The Med near Cassis.  Wish we could be there on Easter.  A blessed day to you all.

Easter Brings a New Thing

Easter brings a new thing.   "The great Easter truth," said Bishop Phillips Brooks, "is not that we are to live newly after death, but that we are to be new here and now, by the power of the resurrection; not so much that we are to live forever as that we are to, and may, live truly now because we are to live forever."   Yes, In the middle of the superficial offerings of this transient world, that new thing is life in life.  We wake to the Easter truth of life in life, as well as life after death.  

And waking is contagious.  We may share it...

One man awake can waken another.

The second can wake up his next door brother.

Three men awake can rouse the whole town, 

By turning the whole thing upside down.

The many awake can make such a fuss

That soon it wakens the rest of us.

One man awake, with dawn in his eyes,

Multiplies.

from the writing of Helen Kromer

Yes, Easter is a new thing.  May we live in that newness this very day.  A blessed Easter.  He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Bill

The Little Eyes of spring

The rains came . . . gentle showers and then hard pounding hail . . . to herald the turning. The sound of wind and rain alone marked the arrival of seed time. We are glad for the change from winter to spring. Seed catalogs put away. Some gardens in, some to come. We relish these days of earth warming and seed planting . . . onion sets and seed potatoes.

Watching for rainbows, we offer our thanks, Blessed One, for Your providence. The little eyes of spring open. The songbirds sing Your praise. We rejoice and remember Your promise, and we anticipate the first lettuce. How good and gracious are Your mercies. How constant and faithful are Your ways.

Light and Warmth,

Bill

Thoughts on Final Goals

"She's dying."

"We're all dying," my wife said.  "That's what we do.  She's only dying faster.  Does it not seem queer to you, Abel, that we should all put in our claims for Heaven, but fear the going so?"

from Shadows of Glory by Owen Parry

Friends, Here is a quote from a novel I have been reading again.  The author is a fine word-crafter.  I like his stories of the Civil War time.  The above passage caught my attention this week and I spent some time pondering it.  Doesn't take long to come to agreement.  We believe in heaven -- but aren't in any hurry to get there.  Or so it seems.  We want to linger on this side of the river, ready for the next challenge, the next day, and always longing to see family members again.  But then, we were created to be here -- first.  And in this creation of the Holy One, we find our first 'home,' if not our heavenly one.  So, We cling and rejoice in life and breath, in sunlight dancing on the waters, in the dearest ties of love and friendship.  So let it be.  But keep an eye ahead, as one in a canoe on a river has to watch for the next bend, the next riffle, the hidden logs.  May the day be blessed and may we keep alert for 'forever.'

Light and Warmth,

Bill

Remembering an Old Cat

You can get attached to cats ... particularly one who has journeyed with you to several locations across the years.  Some cats are just casual acquaintances.. like some people, but a few become closer to family.  I am missing one such today.  What prompted these thoughts was a recent incident in our home.  I was going out to the garage -- where the cat used to sleep -- and as I opened the door to the garage I thought I saw the cat on a little bed made for her, just outside the door.  It must have been her ghost.  So we have the ghost of our cat living in the garage.  That is okay with me, for I had a great attachment to the animal.  She would not come inside -- we have a place for a couple of beasts (a protected laundry room).  She would not come in at all -- well, once in a great while, if the temp dropped into the teens, she just might, especially if accompanied by her partner, who always comes inside.  She was independent, but protective, and always found my feet, around which she would curl and purr.  Purr, unless she was hungry, in which case the purr morphed into a different tone.  But she is gone now... on to wherever cats go when they make the final journey.  However, I count on seeing a glimpse of her in the garage from time to time, just to keep alive the memories.  Blessings on your journey today.
Bill