No Time Like the Present

It finally happened, a date has been set for knee replacement surgery. Show time is September 10th at high noon. There's so much to do between now and then that the Blogosphere, Facebook Nation and Twitter World are going to have to live without me for a while.

Speaking of living without me, it occurred to me there's the possibility (slim at best) that I might not wake up from surgery. Like I don't have enough to think about, now I have these passing thoughts about Mocha, the people I love, my stuff and do I need to make amends with anyone before September 10th?

My mom is coming for a month to help take care of me. Should be interesting. I'm looking forward to our time together. Since I've moved to Tennessee, we're not only separated by miles, but by something I can't quite put my finger on. Am hoping we'll get to reconnect in a meaningful way and not just talk about the weather and swap recipes...you know what I mean? Oh that's it, we relate on a superficial level now and I'd like to go deeper. Will stick a pin in that thought so it doesn't float away.

Between now and September 10th, I'll be a blur. After September 10th, I'll be medicated, doing physical therapy and getting my mobility back.

Until next time...take good care and enjoy the gift of today.

The Great Plane

each morning
i raise the window,
a small part of the day
slides in

with its bent rays of light
or not
its riot of color
or not
its stretching, yawning sounds
or not

each morning
i raise the window
to gently rock my life awake

some days are clear,
on this morning
dew clings to the glass
the tell-tale trail of a snail

who’s crossed the great pane
in the night
loops left to right
or is it right to left?

each morning
i raise the window,
sometimes just a crack
other times fully open

a window a mind
a heart a soul
it’s what slides in
or not
it’s what bypasses reasoning
or not

that sends us looping
across the great plane
left to right
or right to left

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis

41.5 million pieces of tesserae were used to create 83,000 square feet of mosaic in The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Spanning 75 years, three generations of artisans shaped the images depicting faith, history, art and architecture.

Recently, the Lovely Linda and I traveled to St. Louis to celebrate the 25th anniversary of dear, dear friends Larry and John. On our way to the Saint Louis Art Museum, we turned into the parking lot at the Cathedral, "just to stop for a minute and take quick look."

Ha!

This is not a space entered into casually or briefly. When the heavy oak doors whispered shut and our eyes adjusted to the natural light, we gasped in disbelief. Soaring overhead, inlaid under our feet, on virtually every vertical and horizontal surface, mosaic.

As we silently moved into the body of the cathedral, we were cloaked in awe. Not knowing which way to turn or where to look first, we wandered without direction.

Shortly after arriving, we realized a private mass was being held in the Blessed Sacrament chapel. The priest's voice was barely audible, but when the nuns began to sing, I collapsed into a pew and held my breath. Yes, their voices and harmonies were beautiful, but the notes seemed to be tinged in gold, glinting off tiny pieces of tesserae over their heads.

It felt a violation of the sacred to take photographs, so I took very few. Although these hardly begin to capture the grandeur of the Cathedral, they do speak to the intimacy of the moment.

You can see/learn more by checking out their website.

Silence

It just happened, one of my favorite experiences. Sitting in my big comfy chair on a Sunday morning, I am aware the retreat house is bathed in silence. No equipment is humming, no footsteps upstairs, no road noise filtering through the window, just the gentle breathing of a sleeping dog.

These are the moments I cherish, the moments I hold deep inside as a reservoir of calm. These are the moments I pull from my core when all is chaos, all is confusion.

Soon though, I'll want to hear the chirp and chatter of birds jockeying for a prime spot on the bird feeder. The laptop will be set aside, the window raised and a fresh cup of coffee poured. I'll settle back into my comfy chair and let the morning drift past me on a cool breeze.

This is life well spent.