It Speaks for Itself

Letter 4378

The land speaks for itself. The mountain, the stream. The woods.

What does the land say?

“I was here of old. I will be here tomorrow. I will be here seven generations from now.”

My heart speaks for itself. What does my heart say?

“Draw near to me, Lord, for I am not complete without you.”

❖

Let the land on which I now stand contain everything my heart needs.

Consider:

Can I draw near to you, Lord?

Reading:

❖ “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

❖ “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu

❖ “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” — James 4:8

Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.

What I See

Letter 4377

We spent the night in this summit hut. Three neighbors on a journey.

One companion spent a windswept night gripped in fear. One marveled at the sounds and majesty on display. One worried over whether they would reach their destination.

❖

Same mountain. We saw in the dark night what was already inside of us.

If i can thus control my circumstances, Lord, last me see beauty and gratitude in your works.

Consider:

Can I see beauty today?

Reading:

❖ “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.” — Stephen R. Covey

❖ “The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” — Henri Bergson

❖ “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” — Matthew 6:22

Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.

Upwards

Letter 4376

Walking up the mountain path.

Narrow by narrow, my gaze has fixed upon my feet. Fatigue makes them stumble. The repeated stepping brings pain.

Along the way, vista after vista unfolds yet I do not look. My feet occupy me. Avoiding the stones in the road occupies me.

Finally, strength gives out and I just rest. Stretched out below me is a green, spring valley. And how high I am! I did not notice the speed of my ascent.

❖

All this I could have watched as I walked the same path with the same feet.

If I am to walk, lord, Let me allow myself joy along the way.

Consider:

Can I make space for joy and beauty today?

Reading:

❖ “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust

❖ “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” — Edmund Hillary

❖ “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” — Psalm 121:1

Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.

Clouds of Mood

Letter 4375

The tress clap, the hills rain down their applause. This day is one of beauty.

Can I appreciate it? Joy flits in and out of view as clouds of mood settle like mist. The sun hangs in the noon sky, yet my vision goes dim.

❖

Let me breathe in this beauty, Lord. Your beauty, given to me with grace.

Let me accept the joy you hold out in your hand.

Consider:

Can I receive joy today?

Reading:

❖ “The world is charged with the grandeur of God. / It will flame out, like shining from shook foil.” — Gerard Manley Hopkins

❖ “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen

❖ “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” — Psalm 16:11

Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.