Today I woke up much earlier than I have been, filled with Peace. I think I actually woke up thinking about an offer a new friend made me last night. Stressing over where all our things will go. Chuckle. My mind jumps at ideas and runs away as a normal habit.
I think my thinking mind woke me up, in the middle of a dream, too, but also, I am filled with Peace. While I ate my warmed up leftover lunch from yesterday, I read, and communed with Spirit. At one point, she called my attention to the tree outside as it was starting to rain.
I watched the leaves act as drum heads as the first drops of rain fell invisibly at first. I couldn’t hear it from inside at my favorite chair (which needs a south-facing sunroom full of plants to sit in), but it created a sculpture in my mind, made of worn out circular saw blades.
The center pole (the tree trunk) has slots of varying depth cut into it, and the saw blades (the leaves, hopefully in a wide range of sizes and materials) are seated in the slots. Maybe they angle slightly up, so that the blades can be reconfigured and the whole thing taken apart and moved with a theme camp, like a totem pole. Ideally, the blades would make sounds when rain fell on them. The water would drop off the higher up blades into the lower blades and hopefully many different dripping sounds would ensue.
Today, I will contact that cabinet company in Raytown to inquire about discarded saw blades.
Here is what I was reading when I received the idea [1]:
Sometimes when he becomes aware that he is a little absent from this Divine presence, God immediately makes Himself felt in his soul in order to call him back. This happens most often when he is engaged in some outward activity.
When this happens, he responds with perfect faithfulness to these inward inmpulses. He lifts his heart towards God by a meek and tender surrender to God or by words of love that come naturally upon these occasions. For example, he may say, "My God, I am completely devoted to You. Lord, remake me according to Your heart."
Then it feels to him that the God of love is satisfied with these few words. So he relaxes again and rests in the depth and center of his soul. This experience gives him an assurance that God is always in the depth or bottom of his soul. It makes him incapable of doubting it, no matter what may happen.
What contentment and satistaction he enjoys! He continually finds within himself a great treasure. He is no longer anxiously searching after it, but it is always open before him, andhe may take whatever he pleases from it.
How blessed am I, that I can be given gifts just like those of the mystics, but I am so self-centered that I don’t even notice how blessed am I?! And how blessed am I to be shown it, along with a sound sculpture (!), and not be cursed or criticized for being so ungrateful?!
Is it possible that I could step away from this self-centeredness and instead place more of my attention on the fact that I, and every one of us, has this same great treasure inside us? I mean, the miracles happening in the very small view outside my window seat are spectacular! Trees that become saw blade sculptures that ping in the rain. Birds fighting to be father. Storm clouds. Lichen on the ambulance roof.
I’m so blessed to be awake this morning! Lord, thank you for waking me up so we can spend this time together.
Lord, my Love, you know my mind troubles me and causes me difficulty. Please replace my forgetfulness with the remembering you promise [2]. Spirit, stir up my mind. Or settle it! But please only settle it on the remembering that I am so incredibly blessed. Please let me rest in the resurrection, life in you. I pray in the name of the Son of God, Jesus. Amen
[1] The Practice of the Presence of God in Modern English by Brother Lawrence Translated by Marshall Davis.
[2] John 14:26 NIV. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” https://john.bible/john-14-26
