April Twenty Nineteen

April Twenty-Nineteen 

It is always safe to dream of spring. For it is sure to come; and if it be not just as we have pictured it, it will be infinitely sweeter. –L.M. Montgomery 

"Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is,

than falling in love in a quite absolute final way.

What you are in love with,

what seizes your imagination,

will affect everything....

 

...It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,

what you do with your evenings,

how you spend your weekend,

what you read, who you know,

what breaks your heart,

and what amazes you with joy and gratitude...

...Fall in love,

stay in love,

and it will decide everything."

-Father Pedro Arrupe 

"It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak."

-Mary Oliver

"It used to be

That when I would wake in the morning

I could with confidence say, 'What am ‘I’ going to do?'

That was before the seed cracked open.

Now Hafiz is certain:

There are two of us housed in this body

Doing the shopping together in the market and

Tickling each other while fixing the evening’s food.

Now when I awake all the internal instruments

Play the same music:

'God, what love-mischief can

we do for the world today?'"

-Hafiz, The Gift

"In the gift of this new day 

in the gift of the present moment

in the gift of time and eternity intertwined...

....let me be thankful 

let me be attentive 

let me be open 

to what has never happened before.... 

....in the gift of this new day 

in the gift of the present moment

in the gift of time and eternity intertwined." 

-J. Philip Newell in his Celtic Psalter, Sounds of the Eternal

“Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works, be alert for signs of his presence.”

-Psalm 105:3-4 (MSG)

"Love notes from God are everywhere. Once you know how to look, they know how to find you. Hallelujahs are their bird call. Happiness is their nest. And attention is their food. While every one of us is capable of receiving a fresh word from God especially for us, it’s in community that we test our truths, tune our ears, and turn our eyes to spot more than we ever could alone." 

-Erin Lane