dedicated to my sister...

...this poem is about her...it is about me...it is about us. i love you.

"Passion ignites my heart,
filling me with the desire
to be one with others.
With great enthu
siasm,
I see myself as an important player
in life's drama.
My love is needed,
my joy is required,
my faith is essential."

-V. Thompson

Stillness

There is a quietness and stillness about me today. Entering Fall. Saying good-bye to summer. Preparing my nest for winter. Starting a new journey with the students at Mars Hill. A new group of women coming to Soltura this week.

New. The leaves must die to prepare a way for the new. Anticipation. Holiness. Stillness. Excitement. What will this fall bring? God whispers the answers when we are still, if only we are willing to listen. There is a quietness and stillness about me today. May I be willing to listen. Amen.

Give us this day...

This is a prayer I ran across several weeks ago and wanted to share here this Sunday morning. It is by author Paulo Coelho. Blessings to you this day!

Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children, it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory.

Amen

photo from google images

a grievous task

As I sat in my living room last night and listened to a friend talk about her experience reading the book of Ecclesiastes, one point in particular stuck with me. It was a phrase she mentioned regarding “this world we must live in until the resurrection”. What I heard was “until heaven gets here, we must endure what is before us.” NO. My internal sensor yelled. I don’t just want to endure and I don’t want to wait. I want to live and I want to experience heaven here and now! Is it possible? I say, YES! (Not, of course, the sugary sweet, angels floating on clouds & playing harps thing ☺).

“And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of man.” Ecclesiastes 1:13

Seeking and exploring “all that has been done under heaven.” What? Seeking and exploring. Broadening our horizons. To see. To see much is grievous. To live in the dark, is that any less grievous? It hurts to have our eyes opened to the world.

It is a grievous task to seek all AND it is glorious. It is in the seeking and exploring that life happens. Not in simply enduring until the end of the journey. The seeking and exploring speak to heaven and hell on earth. Both/and. So when we take on this grievous task, it is severe and serious. It demands great skill (or at least desire) and resiliency. We are tested and stretched. We must become flexible so that we may bend without breaking. Flexibility defined says that after bending we may not return to our previous shape. (I believe in most cases that is probably not a bad thing.)

It is in the seeking and exploring that we become flexible and more present to “all that has been done under heaven.” Sitting and waiting can atrophy us. (Please know, I am NOT talking about contemplation here.) We become rigid, unchanging and ineffective. To avoid this, we must move. We must journey. Up and down the winding path. In and out. Fluid like the water of a flowing river. It is the journey in which we are cleansed. Washed. Nearly drowned at times. Making splashes by refusing to be complacent. Shedding tears of beauty and tears of sorrow. Journeying with wisdom through the grievous task set before us.

Let us not simply endure and wait. Let us choose to live and experience life here and now.

floating through this life

"as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creative Spirits deep embrace."

--Denise Levertov (found in "Praying with the Elements)

God is a process. Hmmm. Not sure from where those words popped out, but I think I'll let them stay. Yesterday's quote spoke of being a work of art in process. Recently, images of floating feathers have been appearing to me with some frequency. I did not notice that until I wrote a new pantoum while working with my collage. I realized that my previous pantoum also had the line "floating through this life" in it. There is also a very small feather in the collage. Hmmm. Well, I think I will stop here for now as there seems to be more pondering to do.

gratitude. grace. falling in love.
can you look or will you close your eyes & weep
for grace & compassion
a blanket of roses and deep green slumber

can you look or will you close your eyes & weep
falling. running. floating. splashing.
a blanket of roses and deep green slumber
the rose of conviction

falling. running. floating. splashing.
floating through this life.
the rose of conviction
gratitude. grace. falling in love.

photo by bill