Dreams
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To Die of Tenderness
Is it possibleto die of tenderness? At times my heart so fillswith unexpected kindnessthat I fear it may burst. So many poets–with frightening beauty–bring to vivid lifethe inevitability of death. And then, in a second's time,I witness such delicate sweetness:one… Continue reading
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MLK, Denver, 2012
"We are in this together,"read the placard.And we were:black, white, Korean, Hispanic,Baptist, Methodist, Christian, Muslim,students and the aged (with canes),dreadlocks and crewcuts,Up with People and down with the system,male, female, gay, straight–an unlikely mix of one,just as God dreamed us. And… Continue reading
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To Change the World
To acknowledge life's sadness is not to be conquered by it.One can nod one's head to the inevitability of loss,but turn and embrace grace, compassion, hope, joy… This is the course of those who change the world–and the world yet to come. Text… Continue reading
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Descend, Night
Descend, night,and still our troubled spirits.Dream us to your meadowwhere suffering ceasesand misaligned souls reconcile. Descend night,and heal us. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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The Courage of the Seed
"You only need," the angel said,"the courage of the seedto become divine." "The courage of the seed?"I asked. "The seed knows not what it will become,needs only welcome moisture and warmthto grow into itself–you need only surrenderto become mighty." Text… Continue reading
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The Deeper, Truer Reality
At timesthe evil in the world overwhelms me. I stand in awe of thosewho continue to stand in hope. I know hope comes from deeper truth,but that deep truthcan be so obscured,so pressed down,so weightedby greed, fear, alienation and hate,so… Continue reading
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The Flu
Let's say you have the fluand a fever of 104: While you sleep, fitfully,twisting and sweating,an angel appearsand unravels visionspatched together from your pastand borrowed from your future. Who's to say whether your illnessprovides a doorway to truthful, hidden depthsor… Continue reading
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On the Sixth Day of Christmas
If he's just arrived,isn't this when he needs us most–this neonate, this babe,so fragile, so absolutely dependent? Shouldn't we get the place ready,clean things up a bit,replace alienation with reconciliation,suspicion with trust,and greed with grace? He came in 2009,and we… Continue reading
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Pick Four
Pick four spiritual qualities or life attributesthat you highly value, for example:peace, wonder, love and delightor hope, compassion, joy and contentment.Write these down. Now combine these four qualitiesinto a simple prayer/intention for yourself:"May I know peace, wonder, love and delight."Repeat this many times in the… Continue reading
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A Headline for the World
If, tomorrow morning, you had the opportunityto put your one, best line of adviceon the front page of every newspaper,or every website,across the globe,what would it be?If you could boil downto one two- to six-word headlinethe organzing concept of your… Continue reading