For several hours today, there was the perfection of all that is most Spring. It was glorious. In the freedom of response that such beauty can inspire, I went on a wander in one of my favorite outdoor places-- The Farmers Market at Union Square. And, I went with an agenda...an indulgent agenda that brings me joy. I went collecting words.
Many others were present collecting bits and pieces that would transform into organic dinners whose very odors, tastes, and textures, will honor the grassy provenance of the ingredients. A mother and her young daughter went from booth to booth collecting samples of whatever was displayed on platters--from apples to "loose radishes--tops already removed!" to melon and goat cheese... and they even found broken sprigs of lavender to smell.
Another group was there to harvest photos. Photos of brashly confident root vegetables--parsnips and beets and turnips scuffed and creased with soil, leaves a bit raggedy, fully marvelous in form and color; flats of pansies grateful for a day to sail their winged petals into fresh wind; onions and potatoes so new I could imagine them blinking in the sun, amazed at the world.
But as for me... I wandered with my second notebook open, pen uncapped, delighting in the taste of the language set free in Springtime. Rununculus! Hydrangea, hyacinth, and the hong vit radish! Primula, pussywillow, Tuscan kale, cilantro! Sunchoke, Carola, LaRatte, Rose-val; Swiss chard, cippolini, butterscotch scones; narcissus, nasturtium, Italian parsely, mint; orchid, artichoke, and (my favorite) Dracaena Janet Smith, ("attractive plant; with age, resembles palm.")
Such living poetry! Such a deliciously textured extravagance of sound!
As I wandered, I could not help but think of the contrast between the sumptuous table laid out before me and the front section of the Times that I had read this morning. Bombs, soldiers, cracks in airplane fleets, uprisings, deaths, threats, bankruptcies, regime changes...
How to hold those two realities together... desperation and decadence... an extravagance of sound and a threatening silence...
I don't have an answer... but I have a notebook. And I will continue to make poetry as I move onward into the moments ahead.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Transfiguration
Perhaps it is my recent experience with a 30 day retreat. Perhaps it is being on the cusp of a new adventure in people and place. Perhaps it is simply that though it is Lent and not August, the second Sunday's cycle A Gospel reading has Peter, James, and John taking a hike up Tabor with Jesus. Whatever the reason, I had a long think today on Transfiguration and several things occurred to me.
One, death is not itself transfiguration. Transfiguration changes Life....changes living...ways of being...ways of seeing... It is an experience that might move from living through dying...but always into life again.
Another, Love is what transfigures. Love. Nothing else but this difficult and stunning honor.
And, more... it is something that asks in love for my freedom. I cannot be bound and be transfigured.
As well, it is not a once for all. It is a consistent draw, an enticing motivation toward being more and more free...
Which includes being willing to walk the valleys...openly...trusting in Love...to walk because of Love...to walk with, beside, toward, within...Love... believing that an unknown Greater Still awaits.
I tend to think of Jesus' baptism as the first transfiguration...and that it was personal. I imagine the dawning awareness that must have come upon Jesus...under the river water, the hands of a trusted friend bearing him, hearing the voice of God name him Beloved, name him Son... Love called him, named him, washed over and through...
The trip up the mountain was a call from Love to the others. “Look.” “Listen.” “Attend.” And, understandably, it was a little much. What did it take to have them rise again? The touch of Jesus, the physical, beckoning, reassurance of deepest understanding, most profound presence, deepest love. Time to go, can’t stay here on the mountain…things to do, valleys to walk. And yet, in spite of the marvel of what happened, the trio were asked to not say anything to others.
Which brings me to another insight. I can live open to transfiguration, but the timing is not mine to mark or plan.
Makes it all that much more an adventure, really…because, who knows what opportunity will become an invitation toward new life, given in love?
And what I know for sure is that it is an act of giving and receiving. That is part of what I experienced in that thirty day retreat. Giving in to my desire for walking in freedom; for forgoing fear; for walking openly into come what may. Receiving strength; receiving even more desire; receiving more of Love’s truth and beauty; knowing more intimately the weight and pain of loving as well and knowing that there is no other choice I’d rather make than choosing to live on in love's fullness. Transfiguration is the bend of the Mobius…the both-and…the challenge-grace…the already-not yet…human-divine…
Another word for that came to me as I prayed today. The Cross.
Ah. Perhaps that is why it does not feel out of place to climb a mountain in the desert of Lent.
One, death is not itself transfiguration. Transfiguration changes Life....changes living...ways of being...ways of seeing... It is an experience that might move from living through dying...but always into life again.
Another, Love is what transfigures. Love. Nothing else but this difficult and stunning honor.
And, more... it is something that asks in love for my freedom. I cannot be bound and be transfigured.
As well, it is not a once for all. It is a consistent draw, an enticing motivation toward being more and more free...
Which includes being willing to walk the valleys...openly...trusting in Love...to walk because of Love...to walk with, beside, toward, within...Love... believing that an unknown Greater Still awaits.
I tend to think of Jesus' baptism as the first transfiguration...and that it was personal. I imagine the dawning awareness that must have come upon Jesus...under the river water, the hands of a trusted friend bearing him, hearing the voice of God name him Beloved, name him Son... Love called him, named him, washed over and through...
The trip up the mountain was a call from Love to the others. “Look.” “Listen.” “Attend.” And, understandably, it was a little much. What did it take to have them rise again? The touch of Jesus, the physical, beckoning, reassurance of deepest understanding, most profound presence, deepest love. Time to go, can’t stay here on the mountain…things to do, valleys to walk. And yet, in spite of the marvel of what happened, the trio were asked to not say anything to others.
Which brings me to another insight. I can live open to transfiguration, but the timing is not mine to mark or plan.
Makes it all that much more an adventure, really…because, who knows what opportunity will become an invitation toward new life, given in love?
And what I know for sure is that it is an act of giving and receiving. That is part of what I experienced in that thirty day retreat. Giving in to my desire for walking in freedom; for forgoing fear; for walking openly into come what may. Receiving strength; receiving even more desire; receiving more of Love’s truth and beauty; knowing more intimately the weight and pain of loving as well and knowing that there is no other choice I’d rather make than choosing to live on in love's fullness. Transfiguration is the bend of the Mobius…the both-and…the challenge-grace…the already-not yet…human-divine…
Another word for that came to me as I prayed today. The Cross.
Ah. Perhaps that is why it does not feel out of place to climb a mountain in the desert of Lent.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Another Friday Five from RevGals!
Whether we liked it or not, we all "sprang forward" with the change to daylight savings time in the USA this past Sunday. There is lightness and brightness slipping in as spring approaches, so let us consider what is springing forth in our lives right now.
Name 5 things that are springing forth...
1. The croci are in foci! There's more than one I've seen...otherwise, it'd be the crocus is in focus...I've spied daffodils on the hills... Flowers in the bowers... pfloxes in boxes...Blooms in rooms... you get the idea!
2. New adventures in the freedom born from loving God, being loved by God, believing in that, and acting on a desire to keep walking on right into the midst of that, pasa lo que pasa.
3. A curious sense of the world being on a dangerous cusp of some sort.
4. In spite of the weariness that brings, a renewed and deepening call to be a person of listening and acting where need draws is also venturing forth.
5. And, really, a sense of stillness and peace within... the likes of which I have not known before... or perhaps, it is that I am experiencing them from a new place. Seeing a new side, the light glancing from a different facet of God...
Name 5 things that are springing forth...
1. The croci are in foci! There's more than one I've seen...otherwise, it'd be the crocus is in focus...I've spied daffodils on the hills... Flowers in the bowers... pfloxes in boxes...Blooms in rooms... you get the idea!
2. New adventures in the freedom born from loving God, being loved by God, believing in that, and acting on a desire to keep walking on right into the midst of that, pasa lo que pasa.
3. A curious sense of the world being on a dangerous cusp of some sort.
4. In spite of the weariness that brings, a renewed and deepening call to be a person of listening and acting where need draws is also venturing forth.
5. And, really, a sense of stillness and peace within... the likes of which I have not known before... or perhaps, it is that I am experiencing them from a new place. Seeing a new side, the light glancing from a different facet of God...
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Lent, 2011...or, Placards, the Paper, and Morning Ritual
I was running an errand after daily Mass at my parish and passed New York Foundling—founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1869 as a home for children, its “extensive network of community based services provides havens for children whose safety is at risk, loving foster and group facilities to protect children and support for families to strengthen them.” (from their website, www.nyfoundling.org)
There is a small placard fixed by their front door that I had never seen before earlier this week. On the placard is Foundling’s three word mission. Beautifully succinct, expressive of commitment, and above all, boldly clear—“Abandon No one.”
The simplicity of that, the stark call of that, prompted a shrug of my shoulder to lower my bag and fish around for pen and notebook, though in reality I knew I would not forget those words.
Several days later, I was on the 4/5/6 train headed downtown and noticed what I first thought were new “Poetry In Motion” signs posted above the seats. It turns out the quotations I was reading and enjoying were actually advertisements for a large, local, non-denominational Christian church. It might be better said that the cards were less advertisements than invitations… The one that prompted another pat down for pen and paper is this—“The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all beauty came from.” C.S. Lewis
Most mornings my ritual follows a similar pattern. I head downstairs, put the water on or make coffee, get the mug ready for either tea or coffee, fix a bowl of oatmeal, and take both of those along with my missal and notebook into the living room where I tuck into the corner of the couch to pray and begin the day. Within the first several sips, I hear the whack of the New York Times arriving. I retrieve it, sort out the sections, and return to my spot with the front pages. First, though, the readings in the missal…followed by the front section of the paper. It occurred to me this morning, how well those two things go together.
So often, what I read in the paper I can only consider with eyes and a heart of faith…the suffering of so many, the atrocities, the wild misunderstandings of self, others, and the world, that lead to behaviors that harm…as well as acts of heroism, beauty, and daily humanity that touch the soul and encourage the spirit. Today’s reading from Sirach begins, “Come to our aid, O God of the Universe, look upon us and show us the light of your mercies…hear the prayer of your servants, for you are ever gracious to your people.”
The Gospel of today says that there are those who are amazed and those who are afraid…and that greatness is known only in terms of service and self-giving…the measure is not riches, or well stocked niches, or knowledge…but a willingness to lay down one’s life for another… to live within the challenge and the grace of God’s love as made manifest in Jesus.
Next week is Ash Wednesday. Forty days from now, who can know or predict the state of our world, especially given recent events? Approaching Lent this year, my prayer is this: As we journey together, the people of God, the church, may I seek to abandon no one, but instead offer prayer and service in the way and substance of my life... May I set my eyes upon the mysterious and beckoning beauty of God alive within and among creation and not fear what I encounter as I walk openly into the unknown “more” God promises... May I live ever amazed by love and desiring to embody what I receive so generously.
There is a small placard fixed by their front door that I had never seen before earlier this week. On the placard is Foundling’s three word mission. Beautifully succinct, expressive of commitment, and above all, boldly clear—“Abandon No one.”
The simplicity of that, the stark call of that, prompted a shrug of my shoulder to lower my bag and fish around for pen and notebook, though in reality I knew I would not forget those words.
Several days later, I was on the 4/5/6 train headed downtown and noticed what I first thought were new “Poetry In Motion” signs posted above the seats. It turns out the quotations I was reading and enjoying were actually advertisements for a large, local, non-denominational Christian church. It might be better said that the cards were less advertisements than invitations… The one that prompted another pat down for pen and paper is this—“The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all beauty came from.” C.S. Lewis
Most mornings my ritual follows a similar pattern. I head downstairs, put the water on or make coffee, get the mug ready for either tea or coffee, fix a bowl of oatmeal, and take both of those along with my missal and notebook into the living room where I tuck into the corner of the couch to pray and begin the day. Within the first several sips, I hear the whack of the New York Times arriving. I retrieve it, sort out the sections, and return to my spot with the front pages. First, though, the readings in the missal…followed by the front section of the paper. It occurred to me this morning, how well those two things go together.
So often, what I read in the paper I can only consider with eyes and a heart of faith…the suffering of so many, the atrocities, the wild misunderstandings of self, others, and the world, that lead to behaviors that harm…as well as acts of heroism, beauty, and daily humanity that touch the soul and encourage the spirit. Today’s reading from Sirach begins, “Come to our aid, O God of the Universe, look upon us and show us the light of your mercies…hear the prayer of your servants, for you are ever gracious to your people.”
The Gospel of today says that there are those who are amazed and those who are afraid…and that greatness is known only in terms of service and self-giving…the measure is not riches, or well stocked niches, or knowledge…but a willingness to lay down one’s life for another… to live within the challenge and the grace of God’s love as made manifest in Jesus.
Next week is Ash Wednesday. Forty days from now, who can know or predict the state of our world, especially given recent events? Approaching Lent this year, my prayer is this: As we journey together, the people of God, the church, may I seek to abandon no one, but instead offer prayer and service in the way and substance of my life... May I set my eyes upon the mysterious and beckoning beauty of God alive within and among creation and not fear what I encounter as I walk openly into the unknown “more” God promises... May I live ever amazed by love and desiring to embody what I receive so generously.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
V-Day
Yesterday, amidst the wandering multitude bearing stuffed animals, single flowers, whole arrangements, and balloons, and the father on the bus who handed his son one gummy worm at a time and said "Happy Valentines Day" with each wriggling sweet, I found myself considering love.
It was not the fizzy confection of love that I considered this day of chocolates and promises, but love in action...love within one's community--whether work, friends, family... Love that is sometimes a difficult honor, love that is challenge and grace, love that calls forth, is sustaining, generative, creative, and freeing.
I considered the Love of country that inspired the Egyptian youth to revolution. I contemplated the Love that will bring me to see my father again in the Spring. I recalled again the line in our vow formula..."trusting in the fidelity of God and in the love of my sisters..." I "went out" to friends around the world and offered gratitude for their friendship, their love, that makes me a better person and shows me more about God.
In a moment later in the day, I looked down and saw my ring and cross and was taken back several weeks to the prayer we had the night before our Profession. In that prayer, we each simply held our ring and our cross together, silently. That was the first time I had ever contemplated the two symbols together. In the two is the Complete Love to which I give my life and the Complete Love which I receive and from which nothing can ever separate me.
This is the Love that stretches and challenges, the Love that has no beginning and no end, except in God. Then, I found myself repeating a prayer... May I live as God loves me and may I love as God lives in me... wholly, deeply, widely, freely, and with joy.
Happy Valentines Day, world.
It was not the fizzy confection of love that I considered this day of chocolates and promises, but love in action...love within one's community--whether work, friends, family... Love that is sometimes a difficult honor, love that is challenge and grace, love that calls forth, is sustaining, generative, creative, and freeing.
I considered the Love of country that inspired the Egyptian youth to revolution. I contemplated the Love that will bring me to see my father again in the Spring. I recalled again the line in our vow formula..."trusting in the fidelity of God and in the love of my sisters..." I "went out" to friends around the world and offered gratitude for their friendship, their love, that makes me a better person and shows me more about God.
In a moment later in the day, I looked down and saw my ring and cross and was taken back several weeks to the prayer we had the night before our Profession. In that prayer, we each simply held our ring and our cross together, silently. That was the first time I had ever contemplated the two symbols together. In the two is the Complete Love to which I give my life and the Complete Love which I receive and from which nothing can ever separate me.
This is the Love that stretches and challenges, the Love that has no beginning and no end, except in God. Then, I found myself repeating a prayer... May I live as God loves me and may I love as God lives in me... wholly, deeply, widely, freely, and with joy.
Happy Valentines Day, world.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Praying the Readings
Things encountered today…
Brie on a bridge. I was crossing the Mazzini bridge near the house and saw a paper plate, a napkin, and a wrapped wedge of brie. It struck me as both intriguing and somewhat sad at the same time.
A man with a hacksaw cutting the lock from a bicycle. I hoped it was his own.
A woman spiraled into the corner of a street, swathed in cloths of every color.
An enormous tour group with more cameras per capita than wheat sprigs in Kansas
An exceedingly happy woman walking her even happier dog
A homeless sidewalk artist chalking Mary Poppins-worthy paintings onto the cement
A hormonal gaggle of high school students pitching crumbs to pigeons…
…pigeons who honestly shared with one another. If there was a large crumb, one would come and peck, then step away. Another would come along, peck, and move aside…
Another dog who thought I was the greatest thing ever as I came out of a market. I got it all--play bow, hand slurps, head bonks on the thigh… His owner was amused.
Today was a day of prayer dedicated to praying with the readings we are going to use for our final vows.
Isaiah 61: 1-3
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the Lord to show his glory.
Philippians 2:1-5
If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy,complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but (also) everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.
John 15:1-15
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes 3 so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was important to me to pray these readings while I was out, in the middle of the masses, face-on with the muchadumbre, the khuli baloli, the crowds of people that I encounter and serve with my life, consecrated to the glory of the heart of Jesus. I spent time sitting in the middle of a plaza, opened my bible, read, and prayed. Then, I walked some more, found a new bit of old stone, plunked down, read them again and prayed. This pattern sustained me for several hours.
I loved the reading of the texts while among the incredible diversity of humanity. Word was within me and outside me…It was the wholeness of it all… The love of Jesus expressed in the text, the love of Jesus within me, the manifestation of this love all around me as well as the call to share my bit of it, to engage in relationship with humanity/creation with all that might mean—challenge, love, self-emptying, growth--and discover even more…and bring that to prayer with the Word and listen, and discern, and venture on with openness and freedom…
This afternoon it occurred to me yet again that whole stories are not borne on the exterior. Any one of the people I passed, saw or did not see, spoke with, smiled at, nodded to…might be mourning. Someone of them might be being held captive or prisoner by a situation or experience or… Who among them needs the oil of gladness? A royal crown instead of a wreath of ashes? And how would I ever know, unless I engaged in a relationship of listening, serving, being broken open for another, that has as its source and strength the love of Jesus?
Doing that very thing, engaging in that sort of relationship with others, is, I think, being united with the heart and mind of Jesus. In that way, I am remaining with Jesus, who loves me completely and always, and I am freely experiencing that love within me…that love which also draws me onward and beckons and lives in others and challenges…and nourishes…
Yes, nourishes…the branches, which are fed from the vine and so produce fruit, but not without pruning. And what relationship of value does not include a snip here and there? And why?
So that our joy may be complete--in the loving of one another as we are loved by God.
I am going to bed so very grateful tonight...
Brie on a bridge. I was crossing the Mazzini bridge near the house and saw a paper plate, a napkin, and a wrapped wedge of brie. It struck me as both intriguing and somewhat sad at the same time.
A man with a hacksaw cutting the lock from a bicycle. I hoped it was his own.
A woman spiraled into the corner of a street, swathed in cloths of every color.
An enormous tour group with more cameras per capita than wheat sprigs in Kansas
An exceedingly happy woman walking her even happier dog
A homeless sidewalk artist chalking Mary Poppins-worthy paintings onto the cement
A hormonal gaggle of high school students pitching crumbs to pigeons…
…pigeons who honestly shared with one another. If there was a large crumb, one would come and peck, then step away. Another would come along, peck, and move aside…
Another dog who thought I was the greatest thing ever as I came out of a market. I got it all--play bow, hand slurps, head bonks on the thigh… His owner was amused.
Today was a day of prayer dedicated to praying with the readings we are going to use for our final vows.
Isaiah 61: 1-3
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the Lord to show his glory.
Philippians 2:1-5
If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy,complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but (also) everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.
John 15:1-15
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes 3 so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was important to me to pray these readings while I was out, in the middle of the masses, face-on with the muchadumbre, the khuli baloli, the crowds of people that I encounter and serve with my life, consecrated to the glory of the heart of Jesus. I spent time sitting in the middle of a plaza, opened my bible, read, and prayed. Then, I walked some more, found a new bit of old stone, plunked down, read them again and prayed. This pattern sustained me for several hours.
I loved the reading of the texts while among the incredible diversity of humanity. Word was within me and outside me…It was the wholeness of it all… The love of Jesus expressed in the text, the love of Jesus within me, the manifestation of this love all around me as well as the call to share my bit of it, to engage in relationship with humanity/creation with all that might mean—challenge, love, self-emptying, growth--and discover even more…and bring that to prayer with the Word and listen, and discern, and venture on with openness and freedom…
This afternoon it occurred to me yet again that whole stories are not borne on the exterior. Any one of the people I passed, saw or did not see, spoke with, smiled at, nodded to…might be mourning. Someone of them might be being held captive or prisoner by a situation or experience or… Who among them needs the oil of gladness? A royal crown instead of a wreath of ashes? And how would I ever know, unless I engaged in a relationship of listening, serving, being broken open for another, that has as its source and strength the love of Jesus?
Doing that very thing, engaging in that sort of relationship with others, is, I think, being united with the heart and mind of Jesus. In that way, I am remaining with Jesus, who loves me completely and always, and I am freely experiencing that love within me…that love which also draws me onward and beckons and lives in others and challenges…and nourishes…
Yes, nourishes…the branches, which are fed from the vine and so produce fruit, but not without pruning. And what relationship of value does not include a snip here and there? And why?
So that our joy may be complete--in the loving of one another as we are loved by God.
I am going to bed so very grateful tonight...
Friday, January 7, 2011
Deep Down Center
Deep Down Center
Deep down center within my home,
within your love, within you,
is a stirring wound.
A wound that reminds me
that I live with the grace of fragility
which is the giving of self to you…
A humble ache of emptying
that draws tears when probed
and loosens my soul to offer
space to the much and the many.
In that movement of welcome expanding,
my heart breathes freely and
comes the freshness of being called forth
to move onward into the more,
into the greater fullness
of your love for me.
c. MperiodPress
Deep down center within my home,
within your love, within you,
is a stirring wound.
A wound that reminds me
that I live with the grace of fragility
which is the giving of self to you…
A humble ache of emptying
that draws tears when probed
and loosens my soul to offer
space to the much and the many.
In that movement of welcome expanding,
my heart breathes freely and
comes the freshness of being called forth
to move onward into the more,
into the greater fullness
of your love for me.
c. MperiodPress
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