Scraping off the Rust

It was around 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning when I started this post. (Years ago, I used to do this more often. It's so lovely and quiet at this time of the day.)

Excuse me if I ramble....

I'm rusty. I have not written about anything for a long time (other than business-related material), so I need to babble a bit to get those "mind-to-fingers" neurons fired up again.

Writing is a little like having faith, I guess, in that it takes practice. (How's that for edging closer to the topic at hand?) Like any skill we hope to hone, the act of having faith requires repetition. Breaking the faith barrier continues. It isn't a one-shot deal. At least, I don't believe that it is. I don't think we're ever "there". Well...we do get "there" and then we discover that there's another "there" and each insight, each new revelation brings a deeper or more textured appreciation of life.

So What Gives ME the "Right" to Write about Faith?

If I were a... (I want to say, carpenter, but I'll say) wood carver, and if I had spent years using chisels and knives and practicing, reading and learning all I could about wood carving, I would not think twice about sharing my knowledge with others. And anyone interested in wood carving would gladly read my words and add to their knowledge.

I do not claim to have all the answers, but though I still have a lot to learn, I am thankful that circumstances in my life afforded me the time to seek the answers to my never-ending questions. While I have enjoyed drawing and painting (and in a very limited/beginner's way, gardening), my first love has always been writing.

This blog is a culmination of a million questions over those decades of curiosity and contemplation. I have put a lot of it out here in case there's the slightest chance that it might shine one tiny ray of light on someone else’s path, just as others have availed me of their light and insight.

As the Buddhist saying goes, "when the student is ready the teacher will appear".

We have teachers around us all the time, ready to let us in on a particular piece of a puzzle we happen to be contemplating, ready to say “just the right thing” or to echo “exactly” what we had been thinking, or answering just the question we’d been thinking of asking.

I hope that sometimes I can say just the right thing that will enhance someone else’s peace of mind. And I have faith that my teachers will continue to come along whenever I need their support.

This morning:

When I look at the sky, I feel as if I might be anywhere on Earth…any place that has bare-branched trees at this time of the year.