Tuesday, September 29, 2009

bring it back to natureImage by Fabian Bromann via Flickr

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
From Mary Oliver's poem Sometimes in her book Redbird

This is one of the great gifts of the blogging community and also taking up the discipline (for me) of blogging. It encourages me to constantly pay attention, to see what is really going on around me, and then to have a place to tell about it. A place where I am understood, not by everyone, but by some. It is also a place to share in the experiences of others, allowing myself to be challenged and to become more deeply aware through entering into what others have been aware of, what they have been astonished by. Thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers and readers out there. I am so blessed by this circle.

Don't forget to be astonished today and be sure to tell me about it!


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5 comments:

John Lewis Dodson said...

Mary Oliver poems always touch me in my heart. I love reading your blog. I want to make it a daily part of my life. You have such a perception and openness to life and wonder. And you are right this is a wonderful fall season, it ignites my whole being. John

Rebecca Johnson said...

Hi Pastor John, Mary Oliver is probably my all time favorite, which is natural for an Alaskan contemplative. She continually evokes nature and the Divine. Thanks so much for reading my blog. It is an honor. You are one of my heroes of staying astonished.(!)

Roy DeLeon said...

My instructions for living a life is not too far off:
Pray. Rejoice. Give Thanks. Always. In all ways.

To pray is to pay attention. Total, deep union with my Lover.

To rejoice is the result of being astonished that an all powerful Being loves us, mere mortals, eternally.

To give thanks as a way of life tells about the glory of the One who is with us always.

Rebecca Johnson said...

Roy,
Hmmm, what would my instructions for life be? I have never thought about it. I guess they have just been: Love, Love, Love. (Uh oh, another Beetles song.) But I'm thankful for sages like you and Mary to help me with more specific instructions on how to get there.

Kayce aka lucy said...

mary oliver is one of my favorites and i feel so fortunate when someone else helps me see words anew.

i have been feeling a little guilty about not blogging some of the recent amazing things i have witnessed, however, even thinking about the "telling" helps me to see things with broader eyes and i know the telling will happen in its own way and time.

blessings abound!