This morning, as I walked my little dog friend Daisy, breathing in the late summer chill while sunshine fell on my face, a memory surfaced, of watching ripples on a still body of water. Small insects, I imagine, had created a beautiful ripple wave of energy, flowing outward from the center. As I recalled this, I imagined my heart as the center of a ripple of love, opening and flowing outward. I felt a warm rush of something golden extending outward to my family, my friends and the hurting world. This world, which, in spite of all its troubles, is still beautiful in so many ways.
This was on my mind, I suppose, because yesterday, at the church picnic, Tom sang the song "Ripple", by the Grateful Dead, with a group of other musicians. I missed it, due to grandparent duties, but the song still runs through my head:
"Ripple in still water, where there is no pebble tossed, nor wind to blow...reach out your hand, if your cup be empty; if your cup is full, may it be again...Let it be known, there is a fountain that was not made by the hands of men..."
We fill up our cups from the fountain of our Source, then send it out as waves of love, light, gratitude and joy. We are called to move beyond our own small pain and lift up a hurting world.
If this is all I accomplish in life, then I am grateful.
You send out good ripples everywhere you go, Patti! So sorry I missed Tom singing yesterday!
ReplyDeleteAww, I appreciate those kind words!
DeleteThis past weekend, we went to the memorial service of a family friend. Randy was our age, the dad of one of Bobby’s best childhood friends. Toward the end of the service, they played a video slideshow, accompanied by two songs. The second was “Ripple”. After the first verse—suddenly and simultaneously—I could hear folks all around me begin to sing along very softly, like a collective whisper of a prayer. It was an incredibly moving, and perfectly fitting way to close the service.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful Laura! Thanks for sharing...it really is a song that touches hearts.
ReplyDelete