WALKING, BELONGING, WEAVING

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

This morning – without my beloved walking partner, Delycia – I took a fairly fast walk down to the cemetery and back. I was bundled up warmly and moved my arms speedily in order to stay toasty. It pleased me that I was able to focus on some of my morning meditation thoughts as I walked, which seemed to keep me a little warmer as I moved alongside the chilly wind. The cemetery was, as usual, a quiet, untroubled place, just what I always need during a walk. The walk back home was especially fun, since I pictured in my mind my hot cup of coffee with some sliced apples and assorted sweet goodies on a plate.

My poem for today …

BELONGING TO EVERYTHING

One day,
a man was like a sheep
that had no shepherd,
but just a steady, silent light
to show him the way,
and some shy but athletic happiness
to surround him and say
this is precisely where and when
you should be.
On that day,
he belonged to nothing
but also to everything,
every flock of uprising birds,
all the brightest shaking leaves,
even the worn-out clouds
he sometimes saw above his house,
clouds that seemed to always
have a place to stay,
like he did on that day
when love was endless inside him,
when all things were singing
and asking what would be the cost
of simply realizing
that he’s never without a shepherd,
that love is endless inside him forever
and so happy to be there,
and all things were thanking him
for being always their friend
and for staying with bigheartedness
inside their continuous light.

Our chalkboard poem for today …

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Matty came over this afternoon with some strands of milkweed fiber, and, with a warm fire going in the fireplace, he sat on the floor and carefully wove the strands into twine. I sat nearby, reading and enjoying the fire, and we occasionally chatted about one thing or another, but mostly we sat in silence, me reading and Matt twisting the milkweed strands together. When he left after an hour or so, he took with him a strong piece of milkweed twine, maybe 4′ long. Both Cia and I had held the twine and tested its strength, and were totally impressed!