Tag: devotion

DEVOTION

WORDS LIKE LIGHT

Sunday, September 11, 2022

         I should be able, fairly easily, to practice devotion today, since life itself will be practicing it all around me. The present moment, to take the most wonderful example, will be constantly devoted to staying right beside me at all times, fair weather or foul. Every sight I see will also stay steadfastly there, as long as I’m seeing it. Sounds, even our clothes-washer swishing and whooshing, will be faithful in presenting themselves precisely as they are, and thoughts will come to me with quiet carefulness, committed to giving me the perfect thought for that moment. Outside, butterflies will bend their wings with attentiveness, and sunshine will faithfully give itself to trees and homes and lawns. Devotion will truly be everywhere today, so living with dedication should be fairly easy for an old and delighted 80-year-old boy. I could make each and every moment an object of devotion, even perhaps worship. I could show attentiveness even to my steps across the carpet in our house, and sometimes I could pause and observe my sacred breath, and maybe even make a dutiful bow to its miraculous performance. Living with devotion doesn’t get much easier than this!

A BELIEVER
(Harrison P., 61, Blessings CT)

He’s a believer
in living with devotion.
Every day, he revels
in all the living moments
as they evolve and revolve
through the infinite levels of his life.
He constantly feels revived
just by swerving into the next second
in the uneven but devout way
the universe – and he – lives.

EVOLVE

WORDS LIKE LIGHT

Sunday, July 17, 2022

         I am very lucky, at age 80, to be still living an ever-evolving life in an ever-evolving universe. Whether I notice it or not – and I often don’t – all of life, including me, is constantly developing itself, always unrolling in brand new directions. Life, to me, can sometimes seem timeworn, stagnant, and tedious, but that’s simply an illusion that hides the ever-progressing wonders of reality. Where I often see tediousness and sameness, only ongoing transformation is happening. All things are always moving forward. In the midst of the many sorrows in the world, I’m sure kindness is constantly making new headway, and where tragedy is, I’ll bet sympathy is continuously spreading out in new ways. I sometimes – but definitely not always – feel my life evolving in constructive directions, as if new vistas are constantly opening up for me. I believe my life, in many mysterious ways, is somehow always enlarging, although – again – I am only occasionally aware of it. I often go about my daily dealings in a fairly mindless manner, as if life is a great big and rigid bore, when I believe the truth is that it’s continually unfolding in fully fairy-tale ways. Perhaps age 81 – coming up – will be another wake-up call for this dozy old and lucky dude.  

A BELIEVER
(Harrison P., 61, Blessings CT)

He’s a believer
in living with devotion.
Every day, he revels
in all the living moments
as they evolve and revolve
through the infinite levels of his life.
He constantly feels revived
just by swerving into the next second
in the uneven but devout way
the universe – and he – live.
… boats in foggy Watch Hill Harbor on our early walk this morning …