by Allen L Phillips
“Paying attention to being alive” is a line from a poem by Jack Gilbert. Paying attention to being alive is what we should all be doing right now as we adapt to staying home when possible and social distancing when we venture out.
For Pat and me it means being kinder to each other and to those we see on our walks because we are all in this together. We seem to be talking to our neighbors more than ever and that is a good thing. We are also more aware of what’s going on in our back yard because we spend more time there. We enjoy watching the Bewick’s wren, with his tail hiked up, skitter across the pavers from one flower bed to another and disappear into the foliage. We can tell where he is because the bush quivers as he hops about in search of food.
Pat and I consider him another gift from God along with the prolific floral bloom stimulated by our spring rains. The nasturtiums that grow wild on our front bank are beautiful this year and provide cuttings that thrive in vases giving us even more joy.
Watching our church’s on-line Easter service Sunday, we heard the suggestion that ”Christians are Easter people living in a Good Friday world”. Think about that – Good Friday recognizes the crucifixion (hard to know why it’s called “Good”) and Easter Sunday the resurrection. I think it also equates to people’s glass half empty – glass half full attitudes. Pat and I are Easter people, we view the glass as half full and our cups runneth over. This gives us great peace.
My mother’s favorite Bible verse was the 23rd Psalm. My brother and I read it at her burial. I learned it from the King James Bible and I will cite portions of it as I remember it:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He restoreth my soul.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou prepareth a table for me in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou anointeth my head with oil – my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
allenlphillips 