The 60-Second Sabbath

surrender

  • Let Go. Let Go. Let Go.

    Part 1 "What will you takefrom our time together?"asked the therapist,as he always didwhen drawing a session to a close.  "That I can continueto let things be what they are,to release,to relinquish control. Let go.Let go.Let go." Part 2 What… Continue reading

  • Helium

    Now is the time of letting go. Sadness, certainly,but also dusky shades of something salvific. I am a helium-filled balloon;letting go,I finally, finallyfly. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Surrendering

    I refuse to surrenderto a god I fear. I choose to surrender(most willingly)to a God I love. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Pain

    Pain takes my hand."Come," she whispers."Let me lead you somewhere new.If you let me,I will teach you." Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Heaven, It Turns Out…

    How like Godto reverse our expectations: Heaven, it turns out,isn't something toward which we ascend.No, the journey to heavenrequires one to descend,in a steady, downward spiral,through countless convoluted passageways,as darkness deepens,and whatever baggage you've been clutchingscrapes awayas you squeeze through… Continue reading

  • 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

  • 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

  • Yes or No?

    Start with "no,"and you'll never get to "yes";doors slam the length of the corridor,blocking entrance to all possiblities. Start with "yes,"and sunlight filtersthrough a thousand, trembling leaves. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • 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

  • The River of Yearning

    You fight the current. Stop rowing.Watch the oars slip from the oarlocksand slide downstream. One you let go,once you relax into the river's pull,then the herons appear,lifting you from your leaky longingand placing you gently amongthe great, green, silent reedsswaying… Continue reading