THE GIFT OF CONVERSATION

"Talk to people about themselves and they will listen for hours."

~ Benjamin Disraeli ~

Spending time in conversation,

Being curious,

Asking questions,

And sharing from our own experience,

Opens a doorway,

And makes room,

for love,

to pass through.

Opening my mind opens my heart. 

MOVING THE MAPLE TREE

"Plants are the young of the world, vessels of health and vigor..."

~ RW Emerson ~

Our son, Nick, is moving to the West Coast.

He leaves at the end of this week, 

And we have given him his family sendoff.

Interestingly, 

As life would have it,

Our last spontaneous collective effort on the farm

Was to transplant a Maple tree from a location

Where it didn't seem entirely happy

To a spot on the hill

Where it has a commanding view

And God willing,

Will thrive. 

It didn't occur to us until we had completed the job how

Fitting it was-

How perfectly allegorical-

And how beautifully complete.

The Cosmic Flow bears endless blessings. 

CONCEPT VERSUS REALITY

"Earth's tribulations diminish in proportion to the elevation of our souls."

~ James Lendall Basford ~

We get an idea, a vision, in our minds about the way something will be-

About the way we think we want it to be,

And then,

It doesn't quiet turn out like that,

And we feel annoyed and resistant and try to force it to be the 

Way we envisioned it,

but we can't,

Because it has evolved out of its own kind of spontaneous 

cosmic evolution

That has nothing at all to do

with the thoughts in our mind.

And often, 

If we can just stop trying to match it to what we were thinking 

it should be,

And let it be what it is,

We will see that it is ok,

Maybe good even,

And maybe better than it would have been 

had we been able 

to force our will.

I remain open to the way things turn out. 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

"I sing the body electric,"

~ Walt Whitman ~

Think of a drumbeat,

An earthy, soulful, repetitive rhythm

That gets your body waked up,

And pumps through your 

veins like blood.

Now, a saxophone,

Sensual,

Sultry,

Rising and falling

Into and

Across a dimly lit room

Full of people.

Now, a flute,

Quick and happy..

A harmonica...

And an electric guitar...

Each sound transports us

In its unique and wonderful way.

These, and others like them,

 are instruments 

of grace.

I am blessed by the sound of music. 

SITTING ON THE PORCH

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."

~ Sam Keen ~

People, 

and especially country people, 

like to sit on the porch in the summertime.

I used to take a walk past an older couple's house every evening after work 

when we lived further North in the Shenandoah Valley, 

and as soon as the weather got warm,

and until it cooled, 

there they sat. 

I would always call my hellos, and occasionally, 

I'd stop and we'd chat a bit. 

They loved it best when the "air was stirring,"

And I loved to hear them say that,

And think of them both

Every time I feel the breeze when it's hot.

Molly and John.

They each had some health issues, so I'm not sure they're alive still,

But if they are, and if they can,

I'm certain that

on the porch is where they'll be.

Stirring summer air is a delicious sensory experience. 

THE PROBLEM WITH MASKS

"A man's face is his autobiography."

~ Oscar Wilde ~

The problem with masks is that

We can't see each other.

We miss the beauty of the human face,

and see only the eyes

If we are brave enough not to avoid them

in the awkwardness of meeting

all covered up

like a bank robber.

We've gotten creative with our masks

And tried to make them

Colorful,

Relevant,

Becoming,

High-tech...

But there's no way to bypass

The simple truth

Of the missing

countenance.

I celebrate the unique and wonderful features of the human face. 

LIKE A ROCK

"Let soul and world meet."

~ Rumi ~

Deep inside

we are 

ALWAYS

fine. 

At the core level, all is well.