Walk with me

Walk with me, he said
Walk with me and we'll explore
This next patch of road coming up,
That's just a bit under-taveled
And holds a bit of mystery still.
Walk with me. and oh!
the adventures that wait
for the both of us,
just beyond the brambles
a,nd that patch of wildflowers
If you would just walk with me,
Walk with me,
Walk with me,
And be my love.

Sing with me, she said
Sing with me this song of my delight
A new tune, of liquid notes
that flow like water
and sound like the taste of honey,
sweet and rich upon my tongue
Sing with me, this secret melody -
sacred and holy and filled
with such joy! Just sing,
Sing with me,
Sing with me,
and be my love.

I have known your soul forever
And felt your heart call to me.
So let us rise, my beloved.
The road beckons
and the melody spills forth
with such sweet insistence.
Together we will walk,
And together we will sing,
Together, with the scent of wildflowers
and the feel of your hand
in mine.

The Gift of Rising - a poem for Shavuot

It was an ancient quickening -
older than mountains,
whose bones dug into the earth,
deep and long.

The gift of mountains is stone,
a sacred canvas
of unbending inscription,
holy even when broken.

It was an ancient burgeoning -
older than heat or light
an exaltation of urgency,
of joy and revelation.

The gift of light is sparks,
dancing in black fire
a cascade of stars, like
God's laughter tumbling upwards.

It was an ancient and tidal moment -
older than oceans
whose chaotic rhythm rushes,
like breath, like life.

The gift of oceans is water,
cool and sweet; it holds
the secret of mercy
and the bitterness of despair.

It was an ancient rising =
a burst of green
and laden boughs.
It was bending
that did not break.
It was fire
that did not consume.
It was sweetness
pouring forth like a mighty river.
Here beneath the mountain,
watching fire and darkness
and the rush of rain -

It is a gift of binding,
a tree of life,
beckoning me to hold fast.

#Omer, Days 34 and 35, heading into Shabbat

Here's what I'm noticing most these days -

Life is not what I expected. Life is. That’s the deal. It’s bumpy and messy and scary and happy and joyous and perplexing, in infinite variety and subtlety. And most of all: changing. I get to participate in that. I get to do it well and fuck it up, find moments of grace and spar with demons of my own devising. In the midst of pain or doubt or joy or hope, it is not so dark: I am not so alone, as long as I put one foot in front of the other.

I get to find God, every day. I can be made whole, every day. I can be healed, every day. None of this comes naturally to me. It is still easier, at times, to disconnect than to willingly open up my heart. If I can just commit, just trust, just forgive, just love, then I would know I was in the presence of God.

But I have known God’s grace, and I have felt joy and love, and so I struggle gladly to be human, every day.

Shabbat shalom to all I love and hold so very dear xo

#countingtheomer #shabbat #expectations