Truly Satisfied
April 27, 2009
Those who dwell among the beauties and the
mysteries of the earth are never alone or
weary of life.
Rachel Carson
Or the sense of it may come with watching a
flock of cedar waxwings eating wild grapes in
the top of the woods on a November afternoon.
Everything they do is leisurely. They pick
the grapes with a curious deliberation; comb
their feathers, converse in high windy
whistles. Now and then one of them flutters
and turns. They are like farmers loafing in
their own fields on Sunday. Though they have
no Sundays, their days are full of
sabbaths. Wendell Berry
A Quaker had a sign put on a vacant piece
of land next to his home: "THIS LAND WILL BE
GIVEN TO ANYONE WHO IS TRULY SATISFIED."
A wealthy farmer, who was riding by, stopped to read the sign and said to himself, "Since our friend the Quaker is so ready to part with this plot, I might as well claim it before someone else does. I am a rich man and have all I need, so I certainly qualify."
With that he went up to the door and explained his intentions. "And art thou truly satisfied?" the Quaker asked.
"I am, indeed, for I have everything I need."
"Friend," said the Quaker, "if thou art satisfied, then why dost thou want the land?"
In Arnold Lobel's (Frog and Toad story) Alone, Frog goes to an island to be alone. This makes Toad very sad, and he sets about to make things right, to fix things, to cheer Frog up. He makes a lunch and hitches a ride with a turtle to Frog's island.
"Toad slipped off the turtle. With a splash he fell into the river.
Frog pulled Toad up onto the island. Toad looked into the basket.
The sandwiches were wet. The pitcher of iced tea was empty.
'Our lunch is spoiled,' said Toad. 'I made it for you Frog so that you would be happy.'
'But Toad,' said Frog, 'I am happy. I am very happy. This morning when I woke up I felt good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I was a Frog. And I felt good because I have you for a friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think about how fine everything is.'"
(From Frog and Toad are Friends)
My week began with unrealistic expectations (too much to do in too little time), and better than decent odds for some kind of disappointment.
But I learned from my buddies Frog and Toad.
This week I let go of my agenda.
And I rested.
I experienced Sabbath.
And I felt nourished by gratitude.
And here's the very best part; I didn't even try to figure out how it happened.
I'll be the first to admit that this is not easy to do in our Blackberry-twittering-world. My friend Cheryl calls it our "meta-life." She told me about a friend who forgot to take his phone to a Billy Joel concert. He was, quite literally, beside himself. Without his phone, there was no way to take pictures. No way to "record" the event. No way to prove he was there. And we're all pretty certain that life doesn't happen unless there's a picture of it somewhere on Facebook. Sometimes I even wonder if I'm living life, or just recording it. You know, so I'll have a decent picture or two to show at some reunion down the road.
I don't have any great tools to give you. Except this one: its Meister Eckert's advice, "If you can only learn one prayer, make it this one. Thank you."
Not a bad place to start.
And I'll tell you this-
Gratitude did not take away any of the difficult decisions or conundrums of my week.
But it sure kept me from looking in my rear-view mirror. Gratitude allowed me to live this life, and not the one I always figure that I'll trade this one in for.
Gratitude allowed me to invest in what I could see, hear, taste, touch and smell in the moment.
Gratitude allowed me to see the sacred in the very, very ordinary.
Gratitude is, in the words of Jimmy Buffet, "one particular harbor. . .and I know I don't get there often enough / But God knows I surely try / It's a magic kind of medicine / That no doctor could prescribe."
Gratitude kept me grounded this week. And I'm richer for it.
Have you said Thank You this week?
Lord knows I'm the last person to be giving assignments, but today's as good a day as any to give it a try.
I want to tell you about my week.
I am grateful for the way the sunrise over the San Jacinto Mountains changes the color of the rocks and soil from light caramel to deep butterscotch, and the way the shadow ridges form swirls of licorice.
I am grateful for the grace and touch and blessed reassurance from a friend.
I am grateful for people who (really) believe in me, even when I am certain I can't be that lucky.
I am grateful for the way the sunrise over Lake Michigan, even in this pre-dawn spring light, makes the world look as if it is a great tundra of ice.
And I am grateful for my introduction to Wat Mongkolratanaram (Tampa's Thai Buddhist Temple), where the fragrance of mango and sticky rice mingles seamlessly with the comforting breeze from salt water and the reassuring intentional stillness of people at prayer.
You're just a country boy
Money have you none
But you've got silver
In the stars
Gold in the morning sun
Gold in the morning sun
Alison Krauss
Notes from Terry
1. Mark you calendars
terryhershey/grace-in-the-garden
May 15 - 17 in Davis, California. Grace in Action, a faith-based ministry serving the homeless in our community invites you to GRACE IN THE GARDEN, a weekend celebration of gardening, spirituality, and embracing life.
Saturday, May 16 -- Grace in the Garden with Terry Hershey, Warren Roberts and Others / Davis Community Church
Sunday, May 17 -- Worship with Terry Hershey / United Methodist Church of Davis
A weekend benefit for Grace in Action
Contact: office@grace-in-action.org or call 530-792-1053
2. Terry's new CDs, Born to Dance and Sabbath Moments are coming soon. They have been slightly delayed in production. Thank you for your patience.
A wealthy farmer, who was riding by, stopped to read the sign and said to himself, "Since our friend the Quaker is so ready to part with this plot, I might as well claim it before someone else does. I am a rich man and have all I need, so I certainly qualify."
With that he went up to the door and explained his intentions. "And art thou truly satisfied?" the Quaker asked.
"I am, indeed, for I have everything I need."
"Friend," said the Quaker, "if thou art satisfied, then why dost thou want the land?"
In Arnold Lobel's (Frog and Toad story) Alone, Frog goes to an island to be alone. This makes Toad very sad, and he sets about to make things right, to fix things, to cheer Frog up. He makes a lunch and hitches a ride with a turtle to Frog's island.
"Toad slipped off the turtle. With a splash he fell into the river.
Frog pulled Toad up onto the island. Toad looked into the basket.
The sandwiches were wet. The pitcher of iced tea was empty.
'Our lunch is spoiled,' said Toad. 'I made it for you Frog so that you would be happy.'
'But Toad,' said Frog, 'I am happy. I am very happy. This morning when I woke up I felt good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I was a Frog. And I felt good because I have you for a friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think about how fine everything is.'"
(From Frog and Toad are Friends)
My week began with unrealistic expectations (too much to do in too little time), and better than decent odds for some kind of disappointment.
But I learned from my buddies Frog and Toad.
This week I let go of my agenda.
And I rested.
I experienced Sabbath.
And I felt nourished by gratitude.
And here's the very best part; I didn't even try to figure out how it happened.
I'll be the first to admit that this is not easy to do in our Blackberry-twittering-world. My friend Cheryl calls it our "meta-life." She told me about a friend who forgot to take his phone to a Billy Joel concert. He was, quite literally, beside himself. Without his phone, there was no way to take pictures. No way to "record" the event. No way to prove he was there. And we're all pretty certain that life doesn't happen unless there's a picture of it somewhere on Facebook. Sometimes I even wonder if I'm living life, or just recording it. You know, so I'll have a decent picture or two to show at some reunion down the road.
I don't have any great tools to give you. Except this one: its Meister Eckert's advice, "If you can only learn one prayer, make it this one. Thank you."
Not a bad place to start.
And I'll tell you this-
Gratitude did not take away any of the difficult decisions or conundrums of my week.
But it sure kept me from looking in my rear-view mirror. Gratitude allowed me to live this life, and not the one I always figure that I'll trade this one in for.
Gratitude allowed me to invest in what I could see, hear, taste, touch and smell in the moment.
Gratitude allowed me to see the sacred in the very, very ordinary.
Gratitude is, in the words of Jimmy Buffet, "one particular harbor. . .and I know I don't get there often enough / But God knows I surely try / It's a magic kind of medicine / That no doctor could prescribe."
Gratitude kept me grounded this week. And I'm richer for it.
Have you said Thank You this week?
Lord knows I'm the last person to be giving assignments, but today's as good a day as any to give it a try.
I want to tell you about my week.
I am grateful for the way the sunrise over the San Jacinto Mountains changes the color of the rocks and soil from light caramel to deep butterscotch, and the way the shadow ridges form swirls of licorice.
I am grateful for the grace and touch and blessed reassurance from a friend.
I am grateful for people who (really) believe in me, even when I am certain I can't be that lucky.
I am grateful for the way the sunrise over Lake Michigan, even in this pre-dawn spring light, makes the world look as if it is a great tundra of ice.
And I am grateful for my introduction to Wat Mongkolratanaram (Tampa's Thai Buddhist Temple), where the fragrance of mango and sticky rice mingles seamlessly with the comforting breeze from salt water and the reassuring intentional stillness of people at prayer.
You're just a country boy
Money have you none
But you've got silver
In the stars
Gold in the morning sun
Gold in the morning sun
Alison Krauss
Notes from Terry
1. Mark you calendars
terryhershey/grace-in-the-garden
May 15 - 17 in Davis, California. Grace in Action, a faith-based ministry serving the homeless in our community invites you to GRACE IN THE GARDEN, a weekend celebration of gardening, spirituality, and embracing life.
Saturday, May 16 -- Grace in the Garden with Terry Hershey, Warren Roberts and Others / Davis Community Church
Sunday, May 17 -- Worship with Terry Hershey / United Methodist Church of Davis
A weekend benefit for Grace in Action
Contact: office@grace-in-action.org or call 530-792-1053
2. Terry's new CDs, Born to Dance and Sabbath Moments are coming soon. They have been slightly delayed in production. Thank you for your patience.
Poems / Prayers
New Terry Hershey videos
http://www.terryhershey.com
Do the Gratitude Dance
http://www.youtube
For those who missed last week -- Music to soothe your soul --
Ordinary Miracle by Sarah MaLachlan
www.youtube
finally will it not be enough,
after much living, after
much love, after much dying
of those you have loved,
to sit on the porch near sundown
with your eyes simply open,
watching the wind shape the clouds
into the shapes of clouds?
even then you will remember
the history of love, shaped
in the shapes of flesh, everchanging
as the clouds that pass, the blessed
yearning of body for body,
unending light.
you will remember, watching
the clouds, the future of love.
Wendell Berry
A Prayer of Gratitude
I am eternally grateful today
for the love in my heart,
the peace in my soul,
and a life lived in service.
Peace,
Terry Hershey
