"Yes"

My advent book is Advent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by Christopher L. Webber, published by Morehouse Publishing in 2006. Short readings and a sentence or two for meditation and prayer direct my attention in morning quiet time. This morning's sentence for meditation: "Here is a force from beyond the world with disconcerting power." Sitting with this sentence, I found that taking it as a starting point for thought and reflection was not working for me this morning. Instead, I found myself saying "Yes, and again, yes. Oh, yes. Yes to the in-breaking power of the Holy One. Yes to the great, wild pulse of divine energy behind and through the glory of new-born sun on snow."

Today, I will say "yes."

Showing Up

This morning, while trying to wake up - on many levels at once - I had a brief sense of immersion in God, inside/outside, around/within, and then of multiple layerings. Me in the room, yearning to come close with God, the God within, yearning to love and appreciate and enjoy the cloudy day out the window. The quiet birds making small sounds in the light and welcome rain. Crickets giving an occasional chirp. I thought about how difficult it is for me sometimes to just show up. The mind jumps around, the body goes into spasms of coughing - where did that come from, hasn't happened earlier. The emotions flow first here then there. And, the thoughts, where in the world is my head? And, the heart, slowly floating down until it touches bottom, resting there, for just a moment...

This blog represents an attempt on my part to just show up, to reflect on Presence and becoming present, and to faithfully live in the body of the Christ, being present - having had my absences "excused." This blog could just have accurately been titled "loving presents" because that's what I have been given, what I hope to give others, and what all us children of all ages enjoy greatly.