2011

"New Year's eve is like every other night; 

there is no pause in the march of the universe, 

no breathless moment of silence among created things 

that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; 

and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening 

that come with the coming of darkness on other nights."
~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Under Contract?

"Therefore, when you enter into anything, as a frightened being,
that contract you make with another person out of fear, has to fall apart."
~Caroline Myss

Pure Love

"But some emotions don't make a lot of noise. 

It's hard to hear pride. 

Caring is real faint. 

And pure love 

- sometimes you don't even know it's there at all."

~Unknown

Better Than I Am

You see me better than I am, she said
and I'm worried what'll happen when your vision changes.
~Brian Andreas

Being Loved

Christmas

For back of the false front of all of us is the little child, a child born of the kingdom of God. The discovery of this child within us is the greatest discovery of our life. The search after it is the greatest adventure of our life.
Like the wise men of old, we too need to be guided by the star of Life to that holy place within us, which lies so deep, so soft, so still, where the little child we are—the “Son of God”—is cradled in the arms of infinite Love and Wisdom.

Fra Giovanni's Christmas Eve 1513 blessing

Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts by their covering,

cast them away as ugly or heavy, or hard.
Remove the covering and you will find beneath it a living splendor,
woven of love, by wisdom, with power.

Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel's hand that brings it to you.
Everything we call a trial, a sorrow or a duty, believe me,
that angel's hand is there; the gift is there,
and the wonder of an overshadowing presence.
Our joys too: be not content with them as joys. They too conceal diviner gifts.

And so, at this time, I greet you.
Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with profound esteem
and with the prayer that for you now and forever,
the day breaks, and the shadows flee.

Thanks to (Janet Conner)

 for bringing this blessing to my attention

Blanket To Protect You

Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a
Stranger,
Only to someone
Who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.

Hafiz

Being Me

Obviously,

I love a beautiful quote.

I use them to remember

who I Am

and remind myself

of a state of mind

I wish to achieve.

Lately, 

I especially want to speak my own words.

Land safely inside my Self.

Be my Self.

Live freely, 

fear-less.

Open the gates,

cross the bridge,

cut the cords,

let go.

And see what happens.

Not one of those metaphors is original.

But I am.

Apology

A true apology

is more than just acknowledgment of a mistake.

It is the recognition 

that something you have said or done

has damaged a relationship

and that you care about that relationship

enough to want it repaired and restored.

~Norman Vincent Peale

In Reverse

Ok, here's another photo

that fascinates me.

Just a whole bunch of chaos

that only makes sense to the 

decorators of this eclectic space

in the Texas Hill County.

I wonder if it even makes sense to them.

A gorgeous place in it's very messy way.

 Life is also messy, and hard, chaotic and sometimes full of non-sense.

It's been said:

If we play the story of lives in reverse,

it makes more sense than playing it forward.

Perhaps this could also be 

the definition of faith.

Joyeux Noel

 "I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas

and included a note that said 'toys not included.'"

~Bernard Manning

Be Who You Are

"Spiritual seekers look for self-realization 

or enlightenment in the future. 

To be a seeker implies that you need the future. 

If this is what you believe, 

it becomes true for you: 

you will need time until you realize 

that you don't need time 

to be who you are."
~Eckhart Tolle

Imagination

"Doubt and worry are the misuse of the power of imagination."
~Daily Word

Connecting

 It was a stunner of a sunrise this morning.

I viewed the city skyline lit by it, cruising across Mopac

- yes, cruising across Mopac at 65 mph

because it was not yet 7:30 in the morning.

I had an 8:00 class, 

so even if I had been equipped with my camera

I could not have detoured.

That's ok.

Sometimes the beauty of a moment is dulled

by the strange compulsion we have

to record it and post it

on Facebook, 

or Twitter, 

or ironically, 

a blog.

I walked my very happy and excited little dog

in the pre-dawn dark this morning

and realized I maybe should be 

a bit more alarmed

by the rumblings of bushes and footsteps behind me.

But in my neighborhood,

it's invariably a deer.

Today, a young buck 

was enjoying a piece of the same peace

Sam and I were enjoying...

Until of course, 

Mr. "I Weigh Ten Pounds But I Act Like I Weigh 80"

thought it was his job to chase the deer.

Early morning peace

and the certainty of sunrise

is for me a gift of both sadness and joy.

Enjoying a golden full moon late at night can have the same effect.

The joy of such morning solitude 

could have been shattered by the company of another,

yet I caught myself wanting to share it,

just like I wanted to share the sunrise...

So...that's what Facebook, Twitter and a blog are for?

All the same, I wonder if we've grown less relational?

Does sending an email, 

posting on a profile page 

or leaving a voicemail

count as connecting,

or does it help us feel connected

so we don't have to feel alone?

To those of us who saw the same sunrise,

maybe it is a way of sharing a connection.

I don't have a photo of it.

Aside from compulsively 

updating my FB status about it (natch)

I was busy enjoying it.

Instead, I offer a photo of last month's full moon.

Controlling

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world

is what you share with someone else

when you're uncool."

~From the film Almost Famous

Every Shattered Flaw

This is a very real place.

I didn't set this photo up

or add any elements to it at all.

I didn't move one prop.

... and it's not even the weirdest part of the scene.

I love this place.

Somewhere stored in a box

there's a photo of a wall 

just a few hundred feet 

from this shattered porcelain.

I took it close to twenty years ago.

 And that's it for today.

No inspiring quote.

Just a reminder

that sometimes

life is 

confusing

and even messy.
Like this photo.

External order

 and the search for 

spiritual enlightenment

can't replace

the compassionate acceptance

of every shattered flaw

that makes up

the unique expression

of God

that you are.

Good Enough For Me

In every moment of every day I find peace in the knowing that I am doing the best that I am capable of, and that is good enough for me. It is irrelevant if it is not good enough for another. For the belief that another's gauge dictates my success or failure creates an illusionary prison that I am unwilling to lock myself away in. 

~Faith