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WORDS LIKE LIGHT 

Monday,  January 10, 2022

        When my children were young and we were out walking, I often encouraged them to ‘stay close’, and now, at 80, that phrase has grown very meaningful to me, for I always stay close. Despite my ever-wandering mind, I am always in close proximity to the brand-new present moment, right next to the pristine reality that’s unfolding in the eternal here and now. Truly, I can’t escape being close to it. It’s like the present moment is always holding my hand, always whispering, ‘Stay close, old fellow. I’m always new, and so are you. I’ll always be your friend.’ What I call ‘my life’ is always right alongside the endless life of the universe, always on the doorstep of newness and boundlessness, always within sight of flawless and limitless synchronization. I simply have to open my eyes and see how safe I always am, how inseparable I am from invincible harmony. The truth is that I am a bosom pal of unceasing peacefulness, always within reach of tranquility. I have no choice: I am always close to the continuous quietness of the universe. 

NEVER LOST 

No star is ever lost,
and sunshine never 
truly disappears.
If we say something
to a friend,
those words will last
for years and years.
The doors of friendship we open
will always stay open,
even if they sometimes
seem to close.
The finest hours
of our lives
will never be lost,
and the breaths of kindness
we blow across the world
will stay for centuries,
like the sunshine
that is always
in one place or another
on this earth.