Susan’s Thursday morning note – November 21, 2024
Poem from Tel Aviv, Israel on little bird living in our soul.
Poem on what feeds our soul, keeping our souls alive.
Good morning. The winds have stopped. Because of the memory of listening to biting strong winds we more appreciate the stillness having its own sound. Giving something that is nothing a beauty. The sound of silence as the sky begins to light up. The moments that we use to look to the heavens to be thankful for the gift from our angel of dawn – the gift of another morning. The moments that we use to look to the heavens and ask for strength as we enter the day. The moments to look to the heavens to ask for the gift of noticing details that await us today. As children…the children have the gift to see God, for they see details. They see beauty. They show us how to have the small moments be what matter.
A small book sits next to me about a little bird living in our soul, opening drawers through the day of each emotion. Opening and closing door after door inside of our soul. This little book was written by a poet from Israel. I loved the scene and hope you can now appreciate the little bird inside your soul opening your drawers today! Following this poem is another poem on what feeds our souls throughout our lives, besides bread. How we really cannot only survive on bread, but by so many other gifts that are handed to us daily that feed our souls.
The Soul Bird ~ poem by Michal Snunit from Tel Aviv, Israel
Deep down, inside our bodies, lives the soul.
No one has ever seen it, but we all know it’s there.
Not only do we know it’s there,
we know what’s in it, too.
Inside the soul,
right in the very middle of it,
there’s a bird standing on one foot.
This is the soul bird.
It feels everything we feel…
Do you want to know what the soul bird is made of?
Well, it’s really quite simple:
It’s made of drawers.
These drawers can’t be opened just like that –
because each is locked with it’s own special key.
Only the soul bird can open it’s drawers…
Most important is to listen to the soul bird,
because sometimes it calls us and we don’t hear it.
This is a shame – it wants to tell us about ourselves.
It wants to tell us about the feelings that are locked up inside its drawers.
Some of us hear it all the time.
Some almost never.
And some of us hear it only once in a lifetime.
That’s why it’s a good idea – maybe late at night when everything is quiet –
to listen to the soul bird deep down inside us…
Not by Bread Alone (The University Presbyterian)
Man does not live by bread alone, but by beauty and harmony, truth
and goodness, work and recreation, affection and friendship,
aspiration and worship.
Not by bread alone, but by the splendor of the firmament at night,
the glory of the heavens at dawn, the blending of colors at
sunset, the loveliness of magnolia trees, the magnificence of
mountains.
Not by bread alone, but by the majesty of ocean breakers, the
shimmer of moonlight on a calm lake, the flashing silver of a
mountain torrent, the exquisite patterns of snow crystals, the
creation of artists.
Not by bread alone, but by the sweet song of a mockingbird, the
rustle of the wind in the trees, the magic of a violin, the sublimity
of a softly lighted cathedral.
Not by bread alone, but by the fragrance of roses, the scent of
orange blossoms, the smell of new-mown hay, the clasp of a
friend’s hand, the tenderness of a mother’s kiss.
Not by bread alone, but by the lyrics of poets, the wisdom of sages,
the holiness of saints, the biographies of great souls.
Not by bread alone, but by comradeship and high adventure, seeking
and finding, serving and sharing, loving and being loved.
Man does not live by bread alone, but by being faithful in prayer,
responding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, finding and
doing the loving will of God now and eternally.
Today. Our gift. Fall. Early darkness. Longer evenings of stillness. And in this stillness the ability to read the lyrics of poets, to read the wisdom of sages, to be given wisdom by reading biographies of great souls. Today. Listening for the sweet song of the birds. Listening to the rustle of the winds. Hearing in our minds the magical sounds of a violin. Today. Noticing moonlight. Loveliness of trees. Today. The gift of the glory of dawn. The blending as an artist of colors for the sunset tonight. Friendship. Quiet. Noticing. Noticing all of the gifts within the jewel. Under the microscope the jewel holds the scenes of the day ahead. Eyes of little ones. Eyes of older ones. Eyes of those we see in our minds no longer with us. The beauty of eyes. Under the microscope the jewel holds the scenes of nature. The sounds of the birds. The jewel handed by our angel of dawn gives the beauty of another gift. The faithful gift of another day. Another beautiful day called life. Susan
Latin for this week:
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie – Give us this day our daily bread.
Works Cited:
Snunit, Michal. “The Soul Bird.” New York. Hyperion. 1999.