saying Hello to God and all

HOW THE MOON GROWS FULL

Concern yields to caring

Each “How do I look?”
becomes “How do they feel?”

Each “What will they think?”
becomes “What do they need?”

Each “What’s in it for me?”
Is lost in a grab bag of gifts:

For conflict— a gift, for harmony—a gift;
For confusion—a gift, for clarity—a gift;
For reactivity—a gift, for receptivity—a gift.

Whatever they feel or won’t
whatever they need or don’t
Your soul has a gift for them.

You live to give,
happy to be given
no matter what.

And that’s how the moon grows full.

-o0o-

TIMING

I’m not scared of life or death,
only of separation
But death foretells
a time—however short,
however long—away from you.

Life moves me
to find a way, yes today
to get you into me
under my skin
inside my bone
part of my breath
beat of my heart
thought of my mind
warmth of my flesh
twin of my soul
my destiny.

Time hurries me
to find a way, yes today
to get me into you
to dissolve in your blood
to perfume your breath
to color your thoughts
to leverage your strength
to disappear in your soul;
to permeate your present,
to be there already and
welcome you sweetly when
tomorrow comes.

-o0o-

QUIET COURAGE

God gives us the courage
to defend our homestead
to rescue the injured
to snatch the innocent
from the crosshairs of death.

God fits fearlessness to danger
and lends us valor till peril passes.
He sends daring in times of crisis,
he makes us heroes for a season.

But the quiet courage
to admit a shameful failing
to outlast a chronic weakness
to strive without improvement
(at least with none that’s seen)

The part of guts called heart
the part of patience called resolve
the courage not lulled by comfort
the faith that grinds mountains to grit
These gifts
are OUR gifts to God.

-o0o-

PRAYER FOR CONSTANCY

Bless us , Father, to join you
Where all questions have one answer
All plights have one solution
All moments have one meaning.

Let love be our sole purpose
Let Them be our sole focus
Let service be our sole action
And goodwill our sole reaction.

Let vigilance protect us 
Let emptiness guide us
Let self transcendence fill us
And outforce energize us.

Let lack yield to abundance
Let worry yield to attention
Let preference yield to choicelessness
And self forgetting allow Self-remembering.

We’ll thus raise earth to heaven
Stretch time into eternity
Mend all separation
And bear Thy Gift to all.