Choose not
the path of perfection,
frigid and ruthless
in its demands.
Walk rather
the road of compassion,
with love and mercy
streaming generously
from open hands.
The door to awakened intimacy
with the Divine Presence
swings wide open when
we practice spirituality
not to conquer evil
or to win a prize
but to deepen our response
to the sacred call of Love.
If you understand
that the deepest prayer is
harmony with the Divine Presence,
then be still and enter the prayer
of all of Nature that breathes in you.
To my repeated questioning,
again and again,
the Spirit replied:
cultivate faith, be available,
and surrender into Life
right where you are,
and you will find
the Truth for which you long.
To all who, like me, slowly
and with unconscious stealth,
maneuver to take back control
after they have experienced
God’s saving grace,
do not be so foolish
as to think you will ever be
without the need for that grace.