Monday, January 23, 2012

January 23, 2012

  Welcome again to my new blog where each week I will post my some thoughts about my journey through the days. All photos will be mine unless stated otherwise. Be sure to take a listen to the song posted by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. 

   Occasionally walking in winter here in Maine I receive a feeling of being hollow, empty. I am sure that it is the bare leaves reaching out to a sky almost empty of clouds, along with the frozen ground and below freezing air that brings this sense of loss. Memories from childhood also return reminding me of being alone in a park close to home in Jersey City where the atmosphere was one of barrenness, friends somewhere else, parents I did not want to rush home to. 

   The emotions today last only a few seconds once I remember that I am never alone, God is with me always. This is one of the perks of having done a great deal of my "work" over the many intervening years. Love's Spirit has a habit of nudging me out of all the states of whining, grasping onto the remnants of "poor me's" that  the nafs (demons) are ever ready to activate at a moments notice. Moving into the present moment with each step in the Right Direction peace and equanimity soon return to their proper place in the scheme of the steps on the path I am led to travel. 

    Below is a poem that I wrote which is about moving into the Light of what is Real for me, the happenings of this moment, and this moment, and this........





     - Where The Wind Blows –

 When I try to leave this Holy Space,
God grabs my feet, sits on my head,
And enters again the place within my heart
That is reserved only for Love’s Presence.

The Wind of the Spirit’s storms are raging in this breast;
My heart has lost all its senses, and has no hands or feet
With which to fend off or flee from this soul’s only desire.
My Love’s secrets are being driven into this moonstruck heart.

All my cooing and singing of words and words
Have turned into cries and wailing – such is the longing.
The Beautiful One heard and said, “I am the One you seek.
Come with me. I will show you the road you search for.”

O friend, for so long God has been lost to me –
I have been separated from my heart’s hungers -
This life has been empty, spent looking for God outside,
Until I learned to search the rooms of my own house.

Hope was always there, an ember waiting for some wood;
For Love was always there with me on the journey.
Wherever I have been, this hand was held by God,
And my face was looking ahead all the while.

My dear companion, as we walk, know this –
We look for God with God.
The Grace of intimacy with Our Lover, has been given -
Let us not be distracted by worldly things.

                                                        Bill Lagerstrom


    
                                There are many paths leading to One Path

I Give You My Heart,  from the Australian group Hillsong -


If you would like to see the video of this song go to:

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uqBxizNZJ4

Here are the words: 
 
This is my desire, to honor You
Lord with all my heart I worship You
all I have within me
I give You praise
all that I adore is in You
 
Lord I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for You alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord have Your way in me
 
This is my desire, to honor You
Lord with all my heart I worship You
all I have within me
I give You praise
all that I adore is in You

  Looking forward to hearing from you,

           Peace,     Bill Lagerstrom

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for inspiration. Your poem struck me. We are all finding our way, I,m relieved mine is with Jesus.. Thanks for allowing me to read your blog.

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  2. On a day such as today I can fully relate to your feelings of emptiness brought on by the conditions - grey sky, bare trees, bare frozen ground. I try not to dwell on those feelings for long, try to remember that God is here even in this bleakness. This is not always easy for me since I am only just beginning to explore a spiritual existence.

    However - change the winter scenery and this spiritual awareness hits me full force. The woods in winter with a fresh snow cover, evergreen branches covered in snow mixed in with some bare branched hardwoods, clean crisp air, bright sunny sky - awe struck by the beauty of nature and the sure presence of God.

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