quote | william clemmons

journeying more deeply into our deepest center and into the world around us pushes us into seeing more deeply into all of life. not only are we forced to deal with the illusions of our false selves, but also of society.

the one who begins to live deeply as a contemplative begins to see things as they really are. we are called to deal with the illusions of ourselves, so we can enter into a loving dialogue with the world. we are called to embrace the world as we journey deeper and deeper into ourselves and God.

we turn with a singleness of vision, to see God in each new situation, in every person, and every experience--seeing all those things in a truer perspective.

montana. part vii.

we don't always get the 10,000' view of our lives, as magnificent as it may be.

for how are we to understand all of those beautiful intricacies, unless we are there in the thick of it, looking? ....hearing? ....discovering? ....being present? ....having our footsteps & lives overlap?

maybe it's a mercy that we only get glimpses of the aerial view.

giant

Being only 2 1/2 feet tall and 2 years old probably presents its own set of difficulties and perspectives. Try having to identify people mainly by their nostrils.













One time at the Tofu House, a young girl was surrounded by a lot of Asian adults at the restaurant entrance. Discombobulated, she suddenly grabbed my hand and started walking with me toward my table. I was a little surprised by this warm little trusting hand in mine; and I will never forget her reaction and expression when she looked up (and I'm not even that tall) and realized that I was NOT her mom. She threw my hand out of hers as if I had poo on it and glared at me with a harsh mix of betrayal and sheer fright. I mean, I just thought I made a new little friend.

look up

I'm often inspired by looking up...or down...or sideways....or getting real low (b/c I can't easily get real high-I'm 5'3"). Today, while doing my usual walk around the neighborhood, I ran into some colleagues that pointed out a random extension cord hanging from an awning. It's striking how a different perspective can alter the way you think about/understand/experience something.