Sunday, October 3, 2010

Hand In Hand on the Path to Peace

I was not called to fight with swords;
I was commanded to uplift with words.
Every one of us has a perfect child,
Though some are living as if raised in the wild.
We are so in bondage to the people of our pasts
That someone must help us to find the right paths.
We have had the face of our Creator reshaped
By those who wanted our spirits to break,
So that they could move in with their greed and their lusts,
Convincing us that they were the ones we could trust
To mold our thoughts and hold our hands
While we walked together to The Promised Land.
But what they sowed was fear and discontent
Giving the face of The Almighty a human imprint.

My Creator is big, and strong, and Pure Light,
A Being of Infinite, Awesome Might.
My Protector holds me and dares any other,
With selfish intent to call himself brother,
Or sister, or friend, or leader of lambs;
Only those who seek Oneness may take our hands.
I will be careful whose hand I take;
Sometimes I've made almost fatal mistakes.
Many have helped pull me from the fire;
They are now wishing that we could all retire.
Still, we come when our babies cry out in pain,
Knowing our torments will be worth the gain
Of eternal life, and joy, and peace,
As we hold them until their terrors cease.

When we can't discern where the path might be
We need earthly angels to help us to see.
As we walk away there's a stamp on our hearts
Where we've accepted a command to continue our parts.
For no soul can stay strong when left all alone;
We have to house many in our spiritual homes,
To lift, and soothe, and serve each other.
We've become, in essence spiritual mothers,
And brothers, and sisters, and fathers, and friends,
Walking together until the path ends,
Back in union with the Great Light,
The Power of Goodness, and Growth and Delight

A Place of Protection and Peace

We have finished the memorial service honoring Don; we think he was pleased. We know that his siblings felt comforted by the way we honored their big brother, and that pleases us. It's always interesting to watch families, especially blended families, in times of stress trying to avoid the landmines that inevitably present themselves. All evidence is that everyone involved is going home whole, and that's about the best outcome there can be.

There's always a period of emotional "hang-over" for me after putting so much concentrated energy for so long into a completed project. At the end, my tendency is to jump headlong into another project, just because the adrenaline has taken over where my brain used to be. A little "hair of the dog that bit me" seems like a good idea at these times, and I become like a freight train careening downhill with no brakes.

Thank The Almighty for placing Richard in my path. He doesn't even attempt to stop the train; he simply lays down a stretch of sidetrack which slows me down and guides me safely home. It's impossible to go ninety-to-nothing on these mountain roads, so the energy saved can be channeled into more peaceful pursuits, like a retreat with one of my favorite people.

I've wanted to start a retreat center ever since the worst time my life fell apart over twenty years ago. Sometimes, too much comes crashing in on us at one time, and our lives spin so fast with no forward motion that our batteries die. Unlike in Peter Pan where all we had to do was believe in fairies and clap our hands to bring the spirit of Tinkerbell back alive; in real life, we sometimes have to be hooked up to a strong energy source to rejuvenate ourselves. The life Richard has provided me is my jump start. I'm thrilled when others want to plug into that protection and peace.

...And Richard's sumptuous salads are always good fuel.