October 26, 2023 – A

Lotus 6/31/2010 — Bass Lake, Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Where do you spend your money?
Where do you spend your time?
There you are.

I wander among the exhibitions
of the natural world,
taking refuge in what it has to offer
as a buffer against the goings-on
in the world of normal, apparent, reality.

There is much there I don't like
and can do nothing about,
so, I turn to lotus flowers
and lily pads,etc.--
and reestablish through them
my connection with more than words can say,
taking solace in the presence 
of the transcendent wonders
of space and time
to offset the latest incursions
of hate/fear/greed
which disrupts my balance,
scatters my harmony,
and brings high-level noise
to demolish the silence
necessary for orientation and direction
in the here/now of the day.

Using the tools/weapons at our disposal
to maintain our perspective 
and sustain our attitude
through the circumstances
coursing tsunami-like
through our world
is daily fare 
in the times 
that are upon us.

And we have to do what it takes
to have what it takes
to do what needs us to do it
moment to moment,
without a break
every day. 

–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, five granddaughters, one great granddaughter, and a great grandson on the way, within about ten minutes from where we live--and are enjoying our retirement as much as we have ever enjoyed anything.

2 thoughts on “October 26, 2023 – A

    1. Thanks for this! The Ancient Ones could have been early Taoists, and it leads me to wonder about early migration from China to the Canadian and North American, and perhaps, South American side of things. I’m on to the link!

      Like

Leave a reply to sandync28704 Cancel reply