December 30, 2005

Post that lingered...

Sometimes a post by a friend, and the comments from others, touches me deeply, and lingers well after my initial reading. This post by our friend Tommy at Isaiah Knows Nothing , and comments by Amy, James, Aki, and Isaiah (Tommy) did this for me…

Deep Breath Deep Exhale


Taking a deep breath....And exhaling. All things are in divine order.

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

5 Comments:

Amy Harden said...

this reminds me of a Chris Rice lyric...
"Deep breath. Exhale. Breathe in deeper still....
Sorry I forgot you're right here,
I cup my hand around your ear..."

Such beautiful and simple truth. It reminds me of a Thich Nhat Hanh breathing mantra that goes:
In...out...deep...slow...calm...ease...smile...release.
Present moment...wonderful moment.

Akilesh said...

Here’s a koan to go with your responses:

Q. “Much talk before enlightenment. Will you give me a few words after enlightenment?”
A. “All things are in divine order... Present moment...wonderful moment.”
What is. Appreciating things as they are. Allowing.
Simple, yet curiously difficult to live. And this is what we long for, to live Truth, to embody Wisdom.
The check question, sharp as a razor:
What of the child at this moment dying of untreated AIDS in a suburb outside Francistown, Botswana?

isaiah said...

"What of the child at this moment dying of untreated AIDS in a suburb outside Francistown, Botswana?"
We are thinking this child is someone, something other than ourself and we do not realize our passing, our transition from body to allness is a mere illusion mared within the throws of much crying and suffering.
This is not a child dying from AIDS, this is Spirit creating, recreating- we choose to see our little tale of birth and death played out in the child. This child, anyone of us, is merely Spirit playing hide and seek with Itself.
"Oh, there you are!"

Akilesh said...

When every day is a good day... playfulness abounds.
Being so playful I see you were not caught in the net of self and other, of good and bad.
Smiling,
Aki

2 comments:

brotherbill said...

Dear Meredith,

A year and a half ago you posted a comment on my blog and I was too new to blogging to respond. Today, I correspond with several other bloggers and my life is blessed by this new technology. It opens my world in a glorious way. I read your most resent post and recognized The Serenity Prayer written by Reinhold Neibuhr in 1926. You are aware of course, it is used in twelve-step recovery programs. Being a good Al-Anon deeply into my disease, I thought you might enjoy the full text:

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,

Courage to change the
things I can, and
wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next. Amen

Reinhold Neibuhr-1926

Matthew May said...

The serenity prayer in my opinion the most powerful of all prayers. Thank you.

A wonderful blog you have here. :)