Provisions, the Universe Way

Photo credit and art courtesy of Linda Blalock

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At Riverside Church in New York City, there is a poster with a quote from William Sloane Coffin, Jr. "I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap; then you grow wings." I'll like to add, "About those wings? Don't try to grow them yourself. They will be provided for you." My way of looking at the world is to see the Unseen Friendlies as actively pulling the curtains, setting the stage, and delighting in those who can't quite figure it all out but can still suddenly be taken aback by an event that could only come from a long chain of events happening behind the scenes. The blob has certainly been an instrument of example of this kind of action. I was only going to do one post so that I could show a friend how to do a blog. The first thing that transpired was a typographical error. I typed blob instead of blog. Instantly I knew it was the right thing. Some unseen hand had jumped in and brought my fingers down one line. No doubt about it. That intrigued me. There was going to be more to this blog business than I had thought! I might have known. At that time I had been living in Lucille's basement one month. It is located by a creek right out of a magical woodland painting. My imagination went into high gear and I decided the blob should come from the "Shire." My Lord of the Rings theme was arranged that very day. I hadn't looked for a long range project but a fiery feeling came over me that I was going to keep at it for awhile because something Good would be arriving from a faraway place, totally unexpected, which I then could show to all as being a True Story of Behind the Scenes.Years ago, for a writing class I wrote a short story called "The Night Shift Gang" about how my brain works. It was part humor, part science fiction, and part my philosophy of life. It is my belief the cosmos is alive with characters and forces trying to make our days one big surprise parcel wrapped in radiance if only we pay attention. I learned very young to spot the signs of, "something great is coming! Who knows? It's only just out of reach, Down the block, on a beach, Maybe tonight ..." Sure enough. My friend Cheryl Dolby in Roanoke, Virginia started a blog, too. Hers was spectacular from the start and on her sidebar were links to many artists from the entire globe. I picked one by LInda Blalock( http://atclindab.blogspot.com/) at random (ha!) to read and fell right into a wonderland of crafted art that was beautiful in every respect. Wonderland was a fitting word as I had that afternoon gone to the 34th Street (how could I pass up a movie house where the Miracle on 3th Street happened?)cinema's matinee showing of Alice in Wonderland. I was taken by the line, "She's the Wrong Alice!" Linda's art blog was having a contest to win a ring. I didn't realize that by making a comment I was entered into the contest under my e-mail moniker, Mimja. I was stunned when the winner was posted. It was Mimja! I really couldn't fathom this so I replied, "I hope I am not the Wrong MImja!" And I wasn't. In distant Australia, my name had been picked at random (!) for something that was so Shire (a ring) and beautiful (my cosmology) it took my breath away. Last week the ring arrived in the Big Apple more magnificent in real life than in the photo, larger, more glisteny. It gave new meaning to the phrase "the dance of the wild faeries...in a magical circle of faerie ring," a piece I play often in the Shire. In "proving" my faith, I often use statistical probabilities to sway an unbeliever. What are the odds that I would help start a blob for someone I only knew a few months online in Eureka, CA and step by step without any hint or knowledge I would this day hold in my hand this evidence of my cosmic helpers? Unbeknownst is in my ten top favorite words list along with serendipity, foreshadowing, and coincidence. On the Chapel Hill buses, there is an announcement which advocates seeking mental health counseling. There is a list of symptoms. One clearly caught me in the act: frequent and unusual coincidences. I gather from this that the UNC mental health people consider me totally bonkers. Well, hey, Mental Health Experts! When did you last have a ring come winging your way out fo the blue? I'm sticking with bonkers any ol' day.

Riverside Church on the First Day of August 2010

Long time gone,

I heard the name, "Riverside Church"

on a Voice of America broadcast.

The words lodged in my mind

as a piece of an imaginary

jigsaw puzzle I worked daily

to be completed in years ahead.

"Home" was its simple title

and included many things

which differed from

my overseas "home away from home"

lad chapels in cathedral alcoves.

Oh, those homes were not lacking;

they simply were not my primary residence,

my true homeplace.

This morning, I am here, journey's end,

as the summer choir practices with tips

from the director on pronouncing Alleluia.

The whole picture puzzle is now revealed.

The final little crooked slot is filled.

The circle begun in childhood drawn to a close.

No wonder the Alleluias.

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...may you notice today something slightly off your peripheral vision that looks to be a sign in the making...