Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home ...
~ from "Intimations of Immortality" by William Wordsworth
Love depends upon the capacity to reach beneath the surface of persons, to feel and touch the seed of life that is hidden there. And love becomes a power when it is capable of evoking that seed and drawing it forth from its hiding place.
Love depends upon the capacity to reach beneath the surface of persons, to feel and touch the seed of life that is hidden there. And love becomes a power when it is capable of evoking that seed and drawing it forth from its hiding place.
It is such a privilege to have people who continue each day to bless us with their love and prayer. These inner friends of the heart confer on us inestimable gifts. In these times of greed and externality, there is such unusual beauty in having friends who practice profound faithfulness to us, praying for us each day without our ever knowing or remembering it. There are often lonesome frontiers we could never endure or cross without the inner sheltering of these friends. It is hard to live a true life that endeavors to be faithful to its own calling and not become haunted by the ghosts of negativity, therefore, it is not a luxury to have such friends; it is necessary.
~ from TO BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US by John O'Donohue
Greetings dear friends. Yesterday as I sat listening to reflections at a memorial service for a woman with an incredibly generous and loving heart, it seemed to me that the value of a life well lived is not measured so much in accomplishments as in the way we treat each encounter with another person as an opportunity for welcoming hospitality. An invitation to know and be known, taking time for listening and being fully present lets the other person know that he or she is essentially good and whole and loveable. We need others to help us see who we really are, to walk with us on this journey, to know we are not alone. And the world needs our open hearts and warm hospitality to transform strangers into fellow human beings and friends.
And in the sweetness of friendship
let there be laughter
and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things
the heart finds its morning
and is refreshed.
"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"
Blessings, dear friends of silence, wherever you may live! Many are the facets of friendship. To befriend ourselves--body, mind, emotion, spirit--and to make friends with our Inner Being, from the dark areas of fear and illusion to the golden glow of our gifts and goodness, can be like cultivating a sacred space, a garden that reflects our lives.
Then, one's friends are like the flowers in our garden, each a treasure with its own unique blossoming. While to befriend strangers--the poor and disenfranchised, peoples of all nations, even those we view as enemies--the unjust and greedy who create war and inequity while ignoring the devastation left behind--can be a lifelong challenge, we must seek the source of discord in prayer and friendship with the Source of all life. And to befriend our Earth in all we do may be our greatest and most important challenge. For without a viable planet, we are left homeless.
Throughout our lives, as we befriend the Silence, we travel deeper into the light of our Inner Sacred Chapel and higher into the Light of Love. Whatever the form, friendship is a mutual gift that eternally warms and blesses our hearts and souls.
Ideally, friendships lead us into deeper communion with each other; those we love mirror the divine reality and so draw us closer to the One they reflect. In our humanness, however, we can forget that the friend is only a reflection of God and instead invest ultimate meaning in the relationship.
~ from CENTER TO CIRCUMFERENCE by Elizabeth-Anne Vanek
