Love What You Love

The pink of the early morning sky called out to me this morning as I sat with the kids at breakfast.  I made the kids look at the iridescent pink shining through the stark leafless trees across the street and said, “Look, God’s saying good morning to you.”  Of course, Sage said, “No, he’s saying good morning to everyone Mom . . .”  Right-O.  Gotta love that 7 year-old auto-correct.  Everyone it is. 

And, she’s correct.  The beauty is for all of us – if we take the time to notice it.  And since my schedule is much looser these last few days, I’m trying to notice as many of these little details as I can.  There is a quote by Alice Walker that resonates for me: “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”

Maybe pissed is a tad strong in God-speak but I do think there is a universal nudge that beckons us with beauty simply waiting to be noticed. Unfortunately, we are often too “busy”.  And that “busy-ness” might just turn God off too (if my God was a judgmental kind-of guy – luckily she’s not!).  Or maybe it’s the universe’s way of testing us.  Ahhh, those life long lessons God keeps presenting us (‘til we get it, ‘til we’ve learned ‘em and can then move on). 

Can you stay focused on what matters?  Do you have perspective on those things in your life that really count?  The phrase “Love what you love” kept popping into my head over the holidays.  And it would come about during my busy-ness – wrapping, shopping, cooking, cleaning up, running errands – and I would look at my daughter Sage’s sweet face and think, “Love what you love.”  Meaning, this dear child is my heart of hearts and am I really loving her well in this moment?  Am I being present with her?  Giving her what she truly wants – me, fully and present, in this moment?  So often the answer is no.  Because I’m busy and have to get that one last thing done. 

Well, now I don’t.  There are no papers to grade at night or having to run off to campus for class.  There’s me, here at home for the time being.  And with more “free” time, I plan to “love what I love” and to love those things well.  To give real and sustained eye contact to Jeff and the kids; to listen whole-heartedly to Sage and Taggart’s stories, concerns, singing, and bad jokes; to give Jeff heart-felt good-byes and hello’s each day; to talk to Tractor (yes, him too!) and pet him like I mean it; to make time for friends and family so that we can really connect and share after what has felt like a seriously long hibernation period . . . It boils down to giving time and attention to the details that truly matter. To saying yes quickly to the ideas and people in your life that make you more of who you are.

My dad shared the poet Rumi with me at a young age and the following poem is one of my favorites.  There has always been an artist inside of me that many don’t know about (my dad has always known) and that I don’t always honor.  My paying-attention-to-the-details focus has brought me back to the creator within me – both God and the artist (one and the same really).  And I’m saying yes quickly – to what exactly – I don’t know yet.  But I am praying and focusing, knowing there is great good to come. No longer having to ask, “How aren’t you?”, I am letting faith and courage lead the way to a bright and magnificent tomorrow.

Say Yes Quickly

Forget your life. Say “God is Great.” Get up. 


You think you know what time it is. It’s time to pray.

You’ve carved so many little figurines, too many.

Don’t knock on any random door like a beggar. 


Reach your long hands out to another door, beyond where 


you go on the street, the street 


where everyone says, “How are you?” 
and no one says ”How aren’t you?”

Tomorrow you’ll see what you’ve broken and torn tonight,

thrashing in the dark.

Inside you 
there’s an artist you don’t know about. 


He’s not interested in how things look different in moonlight.

If you are here unfaithfully with us, 
you’re causing terrible damage.

If you’ve opened your loving to God’s love,

you’re helping people you don’t know 


and have never seen.

Is what I say true? Say yes quickly,

if you know, if you’ve known it 


from before the beginning of the universe.

- Rumi