Letter 4380

The forest beside which I live was there long before me. It will be there after I am gone.

I did not will myself to existence. The life in my heart, it came from elsewhere.

In my quiet room, I struggle to create. So many discarded attempts. Is anything worthy of an audience?

❖

Let me, Lord, approach these lines as I do the forest. They were always here, I simply through them and try to see their beauty.

Consider:

Can I see the beauty already here?

Reading:

❖ “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality.” — T. S. Eliot

❖ “The woods are lovely, dark and deep.” — Robert Frost

❖ “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.” — Proverbs 16:1

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~B.R.

Given, not taken. (Sunday Letter)

I have been thinking about the quiet yes.

This week, I faced many choices that tested me. There were challenges. At such times I have learned to strive for acceptance. The universe is inexorable, and fighting it can lead to despair. Over and over, life has taught me: acceptance is the key.

But there is a line between acceptance and capitulation.

❖

The wind whips the trees on the mountaintop.

Some bend. Too long the wind, and they may grow bent forever. Others stand rigid. They may break.

Some, even, are uprooted, their feet unable to grip the soil against the force.

Nature teaches discernment: when to bend, when to stand. The choice is not always plain.

Just as the trees must find their balance in the wind, so, too, must I. Only then can I hope to have poise.

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I am taught that acceptance is almost always the answer. This is the freely given yes, the quiet yes.

But sometimes, others coerce. There is injustice.

In such moments we are called to have courage to be on a true path. How does one accept the unacceptable? We must stand against what cannot be.

The universe, in its inexorable march, allows rocks in the stream, mire in the field, war in the land. There is a higher acceptance: to accept our true calling, to walk along the path to peace, even as it winds through dark valleys.

To give a yes, rather than let it be taken.

– from the mountain

Consider:

Can I hold courage, and still leave room for grace?

Reading:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” — Viktor E. Frankl

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“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.” — Matsuo Bashō

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“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” — James 4:7 (KJV)

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So many paths to you.

So many paths to you, Lord:

Through bramble, through trial, through solitude, through shared joy, through sunlit fields.

❖

Looking out over the valley, there is no way to know which way will be mine.

Let me find my way to you. What will my path be today?

– from the mountain

Consider:

How can I be more watchful for the many ways forward?

Reading:

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably does not lead anywhere.” — Frank A. Clark

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“All paths are the same, leading nowhere. Therefore, pick a path with heart.” — Carlos Castaneda

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“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:6 KJV

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The energy of wellness.

The injury is almost healed; I can see pink skin where before was a wound.

The day is new, I am new. After trial, this fresh outlook spreads through me.

❖

Healing brings such energy. Walking the grounds, first time in days, let the newness settle in.

I am exhilarated. Was the time inside necessary for this morning’s new outlook?

– from the mountain

Consider:

Can I accept time inside, without pining for the sun?

Reading:

“Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that is not you.” — Ram Dass

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“Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.” — Cormac McCarthy

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“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” — Malachi 4:2 KJV

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