Sunday, March 29, 2009

what we need, what we have.

It is a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people. But the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma. At the center of all religions is Karma. You know, what you put out comes back at you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... every action is met by an equal or an opposite one... and yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that... Love interrupts... the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I have done a lot of stupid stuff. I would be in trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge... it doesn't erase my mistakes. I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

-Bono, lead singer of U2

Friday, March 27, 2009

many the miles

My mind has been running a lot lately. So I decided to keep up with it.

Central Park is a runner's dream. There's an amazing lake/reservoir there called the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, where a soft dirt jogging path circles around it about one and a half miles. I've been there all hours of the day, but my absolute favorite time is dusk -- our sun's final exhale that soaks all the colors from the sunset with a deep blue as if a flood had broken into the sky. I can't help but think: this happens every single day.

Within minutes, everything's gone. You could watch this performance a thousand times but never notice it leaving the stage. As we should.

Then you begin to notice the bright reflections of lit buildings, even stars, on the lake itself. I'll have to quote Forrest here because he put it best: "...it was so clear, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies, one on top of the other." And most times, I'll jog to a stop, climb up onto the metal railing and be quiet. I wonder if others do too.




This is one of the more honest things I know about life.