April 09-B, 2023

**Dogwood on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River Oil Paint Rendered —**
**Above Tremont, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, Tennessee**

Our life brings us forth
as we bring it forth.

It is the merry dance of life
with itself
throughout the time left for living.

We do not think our life into being,
as in "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
We live our life into being
by doing what needs us to do it
in each here/now that is packed 
into a lifetime.

What needs us to do it
needs something we have,
something to do with our original nature
and the innate virtues/specialties
that come with us from the womb.

We don't know what any of that is
by thinking about it.
We live it forth
by allowing it to come forth 
through us 
into the circumstances that 
play themselves out in our life.

It is all quite magical.
It is all "of the mystery"
that blesses all of us 
with its grace and mercy,
shocking us awake with things
we did not know we could do.
And cannot deny that we did.

We are a surprise to ourselves,
when we back off,
get out of the way,
and trust ourselves to meet our life
just as it comes to us every day.

Do that tomorrow.
You will be shocked at what you can do
in response to the call of life and living.

–0–

Published by jimwdollar

I'm retired, and still finding my way--but now, I don't have to pretend that I know what I'm doing. I retired after 40.5 years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, serving churches in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina. I graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Austin, Texas, and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. My wife, Judy, and I have three daughters and five granddaughters within about twenty minutes from where we live--and are enjoying our retirement as much as we have ever enjoyed anything. View more posts