i invite you

I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your
own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us
to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations
of being human.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true
to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it's not pretty,
every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

I want to know if you can get up,
after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised
to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire 
with me and not shrink back.

I want to know what sustains you,
from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

- excerpts from Oriah Mountain Dreamer's The Invitation -

gifts to give

THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen.
No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response.

THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs,
kisses, pats on the back, and handholds.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Share articles and funny stories.
Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet.
A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job,"
or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better
than to be left alone.
Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is
to extend a kind word to someone.
Really, it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You.

- ? -

disturbance

Disturb us, Lord,
When we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true,
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely, because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord,
When with the abundance of things we possess,
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity;
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord,
To dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas,
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future,
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

- sir francis drake -

centering prayer

   - clearing the mind of rational thought in order to focus on the indwelling presence of God

   - strong emphasis on interior silence

   - while complete quiet or stillness is often desirable, some people use repetitive activities such as deep breathing, humming or chanting of mantra to help induce a prayerful state

   - SAMPLE:
   1. Sit comfortably with eyes closed, relax, and quiet yourself. Be in love and faith to God.
   2. Slowly breathe in through the nose, imagining that you’re breathing in the Holy Spirit.Breathe out through the mouth, imagining the release of all the negativities inside you.
   3. Choose a sacred word or mantra that best supports your sincere intention to be in the Lord's presence and be open to His divine action within you (i.e. "Jesus", "Lord," "God," "Savior," "Abba," "Divine," "Shalom," "Spirit," "Love," etc.).
   4. Whenever you become aware of anything (thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, associations, etc.), simply return to your mantra, your anchor.

- collected from wherever -

true desires - live to be real!

Passing fancies fade.
True desires persist and grow even stronger with time.

When you devote efforts to satisfying the fleeting,
Momentary whims, you soon come empty.
Even when you succeed at fulfilling every trivial wish,
What you get is not what you truly desire.

Instead, look for the reasons behind the wishes.
Pay attention to those desires that persist,
Month after month, year after year.

Live each moment fully,
With all the joy and presence you can bring.
Yet do not live solely for the moment.

Devote your efforts to the real and lasting desires,
In line with real and lasting values.
Follow the positive purposes that remain
When all else fades away.

For what you truly desire,
Down deep, you have every ability to live true to your heart.
So live and make it happen, live to be real.

- ralph marston -