“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” – Catherine of Siena
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” – Catherine of Siena
actually it’s not, but I was struck yesterday with the irony of the song playing through the mall, and it’s barely November. In my subconcious, the lyrics cascaded through my mind, and crept into my soul, almost getting me to buy into the lie that it IS Christmas time and I should shop more! But then, I thought of the lyrics…”And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?…” Interesting start to a song, a song that repeats over and over again “…I hope it’s a good one, without any fear…” So why am I talking about this on the first post of this blog? Because I believe that we are all singing the message of those lyrics in our souls when it comes to our experience of realizing authenticity. The song has been around for so long, yet there is still fear, still war (even though the song claims “war is over”). There is still selfishness, ironically especially at Christmas, and so the “what have you done” question echoes long after the song’s melody crescendos into oblivion… What have we done? And so this is our Faith…or is it just another fad that comes and goes, like the lyrics of that song that speaks prophetically of change, yet, we are still here. Join me in the journey and discovery of our authentic experiences. For I believe that when we take the time out and are fully present, and as we get honest with what it means to really be authentic and not just use it as a faddy statement, that true faith, legit faith, will be the growing endless (not “end”) result! Maybe that’s what John Lennon was saying all along…that this message should not just come once a year, but be a lived experience. “And so, this is Christmas…”
So, here I am, sitting creating a blog, ironically about being present in the moment, and it is consuming my time, my present time! But I just can’t leave this new page blank, waiting. Because, in the rawness of this moment, with my neck hurting, eyes burning from peering at the computer screen, and my tummy bloated from the popcorn I just consumed, I am, honestly, fully present (no pun intended!) However, to be fully present, as romantic as it sounds, also means that I will be fully present with all of me, the pretty and the “ugly”. The creative, beautiful, romantic, perfect moments, as well as the “boring”, tired, rough, “ugly”, icky moments. The humdrum moments. The presence of reality when we would rather not live in the moment. And so, I must intro this blog with my raw honesty that this experience that I am choosing to fight for, will include all of the moments that I find myself present in. And it is there that I will open my eyes to find the beauty of the mystery of that moment, as challenging as it may be. So this is me: bloodshot eyes, jeans and t-shirt, neck-ache, house-in-need-of-cleaning, chapped lips from too-much popcorn, and another day getting ready to dawn…and somehow, it’s kinda beautiful. Maybe cuz it’s real?
Awakenings 