Shining Spirit

Do you think this could be between you and me?
I hold in my hand the official decree,
but I’m simply not ready to share the news.
There are so many conflicting views.
People are ready to take to the streets.
It seems like every person I meet
thinks his way is right and her way is wrong.
I don’t know whether I now belong
to the left or the right, to the blues or the reds,
but I do know that when this news is said,
there could be trouble ahead.

I never thought I would see the day
when honest and thoughtful people would say
such ugly things to their neighbors and friends,
conspire to fight to the bitter end.
It’s as if we’re about to start a war.
How did we let things go this far?
We lost control of our common sense.
There is no legal or moral defense
for violent acts when the news is read,
but the time has come; it must be said.
It must be said right now.

Your attention, please. I have something to say.
Please mark this down as the memorable day
when the long-awaited news was told,
and please maintain your self control.
The decision was made just yesterday
and I have permission to publicly say
that the Warthog parade and beauty contest,
along with the square dance and all the rest,
will start at 10 instead of 9,
but as a concession and neighborly sign,
the Cow Patty Toss will certainly get
the headline in tomorrow’s Tribune-Gazette.
Let me say, in conclusion, have a wonderful time,
and ain’t it just great that everything rhymed!

What an unexpected glimpse of reality. I took the photo because I thought this to be a lovely scene. But, glancing through photographs this morning, not looking for any one in particular, I saw this as if for the first time. Two prominent features, each beautiful in its own way, remind me of Transcience and Permanence. Some things come and go. Something stays. Those beautiful lavender flowers appear for a time, gracing us with color, soft fragrance, and unpredictable motion caused by unseen wind. In a short time, they will be gone. Only photographs and memories will remain. In the background, watching from a distance, the mountain was, is, and will be forever. Motionless, majestic, almost mysterious, it has watched lavender blossoms come and go for centuries. It is the Forever, the Backdrop to all that is. All flowers appear for a time, bless their surroundings with charm and beauty, until that moment when branch and blossom release each other, and the flower, all flowers, dance away in the wind. But the Forever Mountain remains. Always and eternal. Presence and promise. A glimpse of life and Life.

Time out! The morning sun is warm. The setting is peaceful. The perch is perfect. The next task can wait for a little while. Can’t it? Sometime today, maybe every day, listen to yourself, put the phone away, shut down the computer, turn the TV off and take yourself to that favorite place where the sun is warm and the setting is peaceful and the perch is perfect. Be there, not because you need to, but because you want to. And after a few visits, you will go there, not because you want to, but because you have to. That place of inner retreat and renewal will have become part of you. Maybe it’s not a Time Out. Maybe it’s a Time In.