Home in the High Desert, California

Here I sit with a team of friends,

Listening to our owner bellow directions from astern,

Yet heading in the other direction.

xxx

The delight of sweaty teamwork,

Singes the air with a natural perfume,

And a synchronized movement of the body stills my soul,

Eliminating distractions of a day spent in my head.

xxx

And beckons me forward.

All calls are not equal.

The fire alarm invites us all to leave the building,

Calling us to safety and anxiety.

While the call for supper invites us to share,

With loved ones in spiritual and bodily nourishment.

xxx

Of all calls, the ones imbibed with love should never be screened out.

Because the source validates the message.

xxx

And should be acted upon.

TREES

Trees, awaiting the dawn again without agenda,

Today may be a cold one,

So less sunlight and moisture for our roots,

Nevertheless, we stand together,

Grateful and trusting.

xxx

That we will be nourished and stand for another season.

Shame sits squarely inside the house,

Unwilling to move, fixed like the wallpaper,

Which you know needs changing,

But you just stare at it.

XXX

Meanwhile, guilt (for more serious offences) has absconded into the garden.

Never to be seen again.

Love is Blind. This phrase is used in many ways in our lives, but is it true?

Does it mean that we are misled by what appears to be love (or a loving act) and we follow it anyway? Yes. We have all been misled by someone in our lives, and they may have used physical attraction or our willingness to be flattered to bring us into an uncomfortable situation.

Does it mean that love has no eyes, that love is not a visual experience? Perhaps … love certainly can be triggered by visual experience. Our reflection of photographs of children and family; a piece of artwork we love, meeting someone we love … all cause the trigger a feeling of loving to start.

Does it mean love without judgment? Wow. I wish it did, but unfortunately, it does not. We still judge others and situations by their initial appearance, and then determine our response accordingly. There are exceptions. People who selected their lifelong partners through a “blind date,” essentially taking a risk to meet someone without judging them before the encounter.

For myself, at many times I wish that my love could be “blinder,” less judgmental. When meeting others, I should not be trying to judge them based on their appearance, first responses, and circumstances. How often have we felt uncomfortable in a situation, or with a person, just because we have not been willing to hear their perspective, or understand their needs?

It is here that our call to love our neighbor as ourselves meets our true-self in compassion. How much compassion do we really have? Can we really give that person the extra time they need on the phone to tell us of their latest problems? Do they have someone else to talk to? At times we feel more like a consultant than a compassionate Christian. Issuing opinions and instructions based on what we might do in their circumstances, rather than first understanding their situation.

I had one such situation recently, and while I made accommodation for the person involved, I did feel like I could have done more in the circumstances. This is when a nagging conscience can be a good thing. God calls me to do more.

So Blind Love may not be such a bad thing after all. It sometimes shows us where love is, even in the most unseemly places; it draws us to do more, and recognize we have access to many more resources than we thought; and most of all. It brings us closer to God.

For where is there more unconditional love than the love has God for us.