Henri Frederic Amiel

Life is short
And we do not have much time
To gladden the hearts of those who travel the dark way with us;
So be swift to love,
And make haste to be kind,
And may the Divine Mystery
Who is beyond our ability to know
but Who made us and Who loves us,
and Who travels with us,
Bless us and keep us in peace.
Amen.

The way It Is by William Stafford

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

Watch Over

Watch Over your child, O Lord as his days increase. Bless and guide him wherever he may be, keeping him unspotted from the world. Strengthen him when he stands, comfort him when he is discouraged or sorrowful; raise him up when he falls. And in his heart, may Thy peace, which passes all understanding, abide all the days of his life. Through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

A Silly Little Girl

Here's the story of a silly little girl who needed to learn how to ask for help. God decided to teach her (did i say teach? I meant beat her over the head with) this lesson.

she's on her own. unemployed. no place to land. but she has many loving and giving friends who are aching to support her, give her love and care and shelter until she finds her feet again.

repeatedly she has to ask for help. "can i stay with you?" "may i borrow your car?" she bounces around frequently because she doesn't want to be a burden anywhere for long. it's all internal, this sense of burdening. and it shifts her perspective on these relationships - she's not there because she was invited, because she is wanted. she's there because she has nowhere else to go and needs to be there. this is a very sad and insecure place to be. yet another lesson here to be learned...

God is teaching her how to ask for help. how to accept it and let others love her. how to love herself enough to embrace their care.

the silly little girl has been practicing this dependence for months. she is tired of moving around and unsuccessful at finding work, even work that she is overqualified for. more humility, more asking for help from those around her.

She feels like she's learned this lesson by now. she knows how to ask for help. and is learning a lot about self love and true relationship.

She has a total breakdown. "God help me. I'm sinking. I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of this lesson. Is this not working because I'm following the wrong path? Tell me where to go. Tell me what to do. I can't do this by myself anymore. Please help."

She goes to the garden to pull weeds and within an hour, the phone starts to ring. Five interview requests, four interviews set up in the next four days.

God has a funny way of teaching us. You see, the silly little girl thought that God was just driving home the message that she needed to learn how to ask her friends and loved ones for help. and that was part of it. but it wasn't until that last day that she fully surrendered and asked GOD for help.

We can't always do it alone. We don't have to.

Wisdom for the Day

"People follow different paths, straight or crooked, according to their temperament, depending on which they consider best, or most appropriate - and all reach You, just as rivers enter the ocean."

from the Upanishads

puzzle

life can be an absolute puzzle. i can search for hours for the borders, separate the pieces into color, and work so hard to complete sections and see what big picture they're trying to form. but no matter how hard i look, i don't find the right pieces. and then, miraculously, they appear as if from nowhere and finish off sections of incompleteness.

this is the gray area where God can work miracles. limbo, uncertainty, and doubt can be a blessed thing.

:)

Have a HOLY weekend!! and happy Easter, a bit early...

new favorite poem

I came across this recently in a book called Love Poems From God and I keep returning to it. enjoy!


"There is a Beautiful Creature
Living in a hole you have dug.
So at night
I set fruit and grains
And little pots of wine and milk
Besides your soft earthen mounds,

And I often sing.

But still, my dear,
You do not come out.

I have fallen in love with Someone
Who hides inside you.

We should talk about this problem--

Otherwise,
I will never leave you alone."
— Hafiz