“The Acorn” by Dianne Bautch
The acorn grows into the grand oak tree,
not caring if the little sapling
longs to be something else …
a maple, a birch, an evergreen.
It becomes what it was created to be,
what it was meant to be.
Simone Weil - Waiting for God
“You can take my word for it too that Greece, Egypt, ancient India and ancient China, the beauty of the world, the pure and authentic reflections of this beauty in art and science…”
Bradly Jersak - Prayer on Love
Begin this prayerful time where I say, God is love. He’s shown us what that love looks like in someone who revealed God‘s love as self-giving . He’s utterly generous to you. Everything he has of himself is yours. He’s radically forgiving —there’s absolutely nothing his blood can’t wash.
“In the World” by Brigid Lowry
In the strange, early evening half-light we sit.
In the cloudiness of our questioning, we sit.
In our madness and our clarity, we sit.
In the midst of too much to do, we sit.
SOURCE: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Brigid-Lowry/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABrigid+Lowry
“Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved” —Translation by Jonathan Star
Remember what I said. . . .
I said, Don’t leave, for I am your Friend.
In the mirage of this world
I am the fountain of life.
Even if you leave in anger
and stay away for a thousand years
You will return to me,
“Authentic Awakening” by Amoda Maa
“Authentic awakening has nothing to do with the accumulation of good feelings or with identification with a role, albeit a spiritual one. It’s not about being happy when things are going your way; it’s about being anchored in the light of awareness, come what may.
"Please Call Me by My True Names" by Thich Nhat Hanh
Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
“Beloved Mother of All Thing”s by Thich Nhat Hanh
"Dear Mother Earth,
"I bow my head before you as I look deeply and recognize that you are present in me and that I'm a part of you. I was born from you and you are always present, offering me everything I need for my nourishment and growth. My mother, my father, and all my ancestors are also your children. We breathe your fresh air. We drink your clear water. We eat your nourishing food. Your herbs heal us when we're sick.
“When I Despair…” by Mahatma Gandhi
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
“Benediction based on the Beatitudes” by Brian McLaren
Blessed are the curious
for their curiosity honors reality
Blessed are the uncertain and those with second thoughts
for their minds are still open.
Blessed are the wonderers
for they shall find what is wonderful
Blessed are those who question their answers
for their horizons will expand forever.
SOURCE: FAITH AFTER DOUBT