Smiles and Tears

Since I'm wide awake and it's well past bed time, how about a few thoughts? A few, marginally connected thoughts:

- The world is so BEAUTIFUL! It's just chockers with this beauty stuff. Rain drops clinging on the minute leaves of a hedge and sparkling in the street lights. The soft velvet of a cloud nestled on a New England hill, enveloping a walk home. The breath-stealing pressure of bass-drum-hits in an oak-and-leather pub. The tender tear of sandwich bread around spicy meatballs and tangy marinara, swallowed with a swig of cream soda. Televised performances of historical mourning. Parisians wearing gifted ties. Stone-work buildings with fancy windows and long, well worn tables. Three piece rock bands from Wheaton, Illinois. Fancy, fancy root beer.

- The world is so SAD. I'm haunted everywhere by the beauty's concomitant sadness. The creeping loneliness of proximity over community. The stupid, thoughtless, irresponsibility of lenders and borrowers. Everyone's oblivion to everyone else's hurt and confusion. The ways we hide our hurt and confusion, mostly from ourselves. Partisan hackery. Misplaced hope. Fanciful obsessions and the traps we return to willingly. Sin, sin and sin.

- Both make me feel so FULL! I'm bursting these days. Smiles and tears, both in good supply.

Godspeed.

Reality's Musicality

There are two stanzas in an obscure song by an obscure midwestern band that most intimately express the hurt and the hope of my heart. It almost always puts tears in my eyes.

Go check out www.myspace.com/sleepingatlast and listen to "Needle and Thread

The verse:

They say this place has changed
but strip away all of the technology
and you will see that we all are hunters
hunting for something that will make us OK...

And then:

"You were a million years of work"
said God and his angels with needle and thread.
They kissed your head and said
"You're a good kid and you make us proud,
so just give your best and the rest we'll come and we'll see you soon."

Feeling a tad overmatched tonight, but I'm looking forward to keeping a promise tomorrow.


Godspeed