The Right Words: Thursday's Reflection

How often do just the right words land in front of you? "Just what I need" words.

This week that seems to be the case for me.

#1
          Use what you have, use what the
          world gives you. Use the first day
          of fall: bright flame before 
          winter's deadness; harvest; 
          orange, gold amber cool nights 
          and the smell of fire. Our tree-
          lined streets are set ablaze, 
          our kitchens filled with the smells of nostalgia: apples
          bubbling into sauce, roasting squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, 
          cider, warmth itself. The leaves as they spark into 
          wild color just before they die are the world's oldest 
          performance art, and everything we see is celebrating one 
          last violently hued hurrah before the black and white
          silence of winter.
                                          Shauna Niequist

Now, I love fall and I love winter too, and rejoice in the glories of both seasons, but this quotation reminds me that whatever the season, I have what I need, as long as I am awake to what is around me and am open to use what the world offers. 

#2
            I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
            heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
                                            Philippians 3:14

Re-entering the work of revising my manuscript has been difficult (!) since returning from our road trip, but these words, which concluded the reading of the First Lesson on Sunday, reminded me that my goal of writing a spiritual memoir is a response to the call of God. Later that day I heard writer, teacher, and writing coach, Elizabeth Jarret Andrew say "God continues to create through my life," and I felt myself open again to this long and complicated and often arduous process. 

#3
              ...our own path is for us alone to explore. We have
              gifts to offer that no one else can offer in quite the
              same way and so we are called for our own sakes and
              for the sake of the world. The more we awaken to our
              deep self (the place within where God dwells), the 
              more we bring that to the collective energy of 
              awakening consciousness of our fragile planet.
                                           Christina Valters Paintner

These words encourage me to examine the energies I may be neglecting to share with others and also to take time to use my energy in ways that both nurture the person I was created to be and to support the people and causes that matter most to me. 

#4
               Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater 
               our integrity and awareness, the more original
               and creative our time will become.
                                            John O'Donohue

Yes, I know this to be true. 

Teachers and lessons, encouragement and clarity abound if we open to and integrate them. I know this to be true, too.

An Invitation
What words have spoken to you recently. I would love to know.