Books arrive like friends…

Some other birthday friends arrived today in the post! Since I was a kid, books have been like friends to me, when they arrive again, i get very excited.

Two of my favorite Jewish thinkers from our century arrived today in the mail!

I’m replenishing a few lost books this season. I carried “I and Thou”, along with with Brother Lawrence’s “Practicing the Presence” around in my back pockets in my college days, but they fell out along the way-not out of my heart, or mind, but out of my clowny pockets.

The two great Jewish revivalist (tried to bring The Spirit back into their spirituality! As many Christians have struggled to do as well!) were friends in Berlin, so I think it’s cool they arrived in a package together today for a late birthday gift. I hope they enjoyed the journey here. Books really are like friends to me, as are flowers and many animals.

My mentor in college, was a catholic mystic aesthetician, and great friend of Buber’s thoughts. I’m thankful he taught me about art through Buber’s categories! To this day, i still try to find the inner “thou” in a piece of art I’m looking at, in order to even begin to interpret it! “Love in order to know.” as one clear headed monk put it!

Same with people or cities for than matter. Try to see heart to heart, spirit to spirit, deep to deep-see where the light is already shining, and increase it! And be transformed by that type of gazing. Try to have I-thou encounters with them, rather than I-it! I try to read books that way also! So they change me with their brightest seeds!

And of course, Heschel had such heart ecumenism and a poetic voice, he’s hard to ignore on any topic, especially the prophets, who are my favorites!

Enjoying overhearing them all dialoguing at my table this morning. Of course, Heschel and Buber were friends, so I think they liked being in the same package which arrived today in an unlikely simple package into my silver mail box. Such huge seeds come in tiny packages.

I left my last copy of “I asked for Wonder” on a plane recently, filled with my notes. Someone is surely enraptured in wonder now, and considering what really gives meaning to this short version of life down here…enjoying a study morning anyways with some old friends!

Again, when God asked Heschel what he wanted in life, he asked for wonder rather than success. God liked his answer and gave him both.

I’m throwing Walter Brueggemann, the christian old testament scholar, into the mix because his book on Sabbath has the same density of knowing as the other two, and it is good thinking about the commandments, mainly the ten but a few others, more deeply from a Christian perspective.

Nice rainy morning Monday meditations! So much to learn yet!

One thing about books and thinkers—like these flowers they seem to say more in conversation with one another, or become more themselves, and more than themselves, in unison.

Nice conversation to overhear thus far! Sorry for my loquaciousness, i get excited when friends show up! Even older ones.