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.

Wet and Dry

Just back from four days, husband and wife alone, in the wild and wonderful, silent and serene, relaxing and rejuvenating mountains of West Virginia. While there in a friends' ski chalet (Windlanding) of the Timberline Resort in Canaan Valley, it rained gently and generously. While Carol caught up on some much needed sleep, Emil went out early in a morning and became part of a rain fall and the first of the Fall colors in the wooded surround.


Prayer was his conditioned inclination, and a creative expression of what he was experiencing appeared as a poem in his journal. The first half of Emil's poem is shared with you below the photograph his much loved wife took on some previous nature joint expedition.

Rain and wind - play a tune - on the leaves.

It's a dirge - that tells how - my heart grieves.

So much time - have I spent - on what's wrong.

Now the woods - that are wet - sing my song.

Rain drops fall - just like tears - I have cried.

Gust of wind - are the sads - I have sighed.

But there's hope - that smells sweet - in the air.

Fresh and clean - in my life - is my prayer.

When he got back to the chalet and shared coffee with his wife, he picked up her guitar and rendered the poem to music. Emil and his guitar-talented friend, Kevin, hope to recored this new song at Bias Studios in Springfield, Virginia. Perhaps in a year or so it will appear as a track on their second joint CD of original inspirational music. Their first CD project, "Come Into the Presence", is in production now and will be released some time in September.

Silence

Here is a photo of me taken on an overcast day by my wife at Half Moon Bay, California. This image captures a valuable moment and appears also on the cover of my book, "Personalizing the Psalms".

It was a blended time for us of visits with friends and of cultivating silence together. One aspect of this experience of sitting on the seawall and gazing out over and beyond the Pacific for me was to recognize Silence as Woman - as expressed in the following poem:

Silence is the teacher of how to speak.

She gives you strength when you are weak.

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Silence is the icon of your own beauty deep.

She awakens your soul from self-centered sleep.

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Silence is the ticket that gets you into the show.

She will even escort you to the very front row.

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Silence is a lover who takes you to her bed

and makes love to your soul rather than your head.

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Silence is a book written by the spiritually wise

who will help you find truth and avoid worldly lies.

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Silence is the music made in heavenly spheres

that strums and drums away all of your fears.

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Silence is the mother of new life in truth

Mary is God's fountain of eternal youth.

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Leaves

While out for a local neighborhood walk this morning, I saw the very first sign of leaf color change. This sign of what is to come left me thinking about what is about to leave all around me. It reminded me of a poem I once wrote about "Leaves" and a photo that my wife took on one of our Maine meanderings. So I thought I would share it today.

I wonder if you have a similar or quite a different take on the philosophy of life that my poem attempts to articulate.

Grasping at life

leaves you

Gasping for breath.

Lusting for things

leaves you

Lasting with nothing.

Rushing in time

leaves you

Rashing in stress.

Fretting inside

leaves you

Forgetting who you really are -

the beloved of God!

Being Stirred by God

I was just reading a friend's fun blog (see Liz, one of my followers) and rather much enjoyed her series of photograph-accompanied haiku poems. This prompts me to render a haiku on my site today for you. It is only right that this one attempt to express the theme of my blog.

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Haiku poetry

is one way to express one's

being stirred by God.

The Holy Spirit, as far as I can determine from talking with other folks on the journey, stirs each of us in a rather unique manner. My experience tends to be multi-dimensional. There is a physical sensation in the chest cavity along with a kind of emptying of thought patterns and an easy emergence of creativity that is other-oriented in love. Perhaps you would be willing to attempt to describe your own (undescribable) being stirred by God. I hope so anyway.