Which Hand

Charity in one hand.
Cruelty in the other.

Which hand will I open
first?

What Color?

What color
would you be
if you could be
any color
you wanted?

Purple for strength?
Blue for courage?
Green for humility?
Yellow for wisdom?
Orange for diligence?
Red for compassion?

Or would you rather stay
with what you know?

Black for struggle.
White for luck.

The Only Truth

The only truth I can verify
is the truth of my own experience.
But even that can't be trusted.

Nothing can be verified.
The only truth is the truth
of what I choose to believe is true.

Stones across a Stream

I see limits
every where I turn.

When I stop turning
and look straight ahead,
limits become stones
across a stream.

Will

How much will is involved
when a plant grows out of a wall?

How much intention drives
a bird to fly a thousand miles?

What are these but the will to be?
And what is the will to be but divine?

Never Frozen

Happiness isn't frozen in time.
Only our memories of it are.

What memory holds is never
enough to fill this moment now.

This is the only place where
happiness can happen.

Abandoned Children

Not all
abandoned children
are children.

This is why
we don't always
recognize them
when we see them.

To love the child
within each of us
is a good start.

Sinners and Saints

We call ourselves sinners
because we fall short
of our best desires.

But we're also saints
because we're all
vessels of the divine.

Open Ears

Inside or outside.
Which voices do I follow?

If I listen only to the ones inside,
I risk losing my community.

If I listen only to the ones outside,
I'll never find my true self.

Best to keep both ears open.

Six Lessons

Simplicity isn't simple.
Love hides seeds of pain.
Answers aren't always answers.
Perfection isn't without blemish.
Wisdom is a journey.
Salvation is unnecessary.

Those Who Hate You

No matter who you are,
there are those who hate you.

They may not even know you,
but they hate you anyway.

They hate you because
you're different from them. 

They hate you because
they don't understand you.

They hate you because
they're afraid of you.

But their hatred is powerless,
unless you hate them back.

Measuring Stick

If money is how you
measure your worth,
you'll never have enough.

If control is how you
measure your power,
you'll be forever thwarted.

If joy is how you
measure your life,
you'll find reasons to sing.