The Beatitudes (Psalms and Prayers)

Utter dependence

A soul needful of You

Lament separation

          Rue the divide

Know the heart’s sin

          With reflection to grieve

Humble beside You

In contrition to bow

Survey within, less on the out

          Ache for Thy will

Forgiveness unearned

          Share love in kind

A heart without blemish

          But only by faith

         

Seek peace with my Maker

          Then quiet with man

Shunned by this world

          Accept all with joy

Seasoned through trials

          The man to become       

A ray in the blackness

          Glory to God

Blessings unending

          Gifts of Thy love

Matthew 5:2-16    “Then He opened His mouth……”

Beginnings (Psalms and Prayers)

And You were there 
         Where holiness unified Three together as one

Where the Father encompassed wisdom with eternal

Where omnipotent wed mercy within the Word

Where the Spirit rested with patient peace

Where void joined abyss, cold with absence

         Where darkness lay over the face of the deep     

         

And You were there

          When faith leapt into life with conviction

          When hope first aspired and dwelt in the Son

          When love blossomed without conditions

          When a garden was envisioned

          When a sacrifice was determined

          When a New Jerusalem was conceived

And You were there 

When space melded with time in the continuous

         When infinite thrust forward in the relentless

When light split the darkness

When Heaven was spoken into existence

When formless took the shape of tangible

When lights in the heavens were set and named 

And You were there

When diversity and nuance erupted in life

When mankind was given dominion and blessed

When life was rejected and knowledge was known

When kings from the east journeyed to bow

When Innocence paid a penance for all

         When a Spirit of Holiness was given to comfort

         

And You were there

          When the Spirit orchestrated a moment

          When the heavens harmonized of glory

          When connection in the simple testified of acceptance

 When joyous laughter witnessed of love

          When cool air blanketed all in the polar    

          When a humble rock breathed a message of warmth

Luke 19:40  “But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep  silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Genesis 1

John 1: 1-5

The Rock (God Moments)

One night while sitting around the campfire, there came a lull in the conversation as everyone’s thoughts turned into themselves.  Tired bodies and dancing flames induce such moods - reflections of goodness and dreams of the coming.  But those times were always brief at Blue Lake and the quiet was soon broken with, “Let’s go for a swim out on the lake!”  There was no debate.  The flotilla was summoned with chaotic haste and out we went.  Now the wisdom of that decision may very well be questionable at best.  But rest easy, I’m pleased to report that Air and Sea Rescue was not called out that night.

The fleet came to rest at a point on the lake where the stone cliffs of basalt dove vertically into the waters below.  Looming in the darkness some 300 feet above, the rock face blocked half the night sky from view while the Milky Way lived up to its name in the field of view still visible.  A second of silence followed as the engines were cut and the wash subsided into the distance.

Well, we all dove in - although I did hesitate another second or two.  You see, my buoyancy when measured is as close to a negative number as humanly possible.  And my swimming techniques can best be described as thrash and near panic.  Nonetheless, in I went even as some sort of water fight had already erupted into a full scale battle somewhere in the black and gray.  Well, after about a minute and a stealthily executed sneak attack, I flailed back to the ski ladder and with some relief pulled myself up onto the gunnels of the boat.  Legs dangling over the edge, the stars seduced my mind as the campfire had earlier.  A certain quiet and peace enveloped even as shrieks and howls of joyful mayhem echoed over the water.

And suddenly it hit me.  No, not a water cannon…..but a realization.  In the middle of the night, dripping wet, I wasn’t cold.  In fact, I was warm.  It startled me for lack of a better word and took a minute to discern.  But warmth was radiating off the majestic stone precipice towering overhead.  Rays that had been captured during the heat of the day were now being released and transferred to my skin.  And in that moment, my soul was warmed as well.  Because it struck me that God was speaking and that maybe I should pay attention.   

Now, to be sure there were no choirs of heavenly host or thunderous voices.  But just as surely a vague understanding took root deep within me in that moment.  For suddenly I was aware that my joy, my wellbeing in that place and time, had been composed and then orchestrated by a loving God.  And over the years that appreciation increased in scope and became instrumental in forming my views of God and His love for mankind.  A consciousness developed that would transform my thoughts on creation and the meaning of life.  A mindful certainty grew of a sacrificial love that each soul represents.  All of that and so much more.

Well, I really can’t take it all in.  Layer upon layer.  One to the next. Goodness over goodness.  The mind simply boggles.  But sometimes when the black of the heavens is its blackest and the stars shout with joy in the silence, the moment causes me to pause.  And I remember a rock……..and wonder…….and stand truly humbled.

Link:  Beginnings (Psalms and Prayers) 

Blue Lake (Kid Stuff)

Seasons of life.  Some come into view from a distance.  Some are upon us without warning.  Some run long, some short.  Some overlap, some hand-off.  And then some simply fade away all too quickly. 

And so it was with Blue Lake.  A season of only four, maybe five years.  Short, yet cherished.  A time to decompress from the stresses of corporate America.  A time to escape the dampness that defines Western Washington.  A time to draw close to friends and family.  

Blue Lake itself a beautiful gem at the bottom of a great gorge that geologists tell us was carved into the land by the “Columbia River” during an ice age in the distant past.  Great sheets of ice blocked and funneled huge amounts of runoff over the land into the coulee where Blue Lake now rests.  And when the ice retreated, the waters in turn reverted to their current course leaving no trace except for huge rocks sculpted in the earth as testimony.  A few short miles “upstream” from the lake lay the remnants of Dry Falls.  Massive cliff faces are all that remain where once torrents of water plunged over the edge of the rock escarpment in a spectacle that would dwarf today’s Niagara. 

Time at Blue Lake may well be defined by the lake itself – in the water, on the water, and flying over the water.  One of my favorite activities was “bobbing” because of the simplicity and bare minimum of necessities – sunscreen on the face, a tattered straw hat for shade, and a life jacket for buoyancy.  Drink in hand, in I went and quietly floated off to wherever the winds and waves dictated.  The ultimate in relaxation.

But soon, someone in our party would call out for a hike, bike ride, or some sort of water activity.  And with a moments notice, the group would mobilize and off we went.

In retrospect, Blue Lake was about relationships. There was quite a disparity between ages and backgrounds.  Nevertheless, life long relationships were formed that will only grow in importance even in the face of physical separation.  Don’t you just love those connections where you can be separated for months, maybe years, and you come back together right where you left off? 

Unfortunately, friendships are much like the seasons of life.  Like trying to hold a fragrance in the wind, an effort is made to capture it, cherish it.  But to no avail.  Kids grow up.  Jobs change.  People move.  Birth, death, love, sorrow……all play their parts in their time.  And all too soon nothing is left but the memory.  But maybe that’s the best part.

Link:  The Rock (God Moments)

Tikehau (Kid Stuff)

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 – 8:16 A.M.  My desk calendar remains frozen on that date.  A wormhole between a former life lived within the halls of corporate America and a dimension of adventures unimagined.  It marks the moment my boss called to tell me that paperwork was being prepared to make my obsolescence official and is as close to a gold watch as anything I’ll ever get.    

Now, the layoff and a period of time following were dark hours for me to be sure.  But those are other stories for other times.  Suffice to say that Jamie discerned what was and what was to come, and the woman I love took control:

         

“We’re going to Tikehau.  You’ve been talking about it for years and it’s now or never.  Quit moping around – get planning.  We’re going.”

Well, not so fast.  I was about to put an end to this silly talk by simply overwhelming her with some elementary logic and a simple budget worksheet.  So, that evening we began working on logistics and before long we were gathering up airline miles and then swimsuits and before I knew it, off we went.

Tikehau is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia.  The atoll forms an oval shaped lagoon which is about 17 miles long and 12 miles wide.  The atoll itself is made up of two major islands, one large enough to support an airfield, and many-many, small, palm covered islets (motu) separated by equally numerous shallow channels (r’oa, pronounced hoas).  Surrounded by a coral reef, the ocean side of the islets is a moonscape of dead coral, cement-like in texture with sharp edges ready to bite.  On the other hand, the lagoon side of the islets is covered with soft, pink sand and much closer to the Hollywood version of a tropical paradise.

And it was just such a secluded Eden that had been at the top of my bucket list for years.  Well, not exactly.  What had truly captured my imagination was the thought of spending a few days alone on a deserted island.  Apparently, Robinson Crusoe made an impression during my formative years.  But whenever I’d start talking up a sequestered destination of that extent, Jamie just rolled her eyes.  And admittedly, that must be some kind of bizarre death wish because even I understand that Bear Grylls, I’m not.  So, a compromise was required – a small resort on a very sparsely populated atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and accessible by plane.  Tikehau fit the bill.

Travel is amazing in this day and age.  We arrived after hop-scotching through the skies in a matter of hours - a journey that might have spanned weeks on the sailing vessels of the Robinson Crusoe era.  And after a final touchdown, a short boat ride ensued across the lagoon to a group of “huts” where we were welcomed by the traditional conch shell horn greeting.  The memory of that sound still stirs something innate deep within me and brings to mind the smiles of a most welcoming people.

   

Within minutes we were checked-in and minutes after that we were off on our first exploration.  Jamie went along on some hikes and kayak adventures, but mostly she stayed behind.  She said she wanted to read or nap or snorkel.  But I think she wanted to give me time to myself.  And so, with a bandana tucked under my ball cap and hanging down for protection from the sun, off I went.  A hundred yards from the resort, and the dreams of a boy magically materialized.  Smells of the sea.  The roar of giant waves.  The stillness of an isolated beach.  Blues and greens beyond imagination.  Wading from motu to motu for hours on end, each step ventured deeper into a fantasy world of shipwreck survival, castaway explorations, and pirates.  Speaking of which, a treasure chest or two were scouted out but to no avail.

The waters being crystal clear revealed countless creatures and organisms of incredible beauty in the knee high depths.  Schools of small fish reflected the sunlight with every hue of the rainbow as they darted in unison to and fro.  Shells in an untold variety of shapes and colored patterns nestled in the crevices.  Chihuly would be envious.  And there were sharks - tiny little dorsal fins about the size of my thumb would slice the surface and away as they were approached.  A couple measures of the “Jaws” theme always went off in mind.

Well, the days flew by and before we knew it, it was time to leave.  Our hosts that had so graciously cared for our every need came down to the dock and gave us hugs good-bye.  I’ve lost their names but the warmth in their faces is vivid.  And with one final glance back, the outboard roared to life, and my lifelong dream was superseded by lifelong memories.

Now, I’d like to say that those few days in Tikehau changed my life.   That epiphanies on the meaning of life or inspiration’s for career changes sprang into being.  But no.  Tikehau was simply the materialization of a lifelong dream – and then some.  A much needed timeout from the depths of depression.  A deep dive into that age before a boy becomes a man.  A once in a lifetime gift.  No gold watch could ever come close.