At the Cusp of Springtime

I exist in a time at the cusp of springtime.
And in a space ripe for the intermingling of the secular and sacred.
Where they bleed into One.
And it awakens in me a aching longing.
For deep rest and sunshine.
For hard work and laughter.
For community and solitude.

And it is in this time and space,
I plant my feet on the ground
And reach for the heavens
Knowing that I am created from the dust of stars,
Yet exist in the confines and expansiveness
Of time and space and awareness.

Breathe it in.  Breathe it out.
For this moment will pass,
Yet it is as it is for all of eternity.

And I dance among juxtapositions,
Finding movement and joy in their music.
And continue to search for their presence on Earth.
This aching Earth.
This aching longing.
Ripe with life's possibilities.
At the cusp of springtime.

Autumn Prayer

Lord, make my life the very prayer I offer up to You.

Let it be in my waking and my sleeping; the work of my hands, the work of my mind, in my dreaming, and my planning.  Especially, Lord, help the mundane tasks be prayers to You, the daily chores of dishes and taking out the garbage grocery shopping and putting on make-up.  For nothing is separate from You, my God.  You infuse this world like tea in hot water.  Let my prayer be a song of thanksgiving and a canticle of concerns for all of Your Creation, especially the small piece of the pie I am called to steward: this body, mind, and spirit; those I love and those who love me; materials in my care.  Help me to stay deeply rooted in You that I may carry gratitude and concern in Light and Wisdom.

Lord, You are God and I am not.  I praise You for even granting me strength and ability to approach You in time, word, paper, song.  For I am so small in comparison to your cosmos and You are so big compared to your cosmos.  Yet, it matters.  I matter.  This day and what I do and do not bring to it, it all matters.

So I pray for the energy to do your work, let my heart rejoice as You rejoice and my soul cry out for the things that break You, break wholeness, break Holiness.

Spare me from being one that loves all of humanity, but cannot love my neighbor next door.

Grant me grace.
Grant me grace.
Grant me grace
        Love and mercy.
        Humility.

Lord, let this be my prayer.  Let it pulse in my veins and radiate from my heart.

Help me to trust.

Dwell in beauty.
     Bathe in beauty.
Dwell there.

Amen.

Slide Show from Rehearsal Dinner

Faithful

Shelter

Let it be messy.
Let it be out of order.
Grant your heart permission to be an artist.
To be free of your own rigid expectations and plans.
Be present to your own heart
    to the stirrings of God's call.

Be.
Allow yourself to be surprised.
Allow yourself to be amazed.
Allow yourself to be bored.
                               or tired.
                               or scared.
                               or uncomfortable.
Allow yourself to Be.
Be.

And know that you are deeply and truly known by the Creator.
Deeply and truly loved by your God.
And the Creator has blessed you
     with countless encounters with the Divine.
All reflections of the Infinite and the Eternal.

Let that be your shelter.
                 your base.
                 your home.

I'll Carry You

View from my apartment.  Can you see the Space Needle?