City Reflections

Fresh and delicate skies returned to us yesterday. I desired a long afternoon walk. Meditation by sunlight. How simple! Had lunch with a friend. Chili, cornbread, conversation. Surprised that I had two pieces of cornbread. The chili was not as spicy as I expected. On the streets everybody was out in shorts or short sleeves. There was an exquisite delicacy over the metropolitan area especially as dark clouds appeared to suggest more rain. But yesterday I saw all types of babies, some were in traditional strollers and others were in an ugly contraption which looked like a metal work cart with miniature seat belts. The children looked uncomfortable. But for a few seconds the sky was a dazzling blue, the light was direct, luminous. It was a moment of leisure, of thinking about goodness. I felt a youthful desire to write, to photograph, to imagine. How peaceful was that moment. How handsome the world looked from a restaurant window. All exterior sound was muted and therefore melodious at low volume.

How delightful I felt as I sat there talking about life and trying to be encouraging, inspirational. Friendship can be very peaceful. But conversations can greedily consume the shared energy and lead to concupiscence, spoken and imagined. But, there was also laughter and a few unanswered questions which would lead to some personal alone meditation. Good friendships inspire us to be charitable, compassionate, merciful. Good and active listening is a necessity and require for a good friendship.

For a moment, I imagined the world as boundless and filled with content worshiping faithful people.

My eyes did not rest. I wanted to see the world, hear the world, feel the world. And on the street corner there were grim faces, all types of rushing, surging rudeness. Part of me wished for the rains to return and to cleanse the city.

But there is gratitude and hope to be discovered. Days of despair and trouble seem ready to ambush everybody. I have no presentiments or preferences beyond moving a little closer to God. There is no happiness, there is no sadness. There is only perception. There is our personal intrinsic weighing or judgement of a situation.

With God present in our lives there is a delicious clarity to everyday lives. God provides a fresh, unwrinkled perspective. We have to allow ourselves to listen to him and to seek him out with our questions and concerns. We must accept that we are human and fallible and creatures of habit. God is all knowing, all loving, and merciful. He wants us to come to him with both our joys and our griefs.

A good friend will always encourage us to enjoy the simple things, the free things to enjoy the beautiful splendor of God’s love.

I had much to write you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face. John 3:13-14