self
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Toward Wholeness
There's a man withinwhom I've ignored,discounted;he's never been heard,never been asked to contribute.Perhaps I've feared himor believed him irrelevant. But now I'm intrigued: Who is he? What does he have to say? What can he teach me? So I ask, "Who are you?" He answers, "I… Continue reading
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Whiteboard
Picture your lifeas a whiteboardon which is writtenall you've been toldabout life and meaning– all you should believe, all you should do, all you should be. Thus crammed witha lifetime of scribbling,the board is unreadable,a jumble of… Continue reading
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Meeting the Self on a Dark, October Night
I met my selfwhile walking home last nightalong a dark, October road,lined with leafless trees,swept by a coarse wind,smelling of approaching snow. I met my selfand knew he was but a ghost,a resonance of past illusion,an echo of concepts and… Continue reading
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Beautifully Average
She announced to her mirrored self,"Today I shall celebratesimply being human.That is enough." She tilted her blue, velvet bereta little to the left,smiled acceptingly,and walked out the door,for now, at least,beautifully average. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries.… Continue reading
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J.O.Y.
I was taughta three-part formulafor pleasing God,for achieving success,for finding happiness:J.O.Y: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. For a child first forging identity,this is bad advice;developmentally,the child's primary taskis to put herself first.Forcing her to do… 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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For Me
My poems,my photographs–they live for me, to please me, to nurture me, to move me. Through them,I journey onward. Or, perhaps,they manifest for their own sake. Or, perhaps,for God's. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries.… Continue reading
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Odd Company
You hang with questionable companions: loneliness, suspicion, fear, anger, hurt… Why cultivate such company?With these kinds of friends,who needs enemies? Say, then,"I've lost interest in you.I have a life to live,and you're taking uptoo much time and… Continue reading
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The Castle
St. Teresa,Avilan mystic,mystery see-er,observer of God's loftiest grandeurand tiniest marvels,explains that my soulstands as a vast castle,a many-roomed mansion,an extraordinary, multi-storied highrise,gilded and jeweled. Given that–in the marvelously graced mindof this, our outwardly simple sister–my soulholds the essence of my… Continue reading