this moment of promise

when will it be
and what does it look like
and what is it made of
and how can we find it
and will we even know it when we see it

isn’t it faith

an undergirding presence trying to make its way to the light
inner inklings that guide us like waymarks in the dark

isn’t it hope

the fresh springing within us, irrepressible impulse to be,
doors and windows inviting us to open

isn’t it love

the gentle breath of approval hovering ever
beneath harsh, dark thoughts of despair
an embrace of air, of life, of stars, of trees
that sing our place among them
here in this space,
where loneliness, where longing, where hunger try to consume all light…
here in this very place

enough

presence, grace, abiding, to share.
enough to drink and drink beyond our fill,
with more left over than we can see,
with more to give,
with more to love,
with more to live.

contentment has no strings,
belongs to no body, no thing,
but rises up,
the essence we are
within us
to own this now,
this here,
and to spill its sweet presence all around us.

no strings, no space, no time,
just the presence of faith that nudges us,
hope that encourages,
and love that reminds and reminds and reminds us
that we are loved,
in Love, of Love, through Love
the very loved of the divine infinite Love
reflecting love

~~~~

i love this poem by e.e. cummings:

why
do the
fingers

of the lit
tle once beau
tiful la

dy(sitting sew
ing at an o
pen window this
fine morning)fly

instead of dancing
are they possibly
afraid that life is
running away from
them(i wonder)or

isn’t she a
ware that life(who
never grows old)
is always beau

tiful and
that nobod
y beauti

ful ev
er hur

ries

~~~~

and these:

To live and let live, without clamor for distinction or recognition; to wait on divine Love; to write truth first on the tablet of one’s own heart, — this is the sanity and perfection of living…
(Message to The Mother Church for 1902, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 2:4–7)

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13 ESV

walk with me

and from the mountain top
Jesus saw them,
his disciples—

toiling in rowing,
the ship
in the midst of the sea

and as they struggled,
braced against the wind,
oars pressed to unfriendly waters

he walked to them

over wave
through gale

unhurried
unharried

“be of good cheer”
he said,
“be not afraid,
it’s me.”*

up into the ship he went
(no laboured hoisting,
no desperate rescue)
and the wind ceased

the peace, a resounding hush

see the wake he leaves
message etched on now still waters:

walk over, not into or with*
buffetings, bluster, rage, fear
walk over, not into or with
torrents, tempest, rancour, despair

walk with me,
Christ:
inner voice of calm
truth teller
divine oasis
your shelter from all storms

joni overton-jung

*Mark 6
*Mary Baker Eddy