Christmas?

This should be obvious.

LIES are not True.

So why believe them?

Getting down to it:

Pruning branches

doesn't fix bad roots.

Fuse with the light.

Live in a box,
Die in your shoes,
But what you will be
is whatever you choose:
To grow or to lose.
You light your
own fuse.

You are here.

In our attempt to get a grip on reality and control our own lives, we try multiple things for some semblance of authority over destiny. One way we do this is spatial familiarity. We work in the same place, eat in the same place, live in the same place. We have a space of our own, and we call that place "home", or "where I'm from", or simply "here". But how consistent is even the space we occupy?

It isn't.

As you know, the earth orbits around the sun. In one year, it has travelled full circle. Each day, the earth completes a full cycle of its own rotation on its axis, as well. So, at any given point in time during a day during a year, you are not in the exact same spot. Spatially, you are not stationary, even if you are stationary in relation to your earthly surroundings.

But it turns out the sun has an orbit as well. The sun travels around the Milky Way, and it takes awhile for it to complete its orbit. About 225 million years, at least.

So if the Earth is always spinning,

And if the Earth is perpetually orbiting,

And if the sun is continuously orbiting, as well,

Then it follows that, throughout your lifetime, you are never in the exact same point in space twice.

So don't think just because you know a place that life will get stale or predictable or that you are ever actually in control.

Instead, remember:

This spot is new to you;

You've never been here before.

Abraham's Faith

"Against all hope, in hope believe."

-adapted from

the 4th chapter and 18th verse

of Paul's letter to the Romans.

Gain of Pain

At times, there cannot be change, transformation, conversion, or improvement of life without pain. For there to be growth, there must often be stretching, exertion, soreness, and the fulfilling weariness that follows.

Simply put:

Muscles don't come from Twinkies.

Journey

Here.
Take my hand,
My friend.

Let's walk for awhile.
We'll choose where later.

No need to step
The exact same.
Your walk is as unique
As you.
No need to change it.

Just walk with me
For however long,
Views flooding sparkling eyes;
Sharing a laugh at

The timeless rooster,
The chipmunk skitter,
The salamander stare,
and little dog-sleuth Maxwell.

Let's seek the Guide.
Let's puddle-jump.
Let's run or sit or dance.

Because,
After all,
Journeys are for joy,

And joys are better shared.

Continuous

I had a chance to take some time just to sit this evening. I sat on a bench under a large maple tree, eating a ham sandwich, and reading a good book. And as I sat, I began to notice a few things.

Birds began to gather in the trees, paying me no mind.

People walked by, moving along their self-designated paths to accomplish whatever it was that they felt it was absolutely necessary to accomplish.

An engine revved in the distance, fighting against entropy to try and live again.

A man delivered pizza to place of residence.

More birds gathered. They flocked. They flew. They still paid me no mind.

As all of these things took place, I realized that they had a very important thing in common:

I had absolutely nothing to do with them. No influence. No significance. I had stopped for a moment, and the world just continued to happen around me. And it got along with things just fine.

It was humbling to consider, but after getting past the frequently-ignored epiphany that the world doesn't revolve around me, I realized how freeing it is that, though I do have a part to play, the course of nature and life and the unfolding future does not rest on my shoulders. There is an order to things. A significant, perfect, well-managed order. And yes, entropy naturally causes decline. And yes, it's our job to add to life against decay. And yes, this world can be scary at times, or intense, or just plain heavy. But ultimately, the order is maintained. However, it's not maintained by us. Regardless of our miniscule acts of choice and cause and effect, life moves forward, undaunted. It does not need us in order to continue to be Life. This is because Life is not just a collection of events instigated by humans. It is a living thing. An entity. A person, totally separate from we, the people, of planet Earth. Some like to call it God. I think It's okay with that title, but perhaps that as well as any other one title just doesn't quite cover the bigness and trueness of what It is. But It continues, with or without us.

There is a certain comfort in knowing that I'm not in control, nor do I have to be. But it's a comfort that comes only from knowing and believing and sensing that the Master of Order isn't just doing things (like we do) to get them done and move on to the next thing because that's how it goes and there isn't any stopping because life is a race and if you don't keep running, you lose.

No.

The Master maintains the Order, I think, because It is motivated by something greater than obligation or fear or frantic trudgery. It is motivated by Purpose. It is motivated because It is Life, and it can't be anything other than what It is: Unceasing, Relentless Vivacity; The Essence of Genesis.

And this is where it gets truly Good:

The Core of Life, the Source of Glory, the Definition of the Master...

It is Love.

So feel free to take it easy. Love finds a way. And It doesn't depend on you.