why I blog

Today I was reading "Finding What You Didn't Lose," a book about expressing truth and creativity through poem making, and found this wonderful quote which captures for me why I blog, and why I sometimes like to share a poem or painting or drawing, and why I have loved preaching for so long, and leading retreats, and doing spiritual direction with people, and writing articles and books for publication, and giving speeches, and all the other ways there are to share some of the many many riches and blessings of my life with others.

Here is the quote from the author of the book, John Fox. Actually, he is quoting Thomas Berry.

"Our deepest desire is to share our riches, and this desire is rooted in the dynamics of the cosmos. What began as an outward expansion of the universe in the fireball ripens into your desire to flood all things with goodness. Whenever you are filled with a desire to fling your gifts into the world, you have become this cosmic dynamic of celebration, feelings its urgency to pour forth just as the stars felt the same urgency to pour themselves out."

That's it! do you ever feel that too? I love those two key phrases and invite you to ponder them as an expression of your life and purpose:

"the desire to flood all things with goodness" and to "fling your gifts into the world."

If this blog does either of these things even a little bit, and inspires others to do the same, what more could I ask?

And there are so many, many ways to fling one's gifts into the world, one lifetime is just not long enough.

Then there is the blessing of receiving the gifts others are flinging out into the world....gifts that surprise or delight or deeply move me. I just celebrated a birthday, and on that day alone, this was the case. A dear friend handwrote a card with words that profoundly touched my heart. Another couple of friends presented me with a huge gorgeous pot of bright yellow mums, which now grace the fireplace room in which I sit. Two neighbors surprised me with cards. I have no idea how they even knew it was my birthday. John got me a pair of fine, waterproof hiking boots, which he knows I will wear out, probably by my next birthday! And though he is not all that fond of the food, he took me to an Indian restaurant where I could enjoy the food I grew up on as a child in India. One daughter sent a cake made of flowers! and another gave me a silver charm of India on a chain to wear as a necklace. I am sure you, too, could list many, many gifts flung into your world by people you know and love, and strangers too.

As if that were not enough, it seems mother nature delights in offering her gifts to us too. Never a day goes by that is not filled with these gifts. Sometimes I am preoccupied and don't even notice. More's the pity. But as I grow older and enjoy the opportunity (and sometime necessity) of slowing down, I notice these gifts more and more, and "My cup runneth over," as the Psalmist sings.

Let me close today's blog with the gift of a quote from a well-known poem by Maya Angelou

called "On the Pulse of Morning" The pics I chose for today are meant to go with her words.

Across the wall of the world,

a River sings a beautiful song. It says,

Come, rest here by my side.

. . . . . . .

Lift up your eyes

Upon this day breaking for you.

Give birth again

To the dream.