Here's a quote to fill you up! (from When God Was a Rabbit, by Sarah Winman)

'Do you believe in God, Arthur?' I said, eating the last piece of sponge.
       'Do I believe in an old man in the clouds with a white beard judging us mortals from one to ten? Good Lord no, my sweet Elly, I do not! I would have been cast out from this life years ago with my tatty history. Do I believe in a mystery; the unexplained phenomenon that is life itself? The greater something that illuminates inconsequence in our lives; that gives us something to strive for as well as the humility to brush ourselves down and start all over again? Then yes, I do. It is the source of art, of beauty, of love, and proffers the ultimate goodness to mankind. That to me is God. That to me is life. That is what I believe in.'
        I listened to the bell again, whispering across the waves, calling, calling. I licked my fingers and scrunched the tin foil up into a ball.
       'Do you think a rabbit could be God?' I ask casually.
       'There is absolutely no reason at all why a rabbit should not be God.'

Ellie is eleven, Arthur is a gay man, an older friend of the family, and of Ellie's - obviously! They are out in the boat; Ellie is teaching him to fish. When Ellie was six she outraged a clergy person at church by suggesting Jesus was an unplanned pregnancy. This fellow tells her that God cannot love anyone who questions His Divine Plan. (hah! - isn't that who God loves most?) Ellie carries this painful "truth"  - that God cannot love her - alone. Her brother gives her a rabbit....  the rest you'll have to find out by reading this amazing book!

How to begin the day

 Waking up I raise the blind, at first a little bit resigned  that  it's another day of low ceiling, no blue sky to be had.  But THEN I realize it's snowing, big fat fluffy flakes and I  am immediately cheered.

How beautiful the falling snow.  It fills me with gratitude for its beauty, with comfort for its quiet steadiness. with peace for the silence it brings.

Curious I step outside to check the thermometer. A few degrees above freezing, right where it's been stuck for these past several days. Down on the road I hear a city kind of sound - many tires moving through slush, only in slow motion. I can't see past the trees at the bottom of the meadow, but I suddenly understand what I'm hearing - a logging truck - all those tires are on one vehicle. And that vehicle is creeping down the road, a sign of how treacherous the driving must be.

We are at the mercy of the seasons. And why should it be any other way. Even when I first woke and saw simply grey sky, there was a part of me reaching for connection, reaching for a place of inhaling deep breaths of this grey day and feeling with a satisfied heart how good it is to be alive. The trick, of course,  is to let that part lead me into the day, cheerful and grateful.

It's what happens when we really look...

"....He awoke unfailingly at six every morning and wandered down to the jetty to note the constantly changing aspect of nature. He noticed small things, particular things; the additional markings of a young deer that shyly appeared over the other side of the river, the last star to disappear at sunrise, (it was always the faint one to the right of the large oak), the miniscule erosion of the opposite bank as a new root became visible amidst the mud and sand. He opened my eyes to this subtle scene of change, and whenever I declared I was bored, he would march me down to the water's edge and make me describe all I could see in tones of enthusiasm and wonder, until my body again reverberated with the excitement of life."

I have read this over and over again. It's from When God Was A Rabbit, by Sarah Winman. I read it and I am down there with them, gazing out over the water, watching the amazing subtlety of the world unfold. And when I go outside here where I live, I breathe in, and then breathe in again, and look, really look, around me. Oh the beauty. It's everywhere. Even on this day of horribly warm temperatures, melting snow, dripping eaves, and a fog-enclosed valley. Beauty. And I'm grateful to Sarah Winman for reminding me.

The Gift

The Gift

I ask and I receive.

Over and over again – You.

Present, mostly invisible, tender

raw power, veiled to protect me.

When I scream and fuss, throwing

my self into full scale resistance

you do not roll your eyes – I would know

if you did. You do not condescend,

give my head a pat, tell me not to worry.

You would not disrespect me so.

You are willing

to wait for all eternity if I decide

to take that long. Sometimes I do.

And when you see

this time I’ve thrown myself

off the deep end and forgotten how to swim, you

send an ally, a quiet angel, one who will

brush up against me, that nanosecond

of searing light, burning my sight

back to solid ground, a river rock

to perch on so that I open my eyes

and see the rock is so small, but the

river not so deep – I can wade

back to shore where you beam

that smile at me, whispering “You

are spectacular”, a kiss in my ear.

And I receive, oh yes I do.

                           © 04.01.2011   Gyllian Davies

a book to remember

I have been reading the most extraordinary book, so extraordinary that for the first time in my life as soon as I finished reading it, I started over reading it again for a second time. Well, actually my older sister assures me that there was a book about an Easter egg factory run by rabbits that I demanded be read to me over and over again as a child.

In delightful synchronicity, this book too has a rabbit in it. “When God Was A Rabbit”, is the story of a brother and a sister, of an unusual family (in the larger sense of family), and of love, in its many amazing and sometimes painful, constellations.

Over and over again while reading I’ve experienced such a feeling of relief, of “thank goodness, immense kindness and wisdom - here it is!”  And over and over again, I’ve been captivated by the prose, by the thoughts of the characters, by the magical world conjured up by the author.

if you decide to read it, let me know how it touches you. I’d love to know.

As a rabbity after-thought – in case you weren’t aware of it, I’ll share with you a way to ensure good luck in your life on a daily basis. All that’s required is this: when you wake up on the first morning of each month, before any other words cross your lips, utter this one word “Rabbits!” and I guarantee you will have good luck for the rest of the month.

If by chance you forget, don’t despair. There is still the option of, each and every morning of the month, first thing say: “Rabbits!”, which will ensure good luck for that day. As you can see, it’s well worth remembering to say it on the first of the month – consider the effort you’ll be saving yourself!

More Light in the world

Sometimes, all we have to do to be reminded of the Light 

that indwells each of us, and the world around us,

is to look about us. 

Here's what I see this winter when I do that. 

 

                           Photo credit: D Thome

Beauty all around me.  

It fills me up and comforts my sadness, eases my weariness, and restores my enthusiasm.

I am utterly grateful to be living in such a beautiful world.

Our Light in the World