CHILDREN
Will you live YOUR LIFE as I HAVE?
And journey beyond?
Will you learn to hold God’s hand?
Long enough to learn how to let go?
And then let go
Long enough to hold the hands of others?
But, live YOUR LIFE
CHILDREN
CHILDREN
Will you live YOUR LIFE as I HAVE?
And journey beyond?
Will you kiss the lips of compassion?
Will you dip your toes into the sea of pure love?
Will you wash yourself in the cold waterfall of awakening?
Will you hunch in the confining cave of patience?
Will you stand on the hot coals of rational reasoning?
Will you walk across the dessert of despair and loneliness?
Will you find the oasis of community and connection?
Will you infuse yourself with the elixir of hope?
Will you drink from the bitter cup of humility?
Will you run often through the warm green hills of laughter?
Will you lay daily in the grass of gratitude?
Will you climb the mountain of self-sacrifice?
Will you step out onto the precipice of trust?
Will you receive the healing herb of grace?
Will you give the healing ointment of forgiveness?
Will you cut and retie the chords of narrative?
Will you walk the thin line of focus and discipline?
Will you ride upon the back of perseverance?
Will you rub the soft underbelly of vulnerability?
Will you stand upon the lonely pinnacle of courage?
Will you scorch yourself in the flames of mysticism?
Will you hold the mobius strip of paradox?
Will you discover the opposite of jealousy?
And will you whittle down the stick of envy?
But, live YOUR LIFE
CHILDREN
CHILDREN
Will you live YOUR LIFE as I HAVE?
And journey beyond?
Will you see the patterns, when you look into the stars?
Will you speak to the drum until the drum speaks back?
Will you become the lone fish who sees the murky water?
Will you notice the elephant that we all ride?
Will you walk with the feral cat?
Will you sleep with grandmother vine?
Will you sit with grandfather cactus?
Will you learn to balance the Me with the We?
Will you see yourself in others?
Will you fill your nest with colorful eggs?
Will you kiss your children like I kiss you?
Will you hug your children like I hug you?
But, live YOUR LIFE
CHILDREN
CHILDREN
Will you live YOUR LIFE as I HAVE?
And journey beyond?
Will you see the moon eclipse the sun?
And suddenly see it for the first time
Will you plant seeds in soil and in hearts?
Where true wealth resides
Will you strive to see holiness?
In every fallible person you meet
Will you strive to read fallibility?
Into every holy person you read?
Will you carry the traditions?
But journey forward unburdened
And guided by experience
Will your eyes learn to see the world?
First in black and white
Then in grays
And then in colors
Will you sit in the current of evolution?
And learn to let go
Will you learn to just dance?
And then dance to the rhythm of the rain
Will you learn to just sing?
And then sing with the honey bee
Will you learn to just sit?
And breath
And be
Will you just hug?
And will your hug turn into a wrestle?
And then a dance
But, live YOUR LIFE
CHILDREN
CHILDREN
Will you live YOUR LIFE as I HAVE?
And journey beyond?
Will you see how the meadow flower touches the mountain top?
And how the mountain top touches the meadow flower?
Will you journey beyond the Oracles and Elders?
And ignore the temptations?
Will you become a kite?
And will someone hold your string?
Will you find your medicine?
And will you take it?
Will you stare into the abyss?
And find meaning?
Will you discover humanity’s outer limits?
And will you discover our inner limitless depth?
Will you sacrifice the good for the better?
And then the better for the best?
Will you find belonging?
And if not
Will you create belonging?
Wil you find safe space?
And if not
Will you create space?
But, live YOUR LIFE
CHILDREN
CHILDREN
Will you live YOUR LIFE as I HAVE?
And journey beyond?
Will you discover the mask of God?
And curiously peer behind
Only to discover what lies within
CHILDREN
Will you let yourself break?
Will you rearrange the pieces?
Into a beautiful mosaic window
So that all can see the color
So that all can feel the story
CHILDREN
Will you learn to cry in the open?
So that others can cry with you openly
And will you cry openly?
For those who cry in their closet
CHILDREN
Will you climb the spiral of many colors?
Returning to the same ground repeatedly
But with higher vantage’s and lovelier views
And will someone be there?
To give you a new name
But, live YOUR LIFE
CHILDREN
CHILDREN
Will you live YOUR LIFE as I HAVE?
And journey beyond?
If you do
You will understand me
You will see my trail in the wandering forest
The forest of curiosity, wonder, and awe
You will see my bread crumbs there
You will see my stakes in the ground
If you travel beyond
Leave your own stakes along the way
So that others will know
Which way to go
CHILDREN
Will you live your life?
As I have
Or have I lived my life?
So that you might live your life
As you will