Loss
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Parable
"And lo,"he said,"the kingdom of Godis like unto a bride, who,in the whisper of an evening breeze,suffused with the saffron of a setting sun,lets drop her robe and stands naked before her beloved,and in that moment claims herself,and in that… Continue reading
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The Winds
The winds of changeblow hard,relentlessly.Our ship pitches and yaws,sliding up and over the swells,the anchor clawing at the bottom,desperate to hold,to lock us in place. What if,instead,we hoist the anchor,unfurl the sailsand allow this unsettling galeto drive us onward? Text… Continue reading
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The Hope of Failure
Everything outsidehas to fail you,disappoint you,stop functioning,no longer be true. Then, finally,you go insideand find the depth of things…grace and mercy,God,your uncomplicated, worthy, gently held self. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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The Diet
The ego hungers,gorging itselfon what feeds its insecurity. Why are we starvingin a worldabundantwith beauty and benevolence? Stop bingeing on nothing, and the ego dies; the real you finally lives, nourished by what matters. This is a dietto die for. Text and… Continue reading
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Target Practice
Last night I dreamthe crowd chooses mefor death. I am to lie on my sidewhile a woman with a rifleshoots at me. I feel the bulletsburn through my shoulder,my side,my chest.With each shotI grow weaker. I do not mind the… Continue reading
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Making Progress
I review my spiritual journey: I needed clarity then.I need mystery now. I needed definition then.I live in the vast Open now. I needed safety then.I am falling now, ever upward. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All… Continue reading
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On Growing Old
He witnessed the aging of his bodywith detachment–as if it were happening to an uncleor a neighbor. The graying hair,the sagging in the face,the loss of mobility and strength–no, not after a lifetimeof doing it right–eating, exercising, making all the… Continue reading
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At the Brink
Visiting the Grand Canyon,I stretched out on a flat rockand inched forwarduntil my head was over the edge.I looked down into miles of emptiness. My brain said,"Ninety-five percent of youis secure on the rock."My spirit–dizzy and unseated–said, "You will fall–are falling,plummeting… Continue reading
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Hiking with Death
Climbing the trail,I'm joined by a young woman. We chat,observing the shift toward winter,the changing colors,the increasing coolness,how this path of gravelwill soon be packed with snow,rutted by cross-country skis,pocked with snow-shoe tracks. "Your name?" I ask. "My friends call… Continue reading
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Looking Back on the Day of Epiphany
So the tree is down and gone for another year.The living room expands, which is a plus,and the furniture breathes deeperand eases back into its familiar placement. But gone, as well, are the colored lights,the sparkle of ornaments,the friendly jostling… Continue reading