Love of the Dance!

In the young midnight of life

spirits tethered to a pale rose,

a blossoming Maypole

that protects their innocent orbits,

soft, unfolding petals of fire

illuminating the currents on which they glide.

Love of the movement!

Emotion of flight!

Precise abandon!

Courageous body and physical color!

Love of the dance!

And then so suddenly a broken stalk,

the rythmic waves crash out of course,

tidal emptiness

severing the ribbons onto which they hold,

thorns pricking smooth spirited cheeks,

teardrops and blood, moistening the stage.

Yearning for answers.

Gazing into these salty, ruby pools,

a movement is detected against the starless sky,

familiar choregraphy, but whose?

Revealed in tears and blood, like crimson mirrors,

It is they who remain aloft,

firing the sky in graceful streams,

circling together

to generate the light of a rose within,

finally knowing the beautiful truth,

She never held them up at all,

it was a loving illusion to strengthen youthful wings

so they might fly.

And now they do.

Sometimes crooked, sometimes tired.

pure and perfect though

caressing the collective wound

to remember, always remember,

why they are here.

Love of the movement!

Emotion of flight!

Precise abandon!

Courageous body, physical color!

Love of the dance!

Jeff Spoden, 1989

What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself.

Hecato, Greek philosopher

You have to have been tested to have a testamony.

The Screaming World and A Prayer for You, Whoever You Are

Wow! Thank you God, that I turned to you, out of desperation, guilt and shame, when I did. The world has become so complicated now, that even someone searching for forgiveness, truth, peace and a God who loves them, can be misled by the many voices screaming "We have the way!"

God doesn't scream. God whispers. God loves. God gives second chances, over and over again. God lets you start over every morning with a clean slate, and whispers in your ear, "I love you."

I pray for all those who are searching and those who are not because they do not know they need truth: that you will hear the whisper of God, and that you will pay attention and listen closely, despite the screaming world. I pray for second chances and for those who want to know the truth, not just what "feels good" and is right in men and women's eyes. I pray for all those who have wandered down the wrong path, listened to the wrong voice, blocked out understanding in favor of denial and the blanket of numbness that it brings, or rejected truth, as painful as it can be at times. I pray that you would pray for truth, because truth is what sets you free.

"You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free!" Jesus, The Bible, John 8:32

Letting Go of Chaos

No good work comes from unrest.

Unrest, fear, anger, or sadness may motivate us. These feelings are sometimes intended to compel action. But our best work emerges after these feelings have been replaced by peace.

We will not accomplish our task any sooner, or any better, by performing it out of a sense of urgency, fear, anger, or sadness.

Let go of unrest. Let peace fill the void. We do not have to forfeit our power, our God-given personal power - or our peace - to do the work as we are called upon to do today. We will be given all the power we need to do what we are meant to do, when it is time.

Let peace come first. Then proceed. The task will get done, naturally and on time.

Today, I will get peaceful first, and let my work and life emerge from that base.

From "The Language of Letting Go" by Melody Beattie