THE OCEAN DEEP

Quote for Today - September 22,  2012

"I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only a  boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all discovered before me."

Sir Isaac Newton [1642-1727], from Brewster, Memoirs of Newton [1855], Volume II, Chapter 27

Comment

I'm just back from a Transatlantic Crossing - 7 days on the Queen Mary II - from Southampton in England to Brooklyn, New York. This quote sums up so much. In my life, I've spent a lot of time finding pebbles and shells - but standing at a deck railing and looking at the ocean below - makes one think deep and deeper about the joy of finding God - the great Ocean of God - Water - Life - that swims around our globe. Without God - without water - I believe we would not be here - on this deck, on this beach, on this shore - or anywhere.

LOST SUPPER      

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

One evening, just sitting there

in a restaurant at a table

with 4 or 5 others,

I became all alone

after a dumb comment.

Self destruction silences me.

It can also ruin my meal.

It can also bring an insight,

a self revelation - a new knowledge

about me - about life - about others.

Cutting remarks - a caustic comment

like a steak knife scratching a white plate -

causes those around the table

to shrug shoulders and wince eyes. 

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb me.

I don’t pause enough before I speak.

I have a MeTube collection of these

un-thought out spoken thoughts - long before

YouTube movies made their appearance.

Delete. Delete. Delete. But somehow

they won’t or don’t  or can’t disappear.

I sit there alone - at that table with 5 -

replaying some other moment in my life,

in some other restaurant 
where this same thing happened before. 
Why can’t these re-runs 
disappear so I can enjoy a meal 

and communion with my friends?

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2012

           

OH MY GOD!

Once we get 

that we’re not God,

we got it. 

Once we go to God with that,

we’re in  - because then we know

we don’t know. Then we trust

that God knows and for now

hopefully that’s enough for us.
Relax! The big things
are out of our control.

Knowing that, isn't that a blessing?

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2012

    CAVE IN 

In  1879 or 1880 a 12 year old girl

brought her dad down into some prehistoric

caves in Spain - where there were

ancient drawings and paintings.

In 1940, four teenagers discovered

the ancient caves at Lascaux

in southwest France - which also had

pre-historic etchings and paintings.

In 1947, a Kid - a Bedouin shepherd boy

discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls

in a cave while looking for his  lost sheep.

Jesus said, “Unless you be like

little children, you will not discover

the kingdom of God.”

Jesus - carpenter and inner voice,

bring me down deep into my inner room -

better to go down deeper into my inner caves.

Together let us discover the images

and the handwriting on my walls.

What will we discover  there?

What are my secret secrets?

What are my Dead Sea Scrolls?

What are my paintings and pictures?

What are our deepest desires:

Envy, anger, lust? Or are the deepest

three: love, envy, comparisons?

Or is it the refusal to go within?

Or will I discover Risen Lord down there?

Is that the place you descended into

after your death to bring all of

us into resurrection and new life?

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2012

Picture on top: Cave drawing in Lascaux, France

            AT THE LAST PLANK

I paused before I stepped

onto the first plank of the pier.

I could see bird poop

on almost every plank.

I could also see lights

all along the way.

I could hear honking birds

wanting me to fly away,

disappear, get out of here.

I decided to step out and

start walking straight ahead

and see how far I would go.

Then I came to the place

where one needs to decide:

“Is this the time to cross

the waters to the other side?

Do I go back or do I wait?”

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2012

         THE ITCH

The itch to self destruct

is a very scary itch.

So when you get

the itch to self destruct,

don’t listen to the Nike

message about,
“Just Do It!”  Don’t do it.

Don’t scratch. Don’t itch.

It’s at these moments

you’ll know God is

in your temple,*

the Holy One of God,

and you’ll know God,

you’ll know God is

The Great Itch.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2012

* Cf. Mark 1: 24

IMPORTANT  MISSIONS 

Quote for Today - September 21, 2012 

“On important missions, leave early enough to come back in time to pick up what you forgot.” 

Germain G. Glidden [1913-1999] 

Comment:

Will be back home today - landing in Brooklyn, New York. What better place to land - at the place where one began.