Shining Spirit

Do you see what I see?
Do you see what sees me?
Graceful and beautiful, the deer paused
for a moment to say “Hello” then
bounded off into the woods.
It’s nice to have a friend stop
by for a moment, isn’t it?

Give thanks today for your friends
and acquaintances who bless your
life. What would it be like
without them! They are a gift!
Thanks be to God!

Rest in peace, beloved. Rest in the simplicity and in the beauty. Rest in the earth from which you came. Rest in the hand that made you and the heart that loves you. You are not forgotten. You lived and will live throughout time. But for now, rest in sweet Mother Earth. Amen.

In time the footprints will wash away, disappear into the moist sand and be gone forever. But, in the meantime, the prints point toward a destination, a place that lures them forward over large stones and through narrow crevices. They are planted with a certain determination. The stride is long, most of the weight of the anonymous person is toward the toe, suggesting a running motion. In a hurry? Late for an appointment? For a meeting with a lover? Much and little are known by the fading footprints. Just that once a human being passed this way and left a momentary mark on the planet. What can be better than looking back over one’s shoulder and seeing the evidence of having lived, even if for a short time? Footprints fade, but the sand knows forever that someone passed this way. I expect no more. I desire no less.

Today I’m going to be where I am. I will not be in yesterday’s regrets, nor in tomorrow’s fantasies. Today will be enough for my mind to consider, for I know the phone will ring and happiness or sorrow will speak to me, the letter will arrive and I will tear it open with expectant joy or I will lay it aside for a stronger hour.

Today I am going to be where I am, fully aware of my heart, my window to the Sacred Mystery defining me and this moment. Very soon the sun will rise on a common day of minutes and hours, the ordinary arrives. But before the first rays flash over the mountain and bend down into the valley, all common will have been replaced by an invitation to Wonder, attainable only by this resolve:

Today I will be where I am. Right here. Right now.

Do you see anything beautiful in this odd plant? Anything? Creation comes up with some strange ideas, but then we have our standards for beauty, don’t we. Symmetry, balance, consistency. Maybe this was a mistake, an aberration, a bad day in the flower production department. Do you think beauty resides in what we call bizarre, like this flower? I do. O, yes. Without question. Sit with it for a few minutes and see if beauty breaks through. Forget the standards. Follow the Spirit.