QOTD - July 27, 2010

Optimism is joyful searching; pessimism is a prison of fear and a clutching at illusionary safety.

~ K.A.Brehony (thanks to @CoachCecily)

The little things

Poking around the web, I learned of a poet and spiritual writer named Kathleen Norris.

Here is a quote of hers that caught my attention:

"The Bible is full of evidence that God's attention is indeed fixed on the little things. But this is not because God is a great cosmic cop, eager to catch us in minor transgressions, but simply because God loves us--loves us so much that the divine presence is revealed even in the meaningless workings of daily life. It is in the ordinary, the here-and-now, that God asks us to recognize that the creation is indeed refreshed like dew-laden grass that is "renewed in the morning" or to put it in more personal and also theological terms, "our inner nature is being renewed everyday". Seen in this light, what strikes many modern readers as the ludicrous details in Leviticus involving God in the minuitae of daily life might be revisioned as the very love of God. "
— Kathleen Norris (The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work")

I was contemplating adding Norris's book to my Amazon Wish List for a possible Christmas gift, but I found it on Google Books. Have I mentioned recently how much I appreciate Google? See it here. I think the book in its entirety is under 90 pages.

Natural as a tree growing in sunlight

From this website:

As natural as a tree growing in sunlight, creativity permeates our lives and the world in which we live. We cut ourselves off from its constant ebb and flow as we entrain to the rhythm of day to day affairs.

Occasionally, everything falls effortlessly into place; our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies move in sync, as if guided by some force beyond ourselves. We move to a different rhythm, the rhythm of the cosmos.

In those moments of holism, we transcend skill and create things greater than ourselves. We create as if to meet global needs, as if in collective awareness.

Often, creating is left to the "talented few," who we believe, are gifted.

In this time of change, we must reach within, find courage, and go beyond ourselves to the still point of a turning world. In that point of tension is born inspiration and every new idea.

In that still point, we entrain with the universe and break free of the bonds that pattern our lives. In the still point, we heal and recreate ourselves.

--Carlisle Bergquist, Ph.D