Miracle Madness

     I usually think of miracles in the more traditional sense - as extraordinary circumstances that invoke the Divine Presence in some way. We Miracle Chasers define a miracle as "...a sign of divine intervention in the world that creates an unfolding and beneficial connection between God and humankind." Yet, the idea of Miracle in our daily lexicon may or may not have anything to do with God, whether we are referencing a jet that lands on the Hudson River, or an impossible win in sports. (I’m pretty sure God doesn’t play sports, and if He did, I don’t think He’d pick sides.) That said, even in the narrower traditional sense of miracles, I figure God can always use help. Like Meb says, “Sometimes miracles happen when we show up as ourselves and do what we can, when we can and the world is made a better place…”

     In honor of Women’s History Month, I’ve been intrigued anew by women who did what they could, with the tools available to them, to make the world a better place. The must see documentary, Pray The Devil Back to Hell, tells the story of Leymah Gbowee, one of three Liberian women to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, and her leadership of a peaceful movement that became instrumental in ending the civil war there. Though women were marginalized citizens, she managed to unite Christian and Muslim women together in such numbers they could not be ignored; at first an annoyance, they became increasingly creative in their methods and relentless in their demands for peace. As Mahatma Ghandi said, "In a gentle way you can shake the world."

     I recently read a book about the friendship between Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and learned that the change they hoped to see, the passing of an Amendment giving women the right to vote, happened many years after they both had died. Progress was agonizingly slow, made one small step at a time, but they somehow persevered, not only for women’s rights, but as staunch abolitionists and civil rights activists too, dedicating their lives for future generations.

     To be able to move mountains "in a gentle way" astounds me, especially when done with blinders on. None of these women could see around the next corner or know with any certainty that what they did today would lead to what they hoped to accomplish. Even though their culture and the times they lived in were stacked high against them, they refused to give in or back down: superhuman, miraculous courage, with an assist from elsewhere. Miracle Madness...

     I'm drawn to these stories because I do believe women can address the ills of the world, if given even the most minimal of tools. Never mind what those of us with so much more to work with could do. Lady Gaga, who unveiled her Born This Way Foundation last month, found a way to leverage her considerable star power to help counteract the terrible scourge of bullying in schools. Drawing on her own horrendous experiences at the hands of bullies throughout her childhood, she intends to use her voice for good. As she commented, "I have a voice in the universe," (one with zillions of Twitter followers, I might add.)

     Perhaps a miracle can be seen as a divine thread that weaves its way through our lives and is manifested when we seize an opportunity to “do what we can” in our own sphere of influence, however big or small. It beats waiting around for a thunderbolt from the sky.          Katie