(My) Psalm 151
December 24, 2010
The final assignment for our Torah as a mirror for spiritual direction class was to write a psalm to God which expresses what we have each learned and/or experienced in our own lives over the course of the semester, relating to God / Spirit / Truth, as it relates to our emerging roles as mashpi'im/mashpi'ot (spiritual directors.) Here is mine.
(My) Psalm 151
My God
it's not always easy
for me to talk with you
sometimes my stories snarl up like tangled yarn
and all I can be is mute
when I listen to someone else
I can feel Your presence
but when I open my mouth
and want Your words to come through
I still falter like a child learning to talk
I have learned to see Your voice
in handwritten ink on parchment
words filligreed with crowns
holy interpretations sparking forth
like abundant electricity
I trust my responses
to the thickets of Your words
I know how to open my chest
and let my words pour free
onto a waiting screen or page
help me, God
to hear Your voice echoing
through the vocal chords of those
who sit on my couch, fidget or knit,
and drink my tea
help me answer You
when You speak through the lives
of my beloved friends -- help me find You
in the bitter alongside the sweet
and to name You there
I yearn to listen wholly
and to offer the question
which will make Your presence
suddenly, delightfully
manifest
like the warmth
of a fire kindled against the damp
or the slow bloom of brandy
or the joy of unexpected music
resonating deep in our bones