Saturday Morning Ruminations

It is quiet, and it is still - and I continue to enjoy the insights and gems from Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr. She writes, that opportunites for praise are everywhere. And I would add, if you have the eyes to see, and the ears to hear. But most of all, if you are willing to quietly sit in silence. To that soul, much is given...

"I stepped outside, happily observing that reasons for praise were visible everywhere I looked:

• the crow with its glistening black feathers standing in the green grass surveying the meadow,
• the few brilliant yellow feathers in the tail of the flicker,
• the sun casting soft shadows on the hills,
• the old pecan tree pushing forth a few new green leaves,
• the freshness of the air after last night's storm,
• the community of toad stools that grew up in the night,
• the few cars moving down the country road,
• the angel-like mist rising from the pond,
• the sweet longing in my soul to raise high the chalice of my life..."

And some more quotes:

"It is necessary for me to see the first point of light
which begins to dawn.
It is necessary to be present alone
at the resurrection of the Day,
in the blank silence
when the sun appears."
~ Thomas Merton

"Prayer goes deep at night.
Images dissolve. There's only God,
and silence, kindness, and grace."
~ Coleman Barks

"The darker the night,
the lovelier the dawn
she carries in her womb."
~ Dom Helder Camara

"For those who have come to know God,
the whole world is a prayer mat."
~ Bawa Muhaiyaddeen