"I want to find
Where the maid in the street
Is pouring her wine.
I hear she takes you in
And gives you the word
You need said."
~Matt Slocum, Sixpence None the Richer
That's all I've been looking for lately. Someone who could give me the words I need to hear. In a crazy time of travel, work, planning (for work), no solitude, returning to all the loose ends at home, worrying about the state of the world and my part in it, all I've wanted is something to soothe my soul. So I sat down with the book I've had 9/10 done, the book I set down weeks ago unfinished, and I found those words. The book, The Journey Toward Reconciliation, by John Paul Lederach. The words?
I guess, in my own poor way, I'd say the words are needed to hear are these: The negatives of life are overwhelming. But this is a journey we are on, and on this journey we wander without knowing the outcome. We have companions on the journey and we have a vision to work toward. Lederach goes on to speak of wondering. Wondering--living our lives with curiosity, working toward solutions for the problems ahead of us, and in the midst of the many setbacks life throws at us, continuing to seek for understanding. We live with ambiguity. He says, "When we wonder, we keep looking, seeking, and seeing ourselves in relationship with others and God. We recognize that we need them to gain insight into Truth." Finally, he speaks of waiting. Change takes time, but we get tired of waiting and this can lead to disillusionment. At this point, we can choose despair, or another road, hope. And of hope he says, "I do not want a cheap hope. I do not want an easy way to achieve hope. I do not want a hope that can be purchased on the shelves of a supermarket. I want the real thing. I want to yearn from deep within." And so do I.
It's Sunday morning, quiet. Kids sleeping in, the family taking a break from church today. We'll walk in the woods instead. I'm totally in wander mode today--in the thick of journey, not even dreaming of hope yet--but I'll wonder, and I'll look for it.
postscript---After writing this, I meandered over to Nathan's blog, and found more words I needed.
Where the maid in the street
Is pouring her wine.
I hear she takes you in
And gives you the word
You need said."
~Matt Slocum, Sixpence None the Richer
That's all I've been looking for lately. Someone who could give me the words I need to hear. In a crazy time of travel, work, planning (for work), no solitude, returning to all the loose ends at home, worrying about the state of the world and my part in it, all I've wanted is something to soothe my soul. So I sat down with the book I've had 9/10 done, the book I set down weeks ago unfinished, and I found those words. The book, The Journey Toward Reconciliation, by John Paul Lederach. The words?
I guess, in my own poor way, I'd say the words are needed to hear are these: The negatives of life are overwhelming. But this is a journey we are on, and on this journey we wander without knowing the outcome. We have companions on the journey and we have a vision to work toward. Lederach goes on to speak of wondering. Wondering--living our lives with curiosity, working toward solutions for the problems ahead of us, and in the midst of the many setbacks life throws at us, continuing to seek for understanding. We live with ambiguity. He says, "When we wonder, we keep looking, seeking, and seeing ourselves in relationship with others and God. We recognize that we need them to gain insight into Truth." Finally, he speaks of waiting. Change takes time, but we get tired of waiting and this can lead to disillusionment. At this point, we can choose despair, or another road, hope. And of hope he says, "I do not want a cheap hope. I do not want an easy way to achieve hope. I do not want a hope that can be purchased on the shelves of a supermarket. I want the real thing. I want to yearn from deep within." And so do I.
It's Sunday morning, quiet. Kids sleeping in, the family taking a break from church today. We'll walk in the woods instead. I'm totally in wander mode today--in the thick of journey, not even dreaming of hope yet--but I'll wonder, and I'll look for it.
postscript---After writing this, I meandered over to Nathan's blog, and found more words I needed.
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