Beside Restful Waters

by Greg Hermann

- The second homecoming is your wisdom texts. Reflect on any text that has helped you to deepen your wisdom. These texts can include any writing, books, teachings, sacred scriptures… that have helped you to experience clarity, openness, love, and compassion… Say welcome to your texts. Relax. Inhale. Exhale and come to being held by your wisdom texts.

Richard Wagamese

Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations

Sacred texts???

Where do we start? The Three Little Pigs? Humptey Dumptey? The Creation Story from the Christian bible or from the Ojibway culture or the Navajo culture?

Our libraries are crammed with legends and stories with authors who claim their truth and authenticity. When you relax, inhale and exhale, what comes to your mind first?

My first thought is of music.

I cannot put my finger on any one, particular song or lyric. I rest my mind on the people gathered to join in the song. Our family reunions typically ended a day around a fire with three or more generations having fun, laughing, and singing. There is something about music that brings us together.

Church music is powerful. Former president Barak Obama was addressing a large audience – our nation – in mourning. At a loss for words, he began to sing ‘Amazing Grace’. This was not a performance of artistic perfection. It was an expression of unity and grace. It was an expression of the wisdom when mere words were inadequate.

Recently Ann was helping a dear friend sew a shirt. I heard them singing and laughing in our sewing room. The song is irrelevant. The joy was palpable. Their love was ……… healing. The sewing room glowed.

Relax.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Enjoy the grace and wisdom of your sacred text.

Namaste’