For whom do I work?

I am the light house keeper, standing guard for others over a windswept and rocky point.

The light, the rock, the home attached, inside the rooms, the door, the seat, the small book I read in the mornings, the cushion on which I sit. Inward and inward from frothy sea to simple heart.

At night, tend the light. By day, prepare the way. In the still dark morning, I look to my heart.

❖

If you could see me from a high point, between efforts, would you bid me do any different? This time — is it mine or yours, Lord?

– from the mountain

Consider:

Can I see my life and all its activity as devotion?

Reading:

“We are not called to be successful, but to be faithful.” — Mother Teresa

❖

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” — Albert Schweitzer

❖

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” — Matthew 5:14 (KJV)

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Layer by layer.

Layer by layer, bit by bit, release after release.

Breathing while I sit, tension wrapping my chest. Breathe in, relax my jaw. Breathe in, and release more.

❖

The loosening knot, the unwinding spring. Step by step, until the ice has melted.

Thank you, Lord.

– from the mountain

Consider:

Can I let go, Lord?

Reading:

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

❖

“What we call ‘I’ is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.” — Shunryu Suzuki

❖

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” — Psalm 55:22 (KJV)

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Where I learn attention. (Sunday Letter)

I have been thinking about the in-between time.

Not elated, not despondent.

Not beginning, not ending.

Not mountain height, not valley floor.

Not storming, not sunshine.

❖

The trail stretches ahead, level, almost featureless.

Trees close in on both sides.

A gentle drizzle falls, steady, not storm.

Each drop gathers on the leaves, then slips off in silence.

The air carries a faint earthy smell, damp soil and bark.

The ground darkens, roots slick, footsteps softened.

No summit to celebrate, no descent to endure.

Just step after step, one more patch of woods, one more corner.

This is where most of the walk is spent — not in triumph, not in crisis, but in the quiet carrying-on.

❖

The quiet stretch rewards attention.

When I give it, even the smallest thing becomes a gift.

Here I learn patience.

Here habits are formed without spectacle.

By attending to the ordinary, I learn how to attend to everything.

Attention.

– from the mountain

Consider:

Can I stay attentive, even in this in-between time?

Reading:

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”

— William Morris

❖

“Do not look for the extraordinary. Look deeply into the ordinary, and it will open to you.”

— Zen saying

❖

“In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.”

— Isaiah 30:15 (KJV)

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In it, strength comes.

I withdraw into a place of solitude and silence. Stillness.

In this space, no movement, no effort. No speech or pleas.

❖

What am I cultivating here? What grows from stillness?

Into this space, strength comes. Providence and grace.

I am learning, in silence and stillness, to accept your power, Lord.

Let me accept in stillness.

– from the mountain

Consider:

Can I be yet more still?

Reading:

“Silence is a source of great strength.” — Lao Tzu

❖

“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” — Caroline Myss

❖

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” — Psalm 46:10 (KJV)

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