Our Night Sky

“The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms”
- Lao Tzu

This past week we celebrated our son’s graduation from high school with an open house gala. I spent hours gathering photos for the memory boards. As I charted his life thus far in images, certain aspects of his personality gravitated toward each other and shone like bright constellations. Here was Hercules, strong-willed and determined, from scaling fences at age two to winning the “Iron Man” award at age seventeen. There the Chamaeleon - from pirate to cowgirl to goodwill hunter to prom king – creative and adaptable.

I did not get a chance to leisurely observe the completed boards until this week. And, like gazing up at the Milky Way on a clear night, I was overcome. This galaxy known as 'son' pulses like a quasar and what a mystery and privilege it is to be considered Co-creator.

Shoes

I’ve come into the house momentarily blind from running in the blazing sun. I am quick to kick these sweaty shoes into a dark rectangle otherwise known as the hall closet. The Asics are still airborne when I realize I have to go back outside and fill the bird feeders. Feeling around with feet only, I slip on a pair of my clogs and head out the door.

Back in the light of day, I am startled to find very masculine dress shoes awkwardly clinging to my feminine feet. (I thought they felt a little loose!)

I’m wearing someone else’s shoes and wonder if I would have stepped into them as quickly and genuinely with open eyes.

Bread and Wine

I am in town and hungry. Though the dulling edge of spring air slices its way through layers of sunlight, I am not about to miss this opportunity for a helping no matter how poorly served. In fact, I’ll take 2nds... and maybe 3rds, thank you very much!

That is how I find myself here, at an outdoor table by the river. That I am the only one on the patio is more perplexing. Has the absence of sun all these long winter months made for a slow thawing of the heart? I can relate, but am quick to forgive on account of the fact that I don’t want to miss a day of it. I think the people inside are missing out.

“Are you O.K. way over here on your own?”

This question from the server is innocent enough, but unsheathes a double-edged sword. Perhaps I am missing out as well.

She sets the food in front of me. My portion of sunlight arrives, illuminating the bread and wine.

“… the holy meal, epitomized in the bread and wine shared by Abraham and Melchizedek… this primal meal wasn’t intended as an expression of exclusion… It was a meal of peace and fellowship, bringing together two different people with their different religious traditions. The sacred meal in this light becomes a celebration of hospitality, of community, of inclusion, and of reconciliation.”
- Finding Our Way Again, Brian McLaren

New Life

We have a cardinal couple nesting in our yard this spring. The cedar tree has come alive with the sweet chirping of hatchlings. We've watched mom and dad dart to and fro gathering food, defending the nest and tending their young.

This evening, I went out to prop up an unruly Wisteria and came face to face with this little one perched in the tangle of vines, appearing just as unruly and bold. He's caught in the awkward “in-between” - that of home within reach and moving on into the wide, wild world. So familiar, so like a young man I know.