The Journey

It is 8 o'clock on a Wednesday night and there is electric energy in the air. A plane from Houston Texas has taken flight and is making it's decent into a Chicago airport carrying with it precious cargo - my new found  partner in life.

In Grand Rapids Michigan plans are being made for a grand assembly of loving friends and family to celebrate a milestone birthday of a beloved cousin, father and husband.

The stage is being set for the beginning of another chapter to be played out in this most awesome and amazing Journey we know as life!

The drive to Grand Rapids is delightful, the weather flavoured with a taste of fall. The universe seams poised for a new and special emergence - a special and unique occasion, a long due resurgence ... my life renewed in the love of another and a time for regeneration.

Life it seems is a vessel in which we travel from time to eternity not knowing the outcome but enjoying the journey. How many times have I walked in the shadow of love not knowing its depth but enjoying its waters? How many times have I longed for its gentle currents but instead experienced its furries.

What is it that makes our journey go on ... maybe it's just the touch of a hand or the sound of a word that is uttered in silence but never the less heard. And what is it that makes it all worthy, that takes us to heaven but lets us to worry in the arms of a lover who is tender and pure and who will in the end make us secure in our thoughts and our dreams, in the love of forever may we sit by life's stream and let it forever be our summer and winter, our spring and our fall, let us forever to journey in life and it's all.

Life is the Journey and we the travelers ...

The Long Shadows of Day

As I awoke in the middle of the night a vision came to me. I was so touched by it that I it inspired this poem. I would like to share it with you:

There is a time at the end of each day when shadows grow long and I long to play

In the meadows of grass that are blown by the wind from the mountains up north to the valleys within

As I lay by a stream that is fed from above I drink from it's bounty and bathe in its love

A love that began in the sands up on high in a desert remote that belongs to the sky

When I lay down to sleep at the end of the day I can feel the world that is still at play

Then the night growing still in my arms comes to stay for a few tender hours, a few or a day

Now my soul takes flight to place in the clouds where I'm safe for the moment, safe in it's love

I delight in the bliss of my lovers first kiss as the earth moves below and I cease to exist

We are one ...

Remembrances

I cannot believe that it has been ten years since the day that the world stood still; Ten years since time became meaningless. Words could not describe the pain and anguish that was caused by so few dissidents; Ten years since one world ended and another began ...

If we have learned nothing else from the horror and atrociousness of that moment it is that life is fragile and transient, and that it doesn't take much to bring us to our knees.

My grandmother used to tell me that it is always much easier to be kind and thoughtful than to be angry and remorseful. The positive energy that exudes from those who are kind and generous is infectious but unfortunately so can be anger and hate. The good news here is that the later is self destructive and cannot be sustained without causing much pain.

I thought to myself today as I reflected on my life in this crazy mixed up world that we have created for ourselves, how lucky I am to have so many wonderful friends and acquaintances, and how fortunate I have been to have experienced such love and support. Then I thought to myself why is this true for me but not for everyone else, and myself said to me because you are aware of yourself, of all that is around you and because you have listened to life and have heard it's voice.

Gregg Levoy pointed something out in his stunning book "Callings". In it he says "the whole sky is filled with furtive transmissions - pollen and seed, radio waves and subatomic particles, the songs of birds and satellite broadcasts ... what is necessary to make substance or meaning out of any of it is a receiver, somebody to receive" ...

If the world is to be a better place then so must we all be both together and as individuals. We must live in the moment but also plan for the future, and of course learn from the past. We must listen to the calm and drink in it energies in order to be healthy, happy and strong in our commitments.

Life is meant to be savoured and enjoyed like a fine wine but it must also be coaxed and nurtured in order to attain its finest result.

Between Heaven and Earth

Somewhere between heaven and earth there exists a place called mine. A place so elusive that it can only be seen when the planets align. A place so special that it sits on air and when the wind blows it moves with care and takes me with it should I dare.

Have you ever felt the earth move beneath your feet or the sunshine warm you as you sleep , in the afternoon on an autumn day while resting from the cares of whatever may? There are those times when time itself refrains from forward movement and take it's rest.

Would that these moments always be mine and I would promise in turn to be thine. So as the dark must turn to light and the morning shine in the the suns bright. Let me be to you my love the essence of all that is our love. So that we might reside in a palace on a distant hill and drink the nectar of whatever will.

My life , my light, my morning sun please promise that I'll be your only love ...

Clouds

My grandfather and I used to sit together on the porch of our house in Rockford. We would look up and watch the procession of clouds drift by. Sometimes soft and gentle, other times strong and ascending they would provide us with endless entertainment as we watched this cosmic theatre unfold.

Today I came across a book entitled simply "Wind Blown Clouds". I laughed and thought to myself how proud would my grandfather be to know that he could have been the author of this book. But not just that - he could and would have been much more.

When grandfather and I looked up to the skies, we saw not only clouds in motion but rather a puppet opera. Every cloud has a distinct personality and purpose. When a storm is coming they are ominous, when good weather abounds they are happy and playful and when there is rain or snow coming they are rather serious. There are occasions when clouds merely, playfully change shapes as if they were bored. I have seen clouds shape shift from cherubs to dragons and from puppies to werewolves. But in the end they are only clouds - aren't they?

People are much like clouds. Ever changing changelings. Always looking for that better shape, a more perfect format, or that most ultimate essence from which to play our role in life.

I think that my grandfather taught me a lot about life.

Thank you grandpa!

Kiki's Banquet

I have been sitting at the bar at Kiki's restaurant quite frequently these days - a home away. During my indulgences I have become very interested in how the other half work and live. Then it occurred to me that I am part of the other half - maybe not so much in financial wealth but most certainly in wealth of experience and spirit ...

What is it that sets us apart when it comes to our station in life?

I think that it all revolves around our spiritual and social consciousness. Not to say that money doesn't play a significant role, but what does anything matter unless we are totally involved and attuned to it and in it?

I have been extremely fortunate in that I have been blessed with both common sense and a passion for life. You might ask what I mean by "passion for life". My definition goes something like this: to be truly passionate in your life journey means that you must love your life enough to sacrifice everything for it but also to have the common sense to recognize those things that are detrimental to it.

The Buddha said "what we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow - our life is the creation of our mind". I say that all things both physical and spiritual play a huge part in our lives and our perception of it.

Just as a seed produces a bloom and from the bloom come many more seeds when strong and well nourished, so does our essence. It projects this thing called life on the face of the universe and from it's projection comes forth our body and soul. To walk in the positive energy of existence is to swim in it's energy effortlessly. It is only when the stream of life becomes polluted that we find ourselves drowning in loneliness and despair.

Many times have I been blessed with clear skies and balmy breezes that have left me serene and complacent. But several times I have felt the cold brown waters of despair encircle my feet and ankles and when this occurs beware for if one becomes accustomed to the cold it can overtake you.

"Life is a banquet", as Auntie Mame said - "and most pour suckers are starving at the table" ...

It is not that we should consume life greedily and take it home in "to go" bags. Rather we need to eat from the table in moderation and share our fortune with the other guests.

I have been sitting at the bar at Kiki's quite frequently these days. The never ending parade of humanity enthralls me and encourages me. I find it to be a charging station for my never ending curiosity and passion for this thing called life.