Late!...

A harried drive ... too-fast ... away from one obligation … straight on toward another.  From being present in one place, to breaking the law in order to share G_d’s peace in another place. Busyness has been poured in, tamped down, and leveled off; no room remains in which Spirit can abide. “G_d, have mercy on my soul!”

Just then, my striving is interrupted by the sight of two Sandhill Cranes, elongated in flight, slicing through strong, ceaseless winds. Ten feet above a nearby fence line and climbing; steady, rhythmic, mindful, unhurried; wings rising up and falling back with relaxed intention, again and again.  But these great birds do not head straight in to the wind. Rather, they take an indirect flight across the breeze.

I catch myself smiling in recognition of an ancient wisdom celebrated by birds and sailors, alike. A circuitous route is often more-productive than any headlong rush. Beautiful avian emissaries, rising above quiet fields next to hurried highways, invite my beleaguered soul to consider a different way amidst a life of service and care.

The more-excellent path, to which divine Mystery beckons the pilgrim, is less-likely to be found by striving straight-forward into the over-scheduled gale force of an ink-stained calendar, or jumping headlong into the storms of constant servitude. Rise up, instead, within a life mindfully open to sacramental possibility that turning aside is sometimes a better choice. And in that turning aside, may we dance gracefully upon the wings of love.

© Warren Lynn.