Humility
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Dark Water at Night
Since childhood, I've had this approach/avoidance thing with large bodies of water at night. What is clear, refreshing and welcoming in daylight becomes inky, impenetrable and mysterious after dark. Lake Michigan, the Pacific, the Atlantic, even little Green Lake in… Continue reading
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Interpenetration
Interbeing. Interpenetration. All things have their past in me. All things contributed to me. I do and shall contribute to all things. As Thick Nhat Hahn says, "This is not philosophy, this is reality." I recall reading somewhere (probably in… Continue reading
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He Reads Poetry
He reads poetry. Reading poetry is, for him, not unlike getting a long drink of cold water after running several miles on a hot, dusty summer day. His whole body craves it, needs it, not only good on the lips,… Continue reading
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The Great Encounter
What do we seek in silence and solitude? First, we seek self-knowledge and self-acceptance, to know and nurture ourselves, for "only in still water do we see our reflection." Henri Nouwen writes: "The greatest gift of solitude…is the gift of… Continue reading
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At Ease in Your Own House
Teresa of Avila tells us, "There is no evil greater than being ill at ease in your own house." We can take that literally, of course, and find plenty of meaning there, but I'm pretty sure she meant something more,… Continue reading
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Compassion for Myself
I need to feel and express compassion for othersbut also compassion for myself expansive loving nonjudgmental listening open-hearted forgiving free-ranging compassion Acceptance (as is)of weaknesses and failings because all is well and all is well and all manner of things… Continue reading
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Falling Apart, Coming Back Together
Disintegration leads to reintegration. Loss of the "I" (the ego, the self) leads to fuller integration into the greater "I" (which is ultimately union with all, with the divine, with God). This is the pattern of life, repeated daily, even… Continue reading
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“If I Were to Seek My Own Glory…”
Jesus: "If I were to seek my own glory, my glory would be worth nothing" (John 8:54). Yes, that's it exactly. Where did we get the idea that Jesus would be pleased with us sitting around singing songs about how… Continue reading
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You Are Them, They Are You
Gays, Republicans, illegal immigrants, Jews, Muslims, Baptists, the mentally ill, the homeless…anyone you mistrust or dismiss or find foreign, strange or threatening, you are them and they are you, in a very real, absolute, spiritual sense. Whatever distinctions you've invented… Continue reading
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What I Hold
What I hold that is not mine, spoils. Text and image © 2010 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading