Awake, Ye Sleepers, Awake!

"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn."

--Henry David Thoreau

Thanksgiving Blessing

You have given so much to me

Give one thing more--a grateful heart:

Not thankful when it pleases me,

As if your blessings had spare days,

But such a heart whose pulse may be

Your Praise alone.

--George Herbert

Wishing you peace in every moment, joy in every beauty, and love in every breath.

Transformation

"Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive ... and it has a soul. We are part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us."

--Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

I didn't think The Alchemist was a particularly well-written or engaging book, but I do like this sentiment, that we are all connected to and part of a universal soul.

Prayer for the Earth

"O God, awaken in us a sense of wonder for the earth and all that is in it.

Teach us to care creatively for its resources."

--R. W. Hesse, Jr.

Bouquets?

"Bouquets"

--a poem by Robert Francis

One flower at a time, please

however small the face.

Two flowers are one flower

too many, a distraction.

Three flowers in a vase begin

to be a little noisy.

Like cocktail conversation,

everybody talking.

A crowd of flowers is a crowd

of flatterers (forgive me).

One flower at a time. I want

to hear what it is saying.

Faith of the Heart

Faith of the Heart

as sung by Rod Stewart

It's been a long road
Getting from there to here
It's been a long time
But my time is finally near

And I can feel the change in the winds right now
Nothing's in my way
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No there not gonna hold me back

Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart

It's been a long night
Trying to find my way
Been through the darkness
Now I finally have my day
And I will see my dreams come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No there not gonna change my mind

Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believeI can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
Faith of the heart

I've known a wind so cold and seen the darkest days
But now the winds I feel, are only winds of change
I've been through the fire and I've been through the rain
But I'll be fine

Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith

I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any starI've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart


It's been a long road

Oh, it's been long road

"The Sea Refuses No River"

The Sea Refuses No River

lyrics by Pete Townshend

I remember being richer than a king

The minutes of the day were golden

I recall that when the joint passed round

My body felt a little colder

But now I'm like a sewer channel - running lime and scag

Let me get at the master panel - let me at my stack

The sea refuses no river

And right now this river's banks are blown

The sea refuses no river

Whether stinking and rank

Or red from the tank

Whether pure as a spring

There's no damned thing stops the poem

The sea refuses no river

And this river is homeward flowing

I have seen a trace of strain

In other's eyes not spoken

I must admit that I enjoyed their pain

But this time it's me that's broken

I demand for you and His

This must be the time

When we decide what freedom is

Turn water into wine

For the sea refuses no river

We're polluted now but in our hearts still clean

The sea refuses no river

We tried not to age

But time had its rage

We're washed over stones

From babes into clones of the mean

The sea won't refuse this muddy river

Nor deny the sulfurous stream

There was a fool in a dressing robe

Riding out the twilight hour

Lonely and cold in an empty home

Trying to assess his power

But now he's like a stream in flood

Swollen by the storm

He doesn't care if he sheds his blood

Let him be reborn

For the sea refuses no river

Remember that when the beggar buys a round

The sea refuses no river

And rain fills the gutters

No time for stutters

This is our chance

To sing and to dance and to clown

The sea refuses no river

And rivers were sprung to drown

The sea refuses no river

No pecking code respected for the damned

The sea refuses no river

Whether starving or ill

Or strung on some pill

Just 'cos you own the land

There's no unique hand plugs the dam

The sea refuses no river

And the river is where I am

The river is where I am.