Open for business

“Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, "Well, that's pretty much what I thought I'd see," you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. [...] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.”

― Anne Lamott, Help Thanks Wow: Three Essential Prayers

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It was a bad night

a long night

full of ups and downs

of pain

that would not go away

and now it is a long day

low clouds

drizzle

cool air

a fuzzy day

my computer hums

and sits pregnant with work undone

a sermon to write

a bulletin to do

an article to write

and somewhere inside me a rebellious voice says

screw it!

Just don’t do it!

I look around, bleary at best

and then a cold nose nudges my foot

ah, tess the cat

and a ray of sun breaks through the clouds

and the smell of lilacs, freshly bloomed

come through the window

open for business