Tag Archives: At My Feet

Written in Friendly Letters…

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Hitchhiker’s Guide Socks

They are a Mother’s Day present from my younger son, and a reference to one of my favorite books. It’s what’s written on the front of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – and advice for all intergalactic travelers. Don’t Panic.

With all the hype in the world, all the noise, it seems like things are conspiring to make us panic. Things move too quickly, the rhetoric abrasive to the point of antagonism, and painting anyone who isn’t a known quantity as an enemy rather than as a companion on this journey through life.

Standing on this advice just might help me take a step back, take a breath, and pause long enough to remember that every single person I meet is God’s own beloved. If I pause rather than panic, perhaps others will do the same. And that could change everything…

Death and Life

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One State To Another

The tree trunk is riddled with holes, covered in moss and lichen, lying on a bed of leaves just off one of the walking paths. It isn’t the only one – there are hundreds of them in the woods, decomposing.

I wonder how many years this tree stood, how long ago it grew from a seed into a towering presence. It seems like a sorry end for a grand life form, and an unnoticed one.

But I noticed, and a closer look revealed the life that is now present in this fallen trunk. Mushrooms and animals are breaking down the dead wood, turning it into new soil. Insects and small animals are living in and under it. The life of this tree ended, but nothing of the tree’s vitality has gone to waste. Energy and matter are being transformed from one state to another, and new life is created. This new life doesn’t change the fact that a tree has died, but the death of the tree doesn’t change the fact that new life emerges. It would be true whether I noticed it or not.

At the end of my time here, when my life is ended, who knows what the remains of my existence might foster – Noticed or not.

A Beautiful Life

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Unfurled

Flowers in bloom are lovely, but it’s hard to beat the symmetry of what has yet to open up. The structure of it, compacting into such a small, circular space what will soon unfold into something so much more noticeable to passersby.

Some see in this unfolding the evolutionary genius of the plant – a plant attracting what it needs to survive and thrive by flowering. Some see it in terms of aesthetics – beauty that is valuable for its own sake rather than for survival beyond its individual life span.

I’m not anxious to choose one perspective over the other, whether it’s the life of this plant, my own, or all the life this cosmos bears. Just because our lives foster the next generation doesn’t mean that they can be reduced to a means to a biological end. And just because our lives are an expression of beauty and uniqueness doesn’t mean that they aren’t leading to life beyond our own brief span of years.

Maybe Jesus wanted us to find more than one meaning in telling us to consider the lilies.

Foundation

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Local Foundation

A short walk and a glance at foot level is a time capsule in this Vermont town. Brick, marble, field stone, poured cement, cinder blocks, and a combination of any and all of these are holding up any number of buildings of varying vintage, purpose, and style. I am amazed at the ingenuity of past builders who were able to use what was on hand to create solid and unique foundations.

Partially Covered

The history of additions is on display as well, where the original and new meet. An expanded house requires a larger foundation to support it, and sometimes new materials brought together in new ways.

I suspect the foundation of my faith is much the same – made out of what was at hand throughout my lifetime, and in need of expansion as my faith grew beyond what the original could support.

I hope, at the end of my days, my foundation is sturdy, supporting a lifetime of change and adventure – and that it is anything but uniform.

The Path Appears

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My usual walk to Northshire Bookstore was blocked from the crosswalk in front of Up For Breakfast to just past Christo’s Pizza. A mini-excavator was busy digging out an area just off the sidewalk. I couldn’t see what was in the works through all the traffic, safety cones, and workers; I continued my walk to the bookstore. For my return home, I took another route. It wasn’t until two days ago that I could see what had been done.

Christo’s Alley

An alley connecting the Main Street sidewalk and a parking lot had been covered in stone.

I’m sure I’d glanced at the alley sometime in the last two years, but I’m also sure that its presence didn’t register. What had been invisible to me was now visible – more than that, attention-grabbing.The stone revealed a path not seen before, and certainly not taken.

I keep thinking about this alley path – its invisibility and its appearance two days ago. It has become part of my daily meditation. I’m not yet sure why, but it feels important. A way to navigate the place I call home, a connection that wasn’t mine before, a path where I thought there was a wall. A new way through.

In a time with so much chaos, meanness of spirit, violence, and hatred, I’d like a new way through – a way to peace, kindness, healing, and compassion. It might only be an alley, but it doesn’t need to be a boulevard for me to walk from one place to another.

This is one in a series. Click “At My Feet” above for more information.