Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Beauty and the Beast


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So much beauty surrounds us, and yet the beast is at hand.

Life is not a straight arrow it never has been.

I have been lucky mostly because I have been born on one patch of land instead of another. I am having a hard time accepting that luck when others are suffering because their homeland is in turmoil, I feel so helpless in my luck.

It seems childish to ask out loud « why » ?

As the quote suggests-

Can we live simply so others can live?

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It seems so unfair- to feel this beautiful living when cruelty exist in places (Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Ukraine…) were others are trying to live in peace, to raise a family, to have shelter, food, hope, life…

There are many ways to help, and yet change has to happen at a seismic level. A global shift. Those in leadership must put greed and power far from the negotiation table.

I rarely talk politics on my blog. Though it is a close subject to my heart. I show photos and stories about what is around me -but I want you to know that I am not blind to the sadness the injustice around me.

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I am grateful but lately that doesn’t seem enough. I want to challenge myself to do more. And I will.
Hold me to it.

Stepping closer to the arena of injustice for me means making a change on how I live and what I hold true. I want to cast my stone into the pool of humanity to make a difference, a ripple that goes forth in the name of love.

Comments

12 responses to “Beauty and the Beast”

  1. Jeanne

    We all feel the same as you Corey I believe.
    So much suffering around the world.
    Praying for peace and a much better world.
    God bless everyone suffering so very much.
    Love Jeanne

    Reply
  2. Lil

    My neighbor who has gone to Greece twice to help refugees, spends both mornings of each weekend teaching English to refugees via zoom. She spends an hour with each student. They are mostly young people who are trying to apply to universities. She also teaches French. If anyone is interested in something like that, I could get information from her.

    Reply
  3. Leslie in Oregon

    Corey, I know that “politics is a close subject to…your heart.” It is to mine also, as it must be to the heart of everyone who lives in a democracy, for we all must participate in our democracy for it to work. And “politics” should be a particularly close subject to the heart of every person at this time when a powerful tyrant, without provocation, has had his country’s military invade, wage war against the citizens of, and seek to destroy, a neighboring democracy. We all should be part of helping both those who have fled their homes and perhaps their country because of that brutal war and those have stayed in their country to defend it in any way they can. There is so much we can do for the refugees, as the citizens of Poland and Hungary are showing us. Yes, we can pray for them, but we can also can give our time, our money and our political support to not only those refugees but also to the people who remain in Ukraine. What we cannot do is stand by and merely watch what is happening to Ukraine and to Ukrainians.

    Reply
  4. jackie

    I just signed up to take in a refugee family. I do not know anything yet, but I said that I have room for 2 people and would love to welcome a child. Maybe a mom and toddler. I keep seeing the faces of the kids, that look of a child’s innocence betrayed is haunting. How can I not help when I have so much. Like you said, I am lucky because I just happened to be born in this country and not that one.

    Reply
  5. Kathie B

    Did you see on the news tonight about Romanians presenting women refugees from Ukraine tulips today?
    “AP PHOTOS: Tulips, hugs for refugees on Women’s holiday” :
    https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-flowers-tulips-74e63190d3529c4186cc43ba6b0de274

    Reply
  6. Alan

    I have thought about this since I was a child. Why was I born into this white skin, with all the good things that go along with it? I realized early on that according to the nuns that taught us, my soul could have easily entered this world as another person in a different cirmcumstance.

    Reply
  7. RW

    My second generation Ukrainian Canadian husband hung our blue and yellow Ukrainian flag the day before the invasion. We too wonder about our privilege and are humbled by his ancestors’ leaving all they knew one hundred years ago to escape from the terror that is once again being leashed upon the land. Thank you Corey for your sensitive post.

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth Schaeffer

    Life is unfair, yet always be grateful, if you’re religious be grateful to your God. Grateful, happy in your circumstances people are ones who can effect change. We must refrain from apologizing for our luck,that helps no one. Don’t waste amount worrying about luck. Smile and devise ways to help and change hearts.

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth Schaeffer

    Our pickleball club got in touch with the Ukranian pickle ball Federation which gave us a way to donate money to help Ukraine.

    Reply
  10. Paula

    Thank you for sharing your heart, Corey. I feel grateful for all that I have. I also wonder about the randomness of birth and circumstance. As spring comes , I will grow flowers to add beauty to this world.

    Reply
  11. Stubblejumpers Cafe

    I don’t blog much about world events or politics either, which doesn’t mean they don’t concern me or that I’m unaware of what’s happening outside of my little life. We all do what we can to help and to add our voices where we hope they will count. I’ll be interested in reading your ideas — what you can do. -Kate in Saskatchewan

    Reply
  12. Kathie B

    I’d never have had the courage to travel to Poland, then rent a car in order to drive repeatedly into Ukraine to rescue refugees the way this man has.
    “Santa Fe man ferries Ukrainians to safety across the Polish border”:
    https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/santa-fe-man-ferries-ukrainians-to-safety-across-the-polish-border/article_8b67f5ba-9bfa-11ec-9258-97558c968295.html

    Reply

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