The
present moment, like the spotted owl or the sea turtle, has become an
endangered species. Yet more and more I find that dwelling in the present
moment, in the face of everything that would call us out of it, is our highest
spiritual discipline. More boldly, I would say that our very presentness is our
salvation; the present moment, entered into fully, is our gateway to eternal
life.
— Philip Simmons in Learning to Fall
Have you ever been robbed or cheated out of something that belongs to you? One day a secretary in a large office building took a coffee break. She stopped at a vending machine, selected a small bag of chocolate chip cookies, plopped them on a table and sat down to sip coffee while browsing the newspaper. When she reached out and took a cookie from the package, to her astonishment, a man sitting across the table also reached out and took one. She was a little upset by this, but didn't say anything. After all, it was only one cookie.
A few minutes later she took
another one. Again, her table companion did the same. Now she was
getting bent out of shape. Soon there was only one cookie left. He
broke it, took half for himself and left the other half for her. Then he
smiled, rose from the table and walked away.
Now she was really mad! How could he dare help himself to her cookies? She had no problem sharing, but he wasn't polite enough to ask and he didn't even say, "Thank you." His nerve and disrespect were insulting. That's what really hurt. She stood up, grabbed the newspaper and then saw her bag of cookies. It had been hidden out of sight by the newspaper. All this time, she had been helping herself to his small bag of cookies. She had robbed, cheated and disrespected him!
Source/author unknown
“We need patience with
each other; with the old, the young, the sick, the slow, and with God! Psalm 36
speaks of this last need, the need to wait on God: 'Be still before the Lord
and wait in patience.' We must learn how to sit still, to stop being in a hurry,
and wait for God to move within our lives. We still ourselves in prayer, aware
that the graces we need, the special gifts we desire, will come to us when we
are ready. Whatever is necessary for our spiritual journeys will come when the
time is ready. Until that time we simply sit in stillness, waiting, and even
seeing pleasure, finding fun, in waiting!”
Edward Hays~
Pray All Ways
for
it is life
the
very life of life.
In
its brief course lie all
the
realities and truths
of
existence
the
joy of growth
the
splendor of action
the
glory of power.
For
yesterday is but a memory
and
tomorrow is only a vision.
But
today well lived
makes
every yesterday
a
memory of happiness
and
every tomorrow
a
vision of hope.
Look
well, therefore, to this day . . .
Who
wait for the night to end.
bless
them.
bless
them.
Who
wait in the hospital room
who
wait in the cell
who
wait in prayer
bless
them.
Who
wait for news
who
wait for the phone call
who
wait for a word
who
wait for a job - a house - a child
bless
them.
Who
wait for one who will come home..
who
wait for one who
will
not come home
bless
them.
Who
wait with fear
who
wait with joy
who
wait with peace
who
wait with rage
who
wait for the end
who
wait for the beginning
who
wait alone
who
wait together
bless
them.
Who
wait without knowing
what
they wait for or why
bless
them.
Who
wait when they
should
not wait
who
wait when they should
be
in motion
who
wait when they need to rise
who
wait when they need to set out
bless
them.
Who
wait for the end of waiting
who
wait for the fullness of time
who
wait emptied and
open
and ready
who
wait for you,
O
bless.
Circle of Grace http://www.janrichardson.com/index.htmlichardson.com
janrichardson.com
An Unclenched Moment . . .
Gentle me, Holy One,
Into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath, a letting go
of heavy experiences, of shriveling anxieties,
of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence, surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple,
and filled with the joy
That is You .
~Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace
I weave a silence on my lips,
I weave a silence into my mind,
I weave a silence within my heart.
I close my ears to distractions,
I close my eyes to attentions,
I close my heart to temptations.
Calm me, O God, as you stilled the storm,
Still me, O God, keep me from harm.
Let all the tumult within me cease,
Enfold me, God, in your peace.
(Author Unknown ~ Celtic Tradition)
