Beauty.

Foggy Day 2 (2014, 2.11), a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Ex divination pulchritudine
esse omnium derivatur. 

From the beauty of the Divine
comes all that is. 

Thomas Aquinas

Who we are

Christmas Day 2003 (2), a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


     Who we are and who we become depends, 
     in part, on whom we love.

        Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini & Richard Lannon, 
        A General Theory of Love

Sacred

RIC_1206-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Rooted in Love

Tree 3 (2013, 2.23), a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


Although much of our life is rooted in the anxiety of our time, 
in other words the fear of death, the continuity of knowledge 
and wisdom that has brought us here together is rooted in love, 
the love that is not only as strong as death, but able to cast out 
its fear. 

Northrop Frye

Ordinary

RIC_4773-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


     Anyone can love a rose,
     but it takes a lot to love a leaf.
     It's ordinary to love the beautiful,
     but it's beautiful to love the ordinary.

        Unknown

Singing Freedom

RIC_4022-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

Maya Angelou,

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Earth

Tree, SMC, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

We won't save a place we don't love;

we can't love a place we don't know;

and we can't know a place we haven't learned.

Ched Myers

At the light

RCC_5997-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Everything arrives at the light.

Lorna Crozier

Vulnerable

RIC_5490-1 b/w, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Those who are willing to be vulnerable

move among mysteries.

Theodore Roethke

On the edge

Half the Sky 2, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

If you're not on the edge,

you are taking up too much room.

Bumper sticker

Love me

RIC_6571-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr

Love me when I least deserve it,
because that's when I really need it. 

Swedish Proverb 

Possibility

RIC_2406-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The power of Jesus's parables challenge and enabled his followers to co-create with God a world of justice and love, peace and nonviolence. The power of Jesus' historical life challenged his followers by proving at least one human being could cooperate fully with God. And if one, why not others? If some, why not all? "Ashes denote," wrote Emily Dickinson, "that fire was." And if fire ever was, fire can be again.

John Dominic Crossan, 

The Power of Parable: How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction about Jesus

Loneliness

RIC_1207-2, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

     I am vehemently grateful that, by whatever means, I

     learned to assume that loneliness should be in part

     pleasure, sensitizing and clarifying, and that it is even a

     truer bond among people than any kind of proximity. 

       Marilynne Robinson, When I Was a Child I Read Books

Letting Go

RIC_2420-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

     Don't keep searching for the truth;
     Just let go of your opinions.

       Seng Ts'an