Flutter By Meditation

Wandering broadly, weaving

left and right, willowing

up and down; all ways wondering.

Pausing narrowly, piloting

in an out, pulsating

back and forth; on the way pondering.

Finally, at least for a green moment

the spiral of wandering to wondering

the growth of pausing to pondering

discovers the straight and narrow Way.

Perhaps there is something to learn

from the transient leafed butterfly.

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This photo was taken by my precious wife during a visit to

the Virginia Beach Aquarium, an engaging experience.

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With each new blog posting will now come a different

"Being Stirred by God" quotation from a variety of sources.

Here's the first:

"as leaves stirred by wind whisper softly outside"

from a poem by Megan McKenna in her collection,

Dancing with Angels (Continuum, 1998, page 90).

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May you find your way to the Way

who is the Christ.

Mixture Meditation

A retired friend took this photo on one of many Winnebago trips with his wife. The scene, a mixture of fertility and barrenness, perhaps suggests the way life can be - a mixture positive and negative elements. After meditating on this aspect of our shared human experience, what i wrote in my prayer journal appears below. I wonder what your perception might be regarding life's mix of beauty and ugliness, of good and evil.

it is not enough to meditate on beauty

for there is ugliness in the mix

or behind the scenes

turn over the portrait of a flower art crafted

of colored string and thread and ribbon

and you will see chaotic knots and random criss-crossings

visit the neatly dressed and well-mannered family

who fit perfectly on a magazine cover

in the home at secret times where and when

there is domestic violence or child abuse

learn to look through a person's eyes

into the truth harboring soul

and be not distracted by smile or charming words

so as to recognize evil for what it is

not every place in the world is safe

from invasion, kidnapping, torture and careless death

trust people who have seen the worst

and still give witness to the best

they are sparks of life in the divine fire

in a society of packaging for promotion

angling for advantage and snaring for sales

there are instances both of service and of greed

there are examples of real ministry and abusive power

there are champions of generous giving and of greedy taking

both beauty and ugliness are in the mix

in which wisdom perceives behind the scenes

and knows that meditation itself is not enough

Our prayer might begin as does Psalm 43:

Defend me, O God, and plead my cause against a godless nation.

From deceitful and cunning men rescue me, O God.