There are occasions in life when all we want to do is —

Shrink back.

Fade into the background.

Sneak out of the room.

Pull the covers over our head and pretend we didn't hear —

It isn't what we think or it isn't that bad or —

Surely this will —

Pass. 

Something's coming at us too fast, too slow, sideways or maybe even —

Right between our eyes.   

"Why me?  Why now?," we moan.

And then —

In the midst of all our dodging and ducking and doubling over in doubt, we stop in our well-heeled tracks.

We stop.

Listen to the stillness.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

And rise to it.

We meet the moment, look it squarely in the eyes and give it an honest answer.

The answer might be "I'll pass" —

Or it might be a giant step up to the plate.

Whether it's yes or no, we have risen.

We have played our sacred parts in the unfolding mystery of life.

Is there anything you are reluctant to rise to in your life today?  Are you holding back because you think you have to step up, but you don't want to?  Can you let yourself meet the moment honestly and decline with ease?  If not, why not?

When we truly serve, we bend —

Voluntarily — 

And gladly —

In the direction of need.

Whether simple request or desperate cry —

In the decision to respond, we shift our energy away from ourselves and —

Toward another.

We give —

A holy offering, on bended knee.

And yet.

I've found if I bend too far in one direction — if I lose my own heart center in the effort —

I collapse.

The full weight of my ego topples me, getting everyone in my path —

Dreadfully wet.  

The missing ingredient, my yoga practice informed me, is —

Balance. 

To keep my balance, I must bend and stretch —

At the same time.

In opposite directions.

I bend to meet a need here on earth — and simultaneously, I stretch —

Heavenward.

The deeper I bend, the higher I reach — contacting and drawing on the wisdom of —

The ultimate light.  

And all is well.

Can you recall a time when you extended yourself so far you fell over?  Is the fear of not being able to keep your balance standing between you and your heart's desires?  How might the practice of bending and stretching apply to your life today?

And be held.

These are among life's most holy acts, gifts —

Pleasures.

Heart to heart and tiny lips to tender bud, we are beheld with our first breath.  

And we behold —

Then grasp and gaze and coo and howl —

To be held —

Again.

And with each spring, we grow.

Each of us stronger, taller — becoming our own big blue horizons and towering pink torches of life.  Each of us changing — once the observer, now the climber.  Once the seeker, now the protector.

We allow ourselves and each other healthy distances and the room to grow.  

And still —

With all our hearts, we behold —

And are beheld.  

What and who do you behold today?  How are you allowing yourself and others to change and still be held?

So I open the pretty packets and liberate the tiny feathers of dark dry has-blooms to —

Become —

Again.

With hopeful finger tips, I push them gently into the soil of my longing and —

Tuck them in with faith.  

Then water —

And wait.   

On day three I decide to take a peek.  

But an urban rat beats me to it.

Dirt and dreams of soaring zinnias disturbed, I water again and wait while hedging my bets with an old grade school trick — a second packet of seeds in a row of promising paper cups on the window sill —

Inside.  

With this, I can't help thinking about how important it is to pair discernment with faith — especially when it comes to our sacred intentions.  The mystery of growth — whether it is self-awareness or a relationship between two hearts — involves both light and dark, roots and shoots, stillness and movement, hanging on and —

Letting go.

Some of what happens is out of our control — and wondrously so!  

But a fair amount can be influenced by our attitudes, actions — and intentional presence.  We can bring our sacred seeds inside until they can keep the squirrels away on their own.  We can improve our soil conditions and create healthy space between our roots and the roots of others in our pots.  We can stretch for the light together — 

Until it's time to bloom again.

What are the sacred seeds in your life today?  Do you feel like you are giving them the best conditions possible to bloom?  If not, what will you do differently to nurture them?