Learning to say yes…
To say yes again today is hard.
But what other word is worth saying repeatedly.
Life is a gift, yes, a choice.
Yes gets harder as you go
but more essential…
So yes
today to bird songs at dawn, people’s faces
squirrels scurrying, clouds gathering
and the gift of beholding life!
Yes to my blood showing and mapping through my veins and yours,
my eyes, my unseen heart pumping,
my sunned skin, kind words,
and to You again
Friend. Yes,
to another
Day here!
For our yes
softens things
which are hard.
So, I say Yes to You again today!

Pipe dreams….
Had a dream that my life was symbolized by a long glass pipe called identity. People gathered around different sections of the pipe which ran up hill on a long slope through time.
Inside was white yellow and blue gases or fluid fuels of some kind.
Each person was interpreting the pipe in their own authentic language, but basically around the theme of God highlighting identity through my life.
I was having an endless birthday party, and everyone i ever knew who helped me along in life was there.
Each standing nearby different sections of the pipe. I was talking about symbols and interpreting them. And also curious where the pipe stopped. It stopped at a local pub called Crown and Anchor. In the dream, i immediately thought, oh my pipe is now at a place of crown (authority) and anchor (grounding into solid things of God, and people). The dream was a good central theme reminder for me. But also had this aspect of everyone interpreting symbols in their unique languages.
The pipe was glass, i.e. transparent, so you could see clearly what was on the inside. Yet it was also strangely beautiful—a sort of beveled rare glass, and the colorful fluids inside made it glow in beauty.
I like dreams which remind us of who we are. And especially with friends with eyes to see and creativity to express it! Almost all my life long friends were there, starting at childhood. Nice party. Odd mediation, but fun also. And we were eating french food. My wife was teaching how to really make proper rues. Nice dream. Thankful for those who have helped me interpret and live the symbol of my life! Thanks friends!

A little nature and marriage poem for you today! (from my front porch to yours!)

Already One
The possum in our front yard lumbers into hiding this morning
as slow as a turtle crawls, nearly on his belly by night’s light.
Then, blue birds gather and swoop for cat food-today’s hunt, just for them.
Now, two doves noisily make love on a branch up above us,
fresh yellow columbine flowers say yes again beside us…
and we agree with yellow for the first time in a while;
your left hand slips into mine, so naturally,
and then within, we somehow know again, we are already One.

Doing stuff with Him in my day: (what brother Lawrence was talking about!)

Watering my plants with Him
taking out the trash with Him
talking with my wife with Him
talking to strangers with Him
changing the filters with Him
fixing the sewage line with Him
talking on line with Him
studying creation with Him
reading a book with Him
riding my bike with Him
getting a coffee with Him
drinking some wine with Him
listening to french jazz with Him
listening to klezmer punk music with Him
listening to that great b-side billie holiday with Him
eating lunch and dinner with Him
traveling to other lands with Him
getting allergy shots with Him
going to counseling with Him
sleeping with Him
waking with Him
sitting in traffic with Him
cleaning my shoes with Him
wearing a new hat with Him
making new art with Him
taking photos with Him
mending my garden with Him
talking to friends at the pub with Him…
In short,
doing everything with Him

What hawks teach:
Watching as communion…

Today again, i watched a hawk
from my backyard,
knowing Jesus
sees every hawk, and me
watching this one in awe today.
Each of us, caught up, squawking together in this seeing daily!
All of us being watched over
as we are watching well…that is,
in communion. Hawks know this already-how to watch for things,
while waiting.
We are still learning to watch well.
To see God in everything,
as we too are seen.

Thoughts from an urban monk today:

We are never alone.

The more i go into alone
the less lonely i become
The more i dance in pain, the stiller i am in Joy.
Some fear being alone
but they have not yet
gotten to the bottom of this dark well
where the blooming begins-where color comes from.
When there, in dim water
we stand up and look towards Sky
our faces come clear
His Face lights on us, and
We are with all that is living in Him;
and we are never alone. For low
He is with us always
even til the end.

For, We are never alone.

How to meet God in nature, art, books, other people, and those who have walked well before us-living and dead. Those were Henri Nouwen’s ways of meeting Him. Good to consider. Merton, his mentor, also added meeting God through current events. More challenging these days, but still possible!

Covered most of the bases, and made me think of my friend St Patrick’s words. A recent practice for me has been to try to only meet Christ in whatever I’m doing-to find where He’s already talking and join in.

It’s a fun and challenging practice. Christ in taking out trash, Christ in listening well to others, Christ in walking dog, Christ in cities, Christ in travel and sitting still, Christ in dream, and waking life…etc forever. Been trying to practice that lately. Not easy, but fun trying…keeps the conversation alive! Really trying to stay where God is in each situation, something like Patrick’s way!

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.
I arise today, through
God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me

What I want this year for my birthday:

What I want this year
is to not be hurried through life,
scurried along…in the rat race of becoming;
to savor each encounter more,
until i Know Love better. Just to sit with it
Until i move in, and from that slower, older
Tone of knowing.

This year, Im writing birthday poems again! Watch out….here’s one i wrote today:
Birthday poem:
And we all are also secretly grieving-
the seasons themselves require us to.
just being here is also sad
We somehow know that
all of us are widows
and royalty
And yet, with time
we learn to turn
always in thanks
as sunflowers tilt towards The Sun
and can’t forget to trace somehow magnetically, it’s inner warmth;
despite having birthed such yellows
from the dark places of earth
We too, little golems in the womb
waiting to burst out in yellow screams
from the Unseen. The baby gasps
at the first sight of light; that shocked thankful scream goes on throughout life
and is recalled each year;
we too, joy cry even when making love.
the angels all cry and rejoice at once. the Love dove descends to ascend
this is always going on around us, and within.
we grieve to know
until we are more fully seen
that’s just our birth ache
even on our birthdays
we cry to celebrate
life’s unbroken banquet
which we secretly know
has already begun!
And as that sunflower,
we bow and follow
til the end.
We learn to grieve well
in already yellowed thanks.

Thinking about telling the difference between true spirituality and mere religion today!

Three signs of a living spirituality versus a dead religion: creativity, humility and humor!
These three fruits indicate a living relationship, and spirituality of encounter, transformation and aliveness. Even in people’s art, you can tell if they genuinely met God! There is always humility humor and creativity!
Where the Spirit is, there is freedom, creativity and humor! At least those three characteristics are good indicators in discerning the difference between a true spirituality and just a system of religion.
Even in studying religious art, you want to look for or overhear moments where the artist actually encountered God; paintings where God was recently there! That will indicate a living spirituality, an I-Thou moment! Love considering how to discern the difference between real spirituality and just religion. Most people won’t take the time to do so, even in their own cultural traditions. It’s really worth it. You want to judge by those who have actually lived out the faith—and they always are creative, humble and often funny!
Look for the ones actually living the true spirituality of that faith, before judging the entire religion! As my mentor always said! Those three fruits should always be present! Fun meditation today, towards an article on religious art, and how to tell the differences between spirituality and religion! Fun study!