Stepping Into Wonder

The courage to live a life full of Wonder
The courage to see things differently

The courage to live a life full of Wonder
The courage to pause where others rush on

The courage to live a life full of Wonder
The courage to let yourself dream

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Litany of St. Veronica, Woman of Courage and Love

St. Veronica, you moved forward while others held back,
help me to take risks even if it means standing alone.

St. Veronica, you used what you had,
help me to be aware that I do not need to wait to creatively make a difference.

St. Veronica, you risked being shamed when you removed your veil,
help me to know when to discard traditions that no longer uphold human dignity.

St. Veronica, you saw with your heart and followed it even though this was in contradiction with the views of the public,
help me to look beneath the surface and to trust my instincts.

St. Veronica, you dropped your defences and stepped into someone else’s pain,
help me to leave my comfort zones and to be truly present to others.

St. Veronica, you touched Jesus in an intimate manner,
help me to use my body as a conduit for expressing tenderness and love.

St. Veronica, you carried an icon of Jesus with you after your encounter,
help me to recognize when I have been imprinted with the echo of a sacred moment.

The Deal-Breaker

if we cannot speak the truth in this family
not even if telling the truth
could potentially save the life of one of us
then I no longer want to be part of this family

I choose to forge a different path

Side-Stepping the Implosion

this family is imploding
and while my skin may be lashed by the rush of debris
I refuse to hurl myself in
and willingly be counted among the casualties

When the Emperor (and his Followers) Become Dangerous

We live in an age
of The Emperor’s New Clothes
only this time
the play is all-too-real
and if you dare to say
“Hey, the Emperor is naked!”
well,
you could get arrested for that!

Passage of the Storm

the landscape never desires the storm
and yet this destructive force pounces, uninvited
its fury seemingly unable to be spent
uprooting ancient traditions of trees
hurling away gathered treasures
decimating budding flowers
all while voiding the world of colour and imagination

starkness

desolation

a period of mourning ensues

and yet encoded in the DNA of Life
is its inability to be entirely destroyed
along with an activation key
for transformation

this begins reflexively
in intermittent, gasping breaths
eventually in growing defiance of what has been ravaged
building momentum
until it looks around and sees
that the storm has smoothed away rough edges
sharpened what was yet untried
unearthed previously unknown gems
and enriched the soil with deposited nutrients

although always wistful of its pre-storm state
the land intuits that this is ever-living in the Memory of Time
and lays claim to what it was, what it is, and to what it can become

fortified with a deepening awareness
life surges for the thrill of its own glory and expansion
fashioning complexity upon complexity
the re-formed landscape valiantly acknowledging its place
in the continuously unfolding
Story of the Universe

In Valiant Defiance of Dragons and Logic

we stand poised to take the leap
across space and time
into hostile hearts
enemy territory
knowing that it isn’t safe

yet the more perilous choice
is not to risk
but to hide behind Almighty Logic
in the Stagnant Fortress
of its millions of excuses

barely armed against toxic Dragons
my Lover and I
lay claim to the Adventure
convinced that the Jewels we will glean
in geography and in each other
will shine in the Crown of our Union
timelessly

so
hand-in-hand
smiling brazenly
and with a deep breath
we leap…!