.

I am so grateful for all of you!

Deborah

*rated 3 out of 4 stars on the Charity Navigator (give with confidence)