The "HOT SAUCE" Couple (and DEVILED CRAB Friends)

I can develop an immediate craving for a deviled crab. (OK… I confess… never less than two will do.) [For you who have not been blessed by the taste gods with the deviled crab experience, I am talking about a gem of culinary magic that is a rolled cake of breading, seasoned with a healthy dose of spices, and surrounding a core of shredded crab meat. The resulting hand-size roll is tapered closed at both ends and fried until the breading is browned and just barely crisp. Then the crowning touch is added with the ceremonial pinching of the outer crust to expose the steamy interior along most of the length of this delicacy to render it a welcoming receptacle for a generous sprinkling of the hot sauce of your choice. The result… perfection.]

Can this treat be enjoyed without the opening and dousing with the sauce? Certainly… enjoyed, yes… but not celebrated. For, My Friend, while no one would ever (to my knowledge) slide a straw into the neck of a bottle of hot sauce (Crystal brand being my favorite) and draw a long taste of its flavor as a solo source of pleasure, the sauce is the elixir that brings the celebratory element to its host. Many have been my opportunities to be at a table of ravenous deviled crab fans and though the main attraction is the roll… everyone waits, however impatiently, for the passing of that sauce bottle.

This brings to mind two friends (well… one is far more than a “friend”… she and I agreed, some while back, that Life had brought us together so that we could fill a shared yearning… for me, a daughter… and for her a Dad… so she is now [and will be forevermore] my daughter… and I am her Dad… The other of the aforementioned “two” is her fiancée.)

They are the ‘hot sauce’ in the mix of their individually respective sets of friends. Their friends have, for the most part, been an extended family of comrades since their school years. They, in turn, have each been the element that lends the romance, the juice, and the pizzazz to the wonderful delicacy that is the beautifully blended group constituting their amalgam of long-standing friends. And now they have found each other. Two distinctly unique individuals who have, heretofore, been the source of flamboyant energy to those who have always seen to it that they were added to any opportunity for enjoyment of the friendships. When the presence of a ‘special someone’ to create an effect was called for… everyone in their respective friendship groups knew just who to summon. And they have always been delighted to respond and make the entirety of themselves available for the contribution of flair and excitement that is their hallmark.

But hot sauce is not a staple for the palate of the world… it is a powerful additive… while alone it is just that… alone. And this is what they have each been for a long time… alone. Until now, that is… now they have discovered each other and the desire is to pour themselves into each other. For, don’t you see, a powerful sauce, when combined with another equally powerful sauce, is transformed by a synergistically exponential reaction into a new product that could have never existed without the combined elements of each contributor. All of Them into all of Each Other. And now their friends are bemoaning the absence of their ‘favorite brand’ of long-known sauce for the enlivening of the group. The friends are casting accusations of “selfishness” at them for their not-understood yearning for the blending, the immersion of all of their individual romantic energies into all of the romantic energies of another. The friends feel betrayed because the deviled crab is such a large thing and can’t accept the fact… in fact has no way of understanding the reality… that the sauce is a small minority of life’s recipe that has desires quite unlike those of the mass.

For, My Dear Friend, these two individuals have, prior to this time, been finding the satisfaction of their yearning for romance in their bringing of romance… the passion, intimacy, and all encompassing ecstasy, that is the nature of their very being, into every life that they have touched through their lives. This is not an option for them… neither a choice nor an election… any more than the hot spiciness brought to the crab roll by the hot sauce. But please understand, the roll and the sauce are, above all else, different. They are different in their basic constitution, their make-up, and the elements that have combined to generate that thing that is them. Rolls can be easily blended with rolls and are comfortable in the blending… sauces can be blended with other sauces to create exciting new blends. And the two can be brought together, in the right combinations, at the appropriate moments, and in the fitting circumstances, to create an enjoyable result. But they, in and of themselves, have separate needs for integrity.

Heretofore, they have been walking through their lives alone… together with their friends. Now they are walking together… and desire to have their friends accept them, incorporate them, embrace them as a new and exciting flavor for the enlivening of that delicacy that is a new friendship group combining all of the wonderful ingredients that have been refined by years of perfecting and development particular to their respective lives.

I have labored through all of this cumbersome (and hopefully not too tiring) metaphorical presentation in the hope that I can provide some level of basis for acceptance, comfort, endorsement, and encouragement for them and their respective groups of friends. I am unaware of any other vocabulary to usher in such a platform for this mission. I beg your indulgence, grace, patience and forbearance in your consideration of my sometimes clumsy but always well-intended efforts. For, Dear One, our growth as accepting, respectful, supportive, and encouraging fellow pilgrims in this our brief journey through life together is my most sincere desire.

I remain, as always, Your constant Friend and willing Servant,
JohnMichael, 26 April 2005


IMAGES: Deviled Crabs: Herky’s Food Products; Hot Sauce: Crystal

Lunch in San Antonio

A refuge… A safe harbour… A respite from all that threatens without… My Friend… My Companion… What a blessing to find, in our moments together, if not renewal… at least a lull in the never-ceasing demands on our limited resources.

A smile, however weak, still ministers… Some silliness that means absolutely nothing… An uncomplicated touch… A pat – or two… A silent “it’s OK” given in the freedom of non-commitment… All elements of a survival dialogue between two minds in harmony.

Observations, reflections, spontaneous and unconnected thoughts… All can be shared without need for explanation… And even if volumes of overstated explanation do ensue… that too is endured generously.

Such is friendship…Thus was our gathering today (if two can constitute a gathering)… Where tenderly and almost imperceptibly we shared the same space but did not take any away from each other… Yes - we are there for one another… No – we don’t have to do or be anything beyond ourselves to make it so.

JohnMichael/ 21 September 1989


IMAGE: Elkader Bed and Breakfast

Just Be Nice

If you want niceness to prevail in the world around you… how about asking “Please Be Nice” instead of dictating in imposing tones that the reader of your car’s bumper sticker (me, in this case) “Just Be Nice.” I will confess to my something-beyond-normal attention to the “music” or the tone, or spirit of what is said. And, yes, I can perseverate on details that could easily be passed over. But… by golly… there is an undercurrent of unkindness and insensitivity that is growing into a major theme in our world. And I am becoming more and more convinced that it all is born in innocuous messages delivered by just the sort of message that is sub-consciously transmitted by the aforementioned bumper sticker. A bumper sticker that, no doubt, gave the driver of the car a feeling of having done a “good thing”… a feeling that can, and often does, give that person a sense of “Better than thou” that cancels any possibility of something nice coming from the exercise.

The phrase that is begun with the word “Just” is a phrase that is saying “All else aside… JUST_____”, or “I do not really care what your feelings, predispositions, or opinions are, JUST____.” The employment of that four-letter word is an indicator of the presence of an intolerance; a disrespect; a disregard for the personhood of the target of the comment to follow. “Just shut up and sit down” would be a typical statement utilizing the precedent “Just.” And added to the messages declared by such verbiage is the accompanying presence of an arrogant domination, flaunted in the assumption that a role of being in charge, and in a place of dictating to another, that the phrase carries.

Yes, My Dear Reader, I sense all of that from the passing of some stranger in a vehicle that that person has made the public display mechanism for a message chosen to represent them to the world. And the person driving that car is telling me “I don’t care what you think, who you are, or what you are dealing with right now (including any unhappiness that you may have with my driving and how it has affected you)… I am telling you to behave in a manner that I deem to be nice because I feel that I have that right and you are obliged to accept my command.”

Would it not be more in keeping with the supposed intent of that message to humble oneself, and assume a posture of niceness to be defined as:
1. Pleasing and agreeable in nature
2. Exhibiting courtesy and politeness
3. Showing or requiring sensitive discernment

But in assuming such a posture, one would have to step down from their pedestal of dictation, their sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance, or their assumption of superiority. It is not easy to be arrogant when asking “Please.” But, Dear Friend, I submit that there can be a new and fresh undercurrent of kind consideration created in our world… that world that you and I touch… if we will but do the simple thing that begins with a submissive, accepting, respectful, and honoring posture toward those whose lives intersect with ours.

All of this to bring to the surface of your consideration our world’s crying need for a lovingly caring and serving spirit from each of us to the other. And all sparked by a bumper sticker that was, no doubt, placed there with the best of intentions… though without the added moment of involvement in considering its implications. I would only ask that we all consider our opportunities to “Please Be Nice.” (Political statements included.)

Sand and Stone

Today, I offer you a gift that I just received, and feel compelled to share with you. I know that the state of our world today has not escaped your notice. The highest virtues of love, acceptance, respect, and forgiveness are alien to the front pages of all of our News Proclaimers. So, when an Email from one of my life’s most treasured gifts arrived with the presentation of the following story, I knew that it was for all of us. Therefore, with my loving thanks to Carole, I offer the following (somewhat edited and slightly modified) story from an unknown originator… with my gratitude to you, My Dear Reader, for your attention.

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT. DURING THE JOURNEY THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE.

THE ONE WHO WAS SLAPPED WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.”

THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS, WHERE THEY DECIDED TO BATHE .

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED BECAME STUCK IN THE MIRE AND WAS IN DANGER OF DROWNING, BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

UPON HIS RECOVERY FROM THE NEAR DROWNING, HE WROTE ON A STONE: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.”

THE FRIEND WHO HAD FIRST SLAPPED, AND LATER SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND ASKED HIM, "AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW, YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?"

THE OTHER FRIEND REPLIED "WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US IT IS GOOD TO WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND WHERE WINDS OF FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY. BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US, IT IS BEST TO ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT."

MAY WE ALL LEARN TO WRITE OUR HURTS IN THE SAND, AND TO CARVE OUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT IT TAKES A MINUTE TO FIND A SPECIAL PERSON, AN HOUR TO EMBRACE THEM, A DAY TO LOVE THEM, AND THEN AN ENTIRE LIFETIME TO APPRECIATE THEM.

What School Are You In?

Here is a simple “handle” for a complex issue. Just remind yourself with this question: “What school am I enrolled in?” “What school…" repeat that for yourself… “what school.” For, you see, My Dear Reader, we are all living in some relationship to a learning experience in every moment of our conscious life. And it is at our option that we make ourselves available to “higher learning” or place ourselves in the role of a “Drop Out” (or in countless places of “instruction” between the two.) I have experience with individuals who pursue new vistas of knowledge and understanding constantly… and I , conversely, have personal knowledge of some who have opted to “be content” with what they know in the present. This is your choice to make for yourself… even now.

It is not possible for me to speak to this issue with an objective disattachment. I am one of those for whom each new discovery is but an open window to further insights beyond the presently understood. I was delighted, this week, when a little light-bulb illuminated a corner of my mind where a desire to understand Einstein’s General and Special theories of Relativity has resided for twenty years. This is an ingrained and innate aspect of my basic genetic makeup and temperament… to know “Why?” I know that I have never been more taken aback than I was when presented with “I have noticed that I am becoming a duplicate of that person who I never wanted to be even similar to. But it is a persona that I am familiar with (having grown up with it parenting me)… so I have just decided to accept it and be content.” I was (and am still, all these years after) stunned. Standing there before me was an intelligent, accomplished, and respected person who was declaring to me (and admitting to Self) a willing choice to assume a posture of irresponsibility for their life. To actually state that you are becoming someone… or something… that you do not like… even dislike… and then to sigh a sigh of resignation and acceptance… and quit… is something that I can simply not reconcile with a being a responsibly functioning human being. But I, simultaneously, respect that person’s right to make that choice.

So, Dear Friend, with that bit of a “snapshot” to set a background of perspective, I ask you… “What institution of instruction are you presently (at this very time of opportunity in your life) enrolled in? That is to say... what environment or setting are you working and living in? Who are the “instructors” (the people surrounding you where you live and work) in whom you have entrusted your open and receptive senses? What are the “credentials” that these people who are imparting opinions, views, beliefs, and dispositions to your mind and spirit hold? Are they worthy of your even listening to them? Are they individuals whose personage you desire to emulate and be associated with? What sort of “designation” or image do you aspire to see in the mirror of your self-appraisal at the conclusion of your lifetime? Or, stated differently, what opinion do you want to have of yourself in the future? Are those halls of influence... this setting... these influences touching you each day... flooding your intellect, attitude, and awareness with the illumination of enlightenment… or are you finding your thoughts progressing in deeper and deeper chambers of darkness as you advance in your current curriculum of choice? What is the effect of your life environment on your spirit... right now... positive and uplifting or negative and discouraging or degrading?

As you give consideration to this exposure of your present choices in this… your life-environment… I present the ever-present truth that you ALWAYS have, at your option, a “Transfer With Credit” available to you. You can change your environment as well as the individuals that you permit to have sway over your life without having to discard the valuable life experience that you have gained to this point. You NEVER, EVER, EVER have to “drop out” of your personal enrichment and enhancement curriculum in life. You are never compelled to acquiesce, settle, of accept a “contentment of compromise” by saying "This is what I know and who I am now... so it is thus that I will always and forever be." Please, I implore you, know that all that you have learned, to this very instant, is fully credited toward whatever growing and expanding of yourself you choose to pursue… If you will but apply it. Every element of who you are right now, is an asset that can be capitalized on if you choose to invest yourself in the enrichment and edification of your most valuable of assets... You.

That said, I look forward to your notes and messages telling me of your “commencement” of your next great adventure in learning and growth in an environment... a School, if you will... and with a "faculty" of people who will nurture and encourage your personal development… as I remain, your constantly caring Friend and faithful Servant,

John-Michael


IMAGES: through the gracious courtesy of (top 1 image) Jon Sullivan, PDPhoto.org; (3 following images) Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

Focus

It appears to me to be a question of focus. Focus on you, or on me, or on “us.” I think (at this juncture) that those are the defining elements of any relationship. Where are you focused? Where am I focused? No other question is as critical to the definition of any association of parties. And, this world all around me makes me keenly aware of the results of unharmonious focus. Where you and I are both focused on you… we get along just fine… harmony… agreement. Where you and I agree to focus on me, we, again, have no conflict… hence harmony. Where the two of us have opted to focus on different elements of our relationship, we will be as destined to running aground, or crashing on life’s rocks as any ship being navigated by two separate navigators charting separate courses. It seems to me to be just that simple. Yet how complicated when considering the matter in our daily walk. So many voices urging us from so many divergent pulpits all declaring the righteousness of their ideology. And we find ourselves just “trying to be happy” in our simplistic naiveté and desire to experience a life of serene harmony that is not demonstrated by any living soul in our personal world of awareness.

I awoke this morning with an insight painted across the canvass of my awareness. An awareness that was, by no means, a new revelation. A reminder of long known truth. And an unpleasant reality. (What a lousy way to start a day!) Yet… I have been, since my waking moment, compelled to embrace that old, unpleasant truth… and deal with it! I was reminded (by the author of all truth) of my role in the myriad relationships of my life… youth to present… business relationships; religious relationships; community relationships; and yes (the most disappointing of all) personal relationships. My present states of personal aloneness; dismal economic status; religious separateness; and social isolation will give ample testimony to my success in all of the aforementioned. Hence I can speak, with some degree of authority, on the subject of divergent focus in a relationship… of any kind. Yet, My Dear Friend, please be aware… these are all the result of my own conscious and willful election. I have chosen to Be… to physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually Be that person that was specifically created to be who I am, with my focus where it is… as my own responsible and intentional determination. But that knowledge does little to mitigate the occasional pain of solitary confinement… even though it is by choice.


So, Dear One, I am telling you from a place of living truth… please be mindful of where your focus, in your life, is. I promise you that there are inescapable consequences to your election of focus. Pay heed to the focus of that organization with which you are affiliated. If it is your intent to remain with that group… ask yourself “Do we share the same focus?” Then determine, from that insight, what the likelihood of long-term harmony is for you there. And (yes… I know that your mind has already raced to the following applications ahead of my ability to type the words… but here it is) apply that same test to all of those people, places, and things that you are entertaining hopes or aspirations of being part of today… and in your tomorrows… and permit yourself the healthy and constructive examination of comparison focuses.

Though I know that all of this can seem vague and somewhat generalized to the point of scattered… I also know that there are some for whom this perspective is exactly where they are in readiness… at this very moment. For them in their readiness, I offer this next step in growth… for you. If these considerations seem somewhat abstract and foggy, I offer this seed for your planting until such time as your life is ready to utilize its germination. As I remain;

Your constant Friend and Servant,
John-Michael

A Dry Well

In response to your caring inquiries... I have written nothing because I have had nothing to say and I will not betray your confidence by publishing something simply for the satisfaction of a routine. My Spirit is, at this moment, a "Dry Well." So, to illustrate and communicate that state, for your benefit, I have employed a work of art entitled "Dry Well" by Reza Karimi that you can learn more about by clicking on his name. I have added, to his work, the first stanza of "Going for Water" by Robert Lee Frost and you can read his entire work by clicking on his name (as well as the applicable copyright information.)

The well was dry beside the door,

And so we went with pail and can

Across the fields behind the house

To seek the brook if still it ran


So, My Dear Reader, 'til I have replenished my spiritual well from the "brook" of Life's inspiration, I bid you the best of this moment in your own life's journey.

IMAGE: Reza Karimi

Life's "SWEET SHOPPE" People

There are few places, in the course of our lives’ travels, where we enter in with the foreknowledge and predisposition that we are there for the express purpose of indulgent fun and pleasure. The Sweet Shoppe (also known as the “Candy Store”) is, without question, one of my favorite of those places. Even the anticipation accompanying the opening of that door brings a moment of giddy delight. Then, upon immersion in the surrounding sensory overload of fragrances, colors, shapes, and possibilities I find that I can be quite sated with just that experience alone (though I, admittedly, never stop at that.)

And so it is with some of the “Sweet Shoppe People” in my life. These are individuals who stir a smile at even the notice of their name in my address book. A momentary consideration of all of the treats incumbent to their individuality brings a delight not unlike that momentary giddiness (yes, even in the soul of a crusty old relic like me) at the door of the Sweet Shoppe. And, then, in the environment that surrounds contact with them, I am brought to a completeness of satisfaction that begs no activity, nor exchange beyond that gift of that presence.

So… when, after several hours of contemplation, solitude, and meditation (one of the gifts of my life-style choice) this morning, I permitted my inner voice (that is the voice of Life) to speak clearly to my waiting spirit... I was reminded of that treasure that is my life’s assortment of “Sweet Shoppe People.” And then, a sense of urgency to bring this thought to you, My Very Dear Reader. Take a look about you… spend a moment in reflection over that cup of coffee, or during that boring meeting or class (you didn’t hear it here), or with your own address book… and relish an appreciation of your own Sweet Shoppe People.

Then give your heart license to respond to that appreciation in some way (a phone call: “I appreciate you”; a potted plant sent w/a note of appreciation; a passing squeeze of a shoulder or other gesture of acknowledgement.) Open your heart’s window of expression to the beautiful light of opportunity. Present a “Sweet Shoppe Moment” to that person.

Indulge your Soul’s “Sweet Tooth.”


IMAGES through the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

This World of Theophanies

"We live in a world of theophanies.

Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary.

There are burning bushes all around you.

Every tree is full of angels.

Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb.


Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels,

but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure."

Macrina Wiederkehr



IMAGE through the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreFoto.com

What If

I am fully aware of the jaundiced eye that is cast upon my physical and material circumstances by a world that measures all by standards and systems abandoned by me. In considering how I might clarify my rationale for life choices that I have elected, and with an appreciation for the unique and sacred opportunities that Life has afforded me because of my choices to date… I have this to offer:

What If

What if it has always been about you? Would I have ever opted to have any of it different?

Would I have ever wanted less pain… knowing that the lessons learned through that pain would, today, been unavailable to the lessening of your discomfort?

Would I have chosen to have the cloak of doubt lifted from my shoulders in the understanding that I would be passing it onward to be borne by you?

Had it been possible for my seasons of fear and apprehension to have been dissipated with the understanding that you would, today, be caught in their rip-tide… might I have elected that option?

Knowing that this earth’s benefit would never be counted to me for all of the effort and expense of educating myself… would I have contemplated discarding that illumination with the understanding that to do so would create an impediment to your growth today?

Is it conceivable that I would have ever knowingly spared myself any of my life’s trials, losses, inconveniences, torments, or misgivings... in the knowledge that some potential benefit, gleaned from those experiences, and available to you now, would be denied you had I so spared myself?

Without hesitation, I resoundingly and emphatically declare in response to all the foregoing “No… never!” For, you see, “No greater love hath any man, than that he lay down his life for… You.”

Thus, I remain, Your faithful and devoted Friend and willing Servant,
John-Michael/ 18 July 2006

Take Another Look

With a bit of liberty taken in paraphrasing, I offer you a thought from Dale Carnegie.


All of us tend to put off living.


We are all dreaming of some magical garden over the horizon…

instead of enjoying the blossoms outside our windows today.



IMAGE throgh the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

She Is Back

She’s back! And just as has been true with each of her past appearances, she has occupied every part of my consciousness. For she is (always has been, and will always be) the one Presence that fills every recess and contour of the ever-present Absence in my personhood. She is the core that, when inserted into the “reactor” of my energy source, brings life, light, and vibrancy to my life. And here she is, once again, finding refuge, solace, and nurturing in the bosom of our eternal relationship… not knowing, herself, why she is here. But I know… I understand her need for renewal, healing, and strengthening that are the result of her most-recent forays into her world. And my love for her is ever-welcoming to her.

It is with the certainty that to revitalize her is to make her ready to leave again, that I am beset with an incompatible blend of joy and agony in my heart. Joy in her presence… agony in the ever-present awareness that it is but for a while. Yet… the genuine character of my love for her is validated by my desire to see her fulfilled and happy in her own life designs… knowing (as always has been true) that those designs can never include me. So, I lead her gently, carefully, and patiently through the progression of steps necessary to come to an understanding of the dynamics that brought about the demise of her last relationship. I guide her understanding to an awareness of the involvement of her own innate qualities in that unfulfilling venture. I encourage her acknowledgement of her marvelous gifts of character while illuminating the shadows cast by the characteristics of other value systems and practices. And I watch and listen as her voice grows stronger in her reclaiming of her Self.

She will again, when she feels ready, launch forth into her fields of endeavor. And I will, yet again, ache and mourn in the daily
awareness that I must assume a place of unrecognized anonymity and invisibility… unless needed again. To love the creature is to derive ones joy from knowing that that creature is flying free in happy realization of life’s promise. So it will be, once again, with me.


IMAGE at Top: Craig Birkle, IMAGE at Bottom: Skip Ambrose

Nobility

There is noise all about us. Men clamoring to make their voice louder, their weapons more pronounced, their cause more justifiable, their faith more believable… and all is a cacophony of vicious rejection of any other voice seeking the same consideration. Enough!… at least for this moment, let us slip away to a simpler, quiet, and respectful voice from yesterday. Let’s listen to the sane and reasonable voice of a woman of the mid nineteenth century as she presents her version of a meaningful measure of behavior. And together… you and I… let’s allow ourselves to look for nobility in ourselves, and in the world that we touch. I welcome you to “Nobility” by Alice Cary.

True worth is in being, not seeming,…
In doing, each day that goes by,
Some little good… not in dreaming
Of great things to do by and by.
For whatever men say in their blindness,
And spite the fancies of youth,
There’s nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth.

We get back our mete as we measure…
We cannot do wrong and feel right,
Nor can we give pain and gain pleasure,
For justice avenges each slight.
The air for the wing of the sparrow,
The bush for the robin and wren,
But always the path that is narrow
And straight, for the children of men.

‘Tis not in the pages of story
The heart of its ills to beguile,
Though he who makes courtship to glory
Gives all that he hath for her smile.
For when from her heights he has won her,
Alas! It is only to prove
That nothing’s so sacred as honor,
And nothing so loyal as love!

We cannot make bargains for blisses,
Nor catch them like fishes in nets;
And sometimes the thing our life misses
Helps more than the thing which it gets.
For good lieth not in pursuing,
Nor gaining of great nor of small,
But just in the doing, and doing
As we would be done by, is all.

Through envy, through malice, through hating,
Against the world, early and late,
No jot of our courage abating…
Our part is to work and to wait.
And slight is the sting of his trouble
Whose winnings are less than his worth;
For he who is honest is noble,
Whatever his fortunes or birth.

Alice Cary
(born 26 April 1820; died 12 February 1871)


IMAGES through the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

Religion

Religion provides the braces and crutches…
the support mechanisms…

to enable the spiritual introduction, development, and illumination for propping up the young Believer...

as he initially emerges and unfolds his sense of individual spiritual responsibility and identity…

But can, if continued reliance is allowed and dependence is established…

create an atrophied “failure to develop” that will result in that Believer becoming a retarded Spiritual Cripple.


John-Michael/ Tuesday, 11 August 1998


IMAGE through the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

Reach Out and Touch

There is something strangely powerful in the word “touch.” Consider, with me, the significance stirred by such phrases as “It was very touching” and “I’m touched by ___” or “I think that I am a bit touched in the head sometimes”. Do you see what I see in this little word’s weight? It communicates a “getting through the barriers” or “cutting to the core” even “affected at the most sensitive.” So why do I mention it to you… especially you today?

It is because my spirit tells me that there is a specific someone (or some ones) [and your spirit is telling you, right now, if you are one of them] who is open to and listening for this thought.

For, you see, Dear Reader, not all of us are designed with a nature that is hospitable to or comfortable with touching. This is a psychological/physiological fact. So, please do not beat up on yourself if this is true of you… and, just as importantly, do not show disrespect to one whose natural temperament is disinclined to tactile communication. But we can all benefit by enhancing our awareness of the wonder and magic of touching available to those who have the gift of reaching through the barriers of separateness… who can cut to the center of core emotions not available to the spoken language… and touch.

Now, I am, mind you, just your ordinary slice of untrained and unschooled individual who has nothing more than a few score years of observation and only limited experience in these matters. But I feel the topic worthy of raising as a matter for thoughtful consideration and hopefully, some communication between all of us who have significant others. Others, in the form of family (children, uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, and certainly spouses or lovers) who have the potential need for communication beyond the verbal. Then we have friends, associates, neighbors, and passing strangers whose spirits could possibly be bolstered by a “high five” on occasion. Recognizing, appreciating, respecting and responding to these gifts (each person) in our lives is what I am addressing today.

A grasp of the hand in a way other that the habitual handshake can convey sentiment and significance that words would never be able to “touch.” A squeeze of the shoulder of one dealing with the pain of loss or despair “says” more than a box full of greeting cards. Fingers lightly placed against the cheek accompanying silent eye contact “speaks” volumes of understanding and empathy. These and many other forms of expression, through our touch, are resources that I fear languish in disuse to the detriment of our better knowing and appreciating each other every day. And it is my wish to bring this neglect to the surface of our awareness.

I cannot think of touching without reflecting on my favorite painter of old. Rembrandt cemented a place in my heart when I learned, through a PBS documentary, of his use of touch in painting the love of his life in his last years. He was, I was told, passionately and fervently in love with this young woman who went from a role as his housekeeper, to his model, then to his common-law wife. He doted on and adored everything about her and his sentiments (by all record) was reciprocated. He loved to paint her image… every feature of her was an inspiration to him.

And the fact that won me over to his camp as an ardent admirer of him as a man, was the method used by him to translate her image… the details of all that he adored as he gazed upon her… onto the canvas. He applied the oils with his fingers. Think about that. The sensing touch that so craved the feel of the love of his life as she modeled before him… that force that drew his hands to an appreciation of every line, curve, and element of the object of his desire and joy… was expressed on the canvas through the oils that he blended, spread, and textured there. Now, you can see why I have written this article interspersed amongst his paintings of her. And perhaps you too can appreciate, with me, his communicated messages in his work with a fuller depth of satisfaction.

So… My Dear Reader… you have, before you, some new material for your contemplation. I do sincerely hope that my sharing some of the nuggets of my interests serves to open the windows of your mind and soul to new breezes of possibility.

And, perhaps you will, in the words of an old telephone company advertisement, “Reach Out And Touch Someone”… as I remain;

Your constant Friend and willing Servant,
John-Michael


IMAGES: Top (hand); Maria Brandstetter, BBC: Rembrandts; Public Domain