'Become what you already are,

find Him who is already yours,

listen to Him who never ceases speaking to you,

own Him who already owns you'.

By St Gregory of Sinai (13th Century)
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It's a dry and thirsty land and the sun beats down
on our aching heads. Tears and sweat abound.
And we long for shade and we long for rest
and we long for peace like a sparrow for its nest.
We are strangers here; we do not belong.
And we long to fly, but gravity's too strong.
So we wonder why we are stranded here
when our longings show us a grander sphere.
So we struggle on with our heavy load
(for some it's their body, this earthy abode,
for others their mind and the way it's wired,
or a sadness so deep they feel permanently mired).
Whatever our burden, we bear what we must
and help others bear until we all turn to dust.
Then the dust turns to the new life we sought all along:
You only long for the peace to which you belong.
-HJ July 12, 2009