WORDS THAT AWAKEN 

Monday , June 14, 2021

INFLUENCE

            I’ve always wanted to have a good influence on people and on the world, but I now realize that it’s inevitable – that everything is a good influence on everything. The word ‘influence’ derives from the Latin word meaning ‘flow’, and in this swirling life we all live, the flowing never stops. The moments glide together in always helpful ways, the days stream along with their sometimes concealed gracefulness, and each and every person and grass blade and bird song somehow pours their power into all the rest of us.  Flowing never stops. My thoughts slide together with thoughts in West Virginia and Japan, and my feelings surge with feelings from folks in Singapore, St. Ives, and down the street.  Influence never stops happening in all the best ways. The soft warmth of spring sunshine is a model of good behavior for me, and winds are good guides for me as they circulate in their supple ways. 

            Today, I hope to enjoy the freely flowing universe I am part of, to feel the ever-flowing influence of this powerful thing called life. 

And here’s a poem about the ‘folding’ aspect of influence …

FOLDING
(about Braelynn J., 52, Blessings, CT, USA)
  

She loves folding her hands together 
in friendship,
because she sees the way winds 
fold together in thoughtful ways,
and the way sunlight likes 
the fellowship of shadows.
She says she cuddles with her thoughts
because their closeness 
helps her feel the affection
they have for each other,
and the friendliness of this moment 
and that moment, 
and the bond between mountains 
and dust on easygoing streets. 
She says she lives 
in the community called quietness
where moments mix and blend 
in the best of ways, 
and she just watches 
and wonders.