To Diane

A wise man said:
"There is nothing I can give you
which you do not have:
but there is much, very much, that
while I cannot give it, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts
find rest in today. Take heaven!
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden
in this present instant. Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow.
Behind it, yet within reach, is joy.
There is radiance and glory in the darkness, could
we but see,
and to see, we have only to look. I beseech you
to look."

Fra Giovanni

Alas, Christmas

In this season of remembrance,
of a light whose expression
had never before been imagined,
I wish you the peace and love of God
which passes all understanding.
May you be well and happy,
Connie

Swami Words of Wisdom

This weeks Words of Wisdom from Sri Swami Satchidananda:

“Let Us Come Together”

“Let us hope that one day we will all realize the unity in diversity and live as one global family in peace and joy. At least let us come together as spiritual brothers and sisters, because God is our unifying factor. We can understand the fundamentals of our own faith, and at the same time allow everybody else to follow their own approaches. May Yoga help us to maintain a disease-free body and a peaceful mind so that we can express our own true divine light by our very life itself. The Bible says, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ The mind that is freed from selfishness is a pure mind; only such a mind can reflect the image of God in us."

Dear Brandon:

There are those among us who seek incarceration as a door to the path toward a God of love and light. You seem to be one of those members of the human race who have found no other way of beginning that journey, other than the supremely humiliating experience of having your freedom and dignity stripped from you like bark peeled from a tree.

Brandon, you're in jail again for one purpose: to climb the mountain toward salvation and redemption in the face of a loving God. The sooner you begin that journey, the sooner you will earn your walk with freedom once more.

Your journey begins in base camp where you get on your knees and admit what you've done to so royally fuck up your life. And darlin'? It's O.K. if you don't get to the top of the mountain in this lifetime, but for God's sake, buckle your boots and start climbing! Your soul does not want to spend yet another life as a slave to your will and desire.

You are in my constant prayer.

You are loved,
Connie

This is why I became an ordained minister. Although the flags and symbols may be many,
the truth, finally, is one.

Roots

Growing up, my father left us when I was two, in 1960. The pinnacle of masculinity was my grandfather, James H. Devine and he was the symbol of father with a capitol F, of provider with a capitol P and font of love and affection with capitol L and A. I adored my grandfather and I like to think he delighted in me. He never teased me like some adults did. He never made me feel like I was a nuisance or in the way or not wanted. I remember feeling this from many adults in my life, but never my grandfather a. He called me "snicklefritz" and in my eyes he could do no wrong. My grandfather never disappointed me or let me down until the day he died at 86.