The Faith to Take Life One Piece at a Time

Having the faith to take life one piece at a time- to live it in the knowledge that there is something of God in this for me now, here, at this moment- is of the essence of happiness. It is not that God is a black box full of tests and trials and treats. It is that life is a step on the way to a God who goes the way with us. However far, however perilous.

Have Your Attention on What Is

If you have your attention on what is, see its fullness in every moment, you will discover the dance of the divine in every leaf, in every petal, in every blade of grass, in every rainbow, in every rushing stream, in every breath of every living being.

The Finding and the Giving

Each of us, as we journey through life, has the opportunity to find and to give his or her unique gift. Whether that gift is great or small in the eyes of the world does not matter at all—not at all; it is through the finding and the giving that we may come to know the joy that lies at the center of both the dark times and the light.

Stand Tall by the Water

Stand tall
by the water
know no fear or loneliness
let this love
cross you over
let this song
bid you well

We Die with Half our Music in Us

George Buttrick, an imaginative preacher, wrote poignantly, "We die with half our music in us." How sad, not that we die, but that we leave so much unsung, not having exhausted our melody.

We are Given this Minute

People walk around sad because they don't know what to do with their future. You have this minute right now. What are you doing with it? ...If you are filled with joy for one minute, then you will know what to do with the next minute also. We are given this minute, not tomorrow. Sadness is very much concerned with what I don't have, and I really don't have tomorrow yet. The Truth is, I am always standing before nothingness, because I am nonexistent yet for the next minute. I'm not here yet. Time isn't there. The world isn't there. The world is here...right now!

The Three Questions

The old turtle looked at the boy. "But your questions have been answered"... "Remember then that the most important time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For these, my dear boy, are the answers to what is most important in the world. And this is why we are here."

There is a Way to Live

There is a way to live that makes the angels cry out
in rapture. There is
a way to live that makes
each star a cell.
Come stand with me here, it is
cold I know, and silent,
nothing is happening.
The next breath, and the next, is the new life.

When You Spend Time with a Dying Person

When you spend time with a dying person, you discover that the human spirit has the power to come forth in the middle of crisis and suffering in ways we can't imagine. Over and over, I have seen ordinary people—afraid, angry, confused—awaken into profound wisdom and understanding.

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