Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Building Bones


We build our cities
with the bodies and bones
of what came before us.

We will offer the same
building blocks
to those who come after.

It's one long river.
No use getting
caught up in results.


Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Monday, September 28, 2015

Hell Volunteers


We love hell --
as long as it's
someone else's.

When it's ours,
we start looking
for someone else
to take our place.

If no one volunteers,
we pick someone.


Sunday, September 27, 2015

Step


Step across a brook.
Wade across a stream.
Swim across a river.
Walk across an ocean.

Each new challenge is a teacher.
Every new problem is a guide.


Saturday, September 26, 2015

What We Choose


One side is right.
One side is wrong.

This is what we see,
but it is not what is.

Right and wrong
orbit one another.

What we see depends
on what we choose.

What we choose depends
on what we fear most.


Friday, September 25, 2015

Personal


Having a
personal God
is great,
as long as
I remember
that the God
I have is
a shadow
of the Reality
that is.

The ultimate
personal God.


Thursday, September 24, 2015

Acceptance


Acceptance
comes first
from within.

What comes
from outside
after that
is unnecessary.


Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Roads



The road to peace
covers the same ground
as the road to war.

The road to peace
leads within.

The road to war
leads nowhere.


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Always Grateful


All gain carries loss.
All loss carries gain.

What looks like a disaster
holds the seeds of success.

What looks like a blessing
hides the shadow of a curse.

Bounty and pain both carry
something to be grateful for.


Monday, September 21, 2015

God's Enemies


My enemies are not
God's enemies.
God has no enemies.

Just ignorant and
frightened children.


Sunday, September 20, 2015

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Always Yes


If I see God,
then doubt
what I saw,
did I see God
or not see God?

The answer
is always yes.


Friday, September 18, 2015

Surest Way Through


If I dream of escaping someday,
I will be forever escaping.

As long as I long for freedom,
I will never be free.

Seeking the next right step
is the surest way through.


Thursday, September 17, 2015

Fence or Gate


Wall or door.
Which is stronger?

Strength connects.
Walls weaken.

Fence or gate.
Which is safer?

Safety is communal.
Barriers scatter.


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Within Every Leaf


To say there is no Science
within every leaf is ignorance.

To say there is no Mystery
within every leaf is arrogance.


Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Love Is Lethal


Love is lethal.
It deadens ego.

Love is dangerous.
It gives itself freely.

Love is deadly.
It has no fear.

Love is invincible.
It is relentless.


Monday, September 14, 2015

Many in One


Build a bridge.
Build a wall.

One carries us
toward community.

One drives us
farther apart.

Together they teach us
how to be one in many,
many in one.


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Leaving


Leave here to go there.
Leave there to go somewhere else.
Leaving and leaving and leaving.

Leaving will never take us
where we're trying to go.
The journey ends within.


Saturday, September 12, 2015

Friday, September 11, 2015

Limited


It's better to adapt
to changing circumstances.

We can't limit others
without limiting ourselves.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

View


The view from on top
is always beautiful.

But it's down in the valleys
that life actually happens.


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Open a Door


I open a door into wisdom
when I discover the watcher
who watches from within.

I open a door to awareness
when I discover I am not
who I think I am inside.

I open a door to intention
when I discover I already carry
the answer to many questions.


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Hard-Wired


We are hard-wired
to want to help
each other.

Anything that
says otherwise is
just programming.


Monday, September 7, 2015

Attention


How much attention
do I need from others?

How much attention
do I expect from others?

How much attention
do I demand from others?

What do I offer in return?
Is it worth the attention?


Sunday, September 6, 2015

This Life


This life has a beginning,
a middle, and an end.

I don't remember the beginning.
I know nothing about the end.

The middle is home to dreams,
silence, worry, thanksgiving.

What a short ride from start to finish.
What an enduring evening of stars.


Saturday, September 5, 2015

Many Hands


It takes many hands
to alter an entire planet.
We are many hands. 

It takes many hands
to reclaim a planet.
We are many hands.


Friday, September 4, 2015

Old Wall, New Wall


An old wall rests on habit.
A new wall rests on failure.

An old fence rests on history.
A new fence rests on fear.

Boundaries are necessary,
but only when necessary.


Thursday, September 3, 2015

One Way to Avoid Pain


One way to avoid pain
is to avoid loving others.

If I don't care about others,
I don't have to care about
what happens to them.
If I don't have to care,
I don't have to feel their pain.

Even so, there's a down side.
When I don't feel pain
because I don't feel love,
I become a vessel
of empty experiences.


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

God's Perfection


God isn't perfect
because God is pure.

God is perfect
because God is complete.

We are part of
God's completeness.

We are part of
God's perfection.


Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Aliens


We are all travelers
from distant lands
in one way or another.

We are illegal aliens
when we go where
we are not appreciated.

We become foreigners
when we disdain
our fellow citizens.

To welcome the "other"
has always called down
blessings from the gods.