Better keep yourself clean and bright;
you are the window through
which you must see the world.
– George Bernard Shaw
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
In the same way, let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works and
give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14, 16
Maritta Terrell
Thoughts are also posted at:
http://thoughtsaday.blogspot.com/
Messenger
by Mary Oliver
My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,
which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.
If you are waiting for anything in order to live and love without holding back, then you suffer. Every moment is the most important moment of your life. No future time is better than now to let down your guard and love. – David Deida
As soon as the love relationship does not lead me to me, as soon as I in a love relationship do not lead another person to himself, this love, even if it seems to be the most secure and ecstatic attachment I have ever experienced, is not true love. For real love is dedicated to continual becoming. ~ Leo Buscaglia
For true love we need to maintain our commitment to continual becoming—NOT to the attachment we may feel to the other. – Brain Johnson
http://www.entheos.com/
There is a spot that has become me
A small spot in the world,
yet it brings me great delight –
and even a whiff of wonder –
that it is mine.
I have this 4 feet of place
looking out to the trees
which are mine to borrow.
A place to dream.
A place to create.
Bringing pieces of me
into being,
to share with the world
from this tiny new place
filled with love.
AL 6/15/13
How can we choose love when we have experienced so little of it? We choose love by taking small steps of love every time there is an opportunity. A smile, a handshake, a word of encouragement, a phone call, a card, an embrace, a kind greeting, a gesture of support, a moment of attention, a helping hand, a present, a financial contribution, a visit … all these are little steps toward love.
Each step is like a candle burning in the night. It does not take the darkness away, but it guides us through the darkness. When we look back after many small steps of love, we will discover that we have made a long and beautiful journey.
– Henri Nouwen
www.henrinouwen.org
A Certain Way of Thinking.
I don’t like litter.
I don’t like bird poop on things.
I don’t like people being mean to old folks.
I don’t like tyrants.
I don’t like Brussels sprouts, lima beans, raisins,
mint, mustard, pickles or strawberry ice cream.
I don’t like the torture of children,
the suffering of war, or smoking in public,
or sleet. Or sand in my socks.
I don’t like tragedy. It refuses to negotiate.
I don’t like rain, because it messes things up.
I don’t like sunrises because they come too early.
I don’t like sunsets because they end things.
And they keep coming. It’s annoying.
And pleasant days, like everything, can without warning
turn worse.
And you know how joy is always either compromised
or cut short.
I don’t like poetry, because there’s never enough.
I have my standards.__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net
“Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?’ Job 26:14
I am rather particular about what I like:
I like my coffee with a little cream but not too much;
Salsa should have a little kick but it shouldn’t scorch my taste buds;
I am driven inside when it is too hot or too cold;
I don’t like it when it is too windy or breezeless;
I like my dessert sweet but not too sweet.
Everyone has preferences. Those preferences have ranges that depend upon the person. When the ranges of our particular preferences are exceeded, we become uncomfortable. However, there are another set of ranges that affect our very existence. Our lives cannot be sustained if the ranges of these parameters are exceeded:
The sun cannot be any closer or…
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To get the most success out of life have no agenda other than to give whatever you can in the present moment. A smile, a laugh, a quarter, a helping hand, an introduction or just your listening ear is more powerful than you can imagine. Beneath every gift is the knowing that the Universe is abundant and that you lose nothing by giving away what you have. Others will feel comfortable in your presence and all good things will find you – WITHOUT seeking them.
– Jackson Kiddard
What about waiting?
How about going with the flow?
If all the stars burned out,
where would we go?
Would we fly to a new world?
Would you take me to heaven?
When the stars fall will you find me?
Will you live with me for a thousand years beyond the sun?
In a place where the wildflowers smell like cinnamon
and diamonds line all the pathways to the Milky Way?
If I wait for you,
will you sing me your song?
The one that calls the angels from their posts in glory,
holding their breath to catch the love?
Will you write me a poem that stops time,
clocks gathering rust,
because we are suspended
in a miraculous raindrop?
Why are we ever in a hurry?
The best things always take their
own time –
like watermelon growing sweeter on the vine
or your touch moving slowly down my spine
Grant me patience to live
with you
in this delicious moment
for all eternity
AL 6/11/13
Release yourself from the burden of resentment.
See how much energy it takes?
Lay it down.
Break free from the limits of being compensated.
No one could pay what it was worth anyway.
Let yourself be a gift.
Come out of the tomb of the past.
Why keep repeating Act I?
Let that scene be over now.
You can live in this imperfect life
or sleep through it with nightmares
of how it was supposed to have been.
You are dancing, not fighting.
People crash into you.
Keep dancing.
Don’t chain yourself to what you deserve,
which is so small and heavy.
Receive what is given, which is infinite.
What’s wrong with you? Nothing.
You haven’t been damaged after all. Still there.
Well then don’t mess yourself up with bitterness.
Life is full of troubles. Always was.
Don’t add to it by calculating whether yours
are somebody’s fault.
The only one who can dishonor your soul is you.
Don’t do that for anybody. Carry on
as if you have been honored. Because you are.
What if there is only one forgiveness, yours and theirs,
and it’s not divided? What if they are as forgiven as you—
and you are infinitely so? Will you accept it?
You have both been rescued and are fighting for a place
in a lifeboat that is not yours,
a boat much more spacious than yours.
What if your compassion were so great
that you loved them despite their misdeeds?
Or is that lack what you’re really angry about?
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
life: acoustic & amplified 