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Show 4 - WINTER “MES - DECEMBER 1993 Moments Another Christmas has moved within my ken and I am filled with a strange sense of the mystery and miracle of life. My mind lingers over many moments that stand stark against the background of the year: Moments that filled my cup of fear to the brim, spilling over into the byways of my mind until there was no longer room even to know I was afraid— Moments of sadness brought on by the quiet sagging and collapse of seasons of dream—building upon which my hopes and aspirations rested— Moments of decision when all I am seemed to hang in the balance, waiting for a gentle nudging of Spirit to break the tie and send me on with a new “in. depth; the tender remembrance of sacred spaces and places reaching out and claiming me as their very own; friends who shared with me at depths beyond all measuring; the coming of day, the return of night, and the flow of Ashley Ehlers fresh, and perhaps holy, adventure. So I will light candles this Christmas. Candles of Joy, despite all sadness. Candles of Hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of Courage for fears ever present. Candles of Peace for tempest-tossed days. Moments of awareness when my whole landscape was invaded by the seasons that hold and sustain me in cycles of movement and the security of their rhythms. In my private life, I am mindful of many blessings in a minor glow of Spirit making dead things key. my living. Candles that will burn all the year long. —Donovan Roberts come to newness of life and fresh paths opened in radiant shafts of beauteous light— Moments of joy when all my inward parts clapped their hands and a new song was born in my heart—— Moments of peace amid the noisy clang of conflicts within and without— Moments of reassurance when I Beyond all these, there is the intimate sense of being upheld and cradled by strength not of my making; direction, a new desire, a new way of life— something that gives to life a quality of integrity and meaning which I could never generate; the gentle upheaval in the heart reminding me to lift up my head and be of good courage. At this season, may all the bene- discovered searching anxieties were dictions of the season live among us groundless, without foundationMoments of friendship when the and teach us how to make Our lives listening ear and hugs of neighbors arrived precisely when fear presided beauteous, something compassionate, lest our spirits die and we vanish as shadows in the night. over my soul and distrust kept watch— something holy, something joyful and Candles of Grace to ease heavy burdens. Candles of Love to inspire all Mayberry Orchard Part I" At its November meeting, the Utah Department of Transportation again recommended that matching funds be made available for the Mayberry Orchard purchase by the Nature Conservancy. This despite the small but vocal group which opposed the project, claiming that the funds would be taken from highway improvement monies and that taxes would be lost. Both Moments of praise and thanksgiv- I will light the candle of fellowship ing when, in one grand sweep, the sheer wonder and beauty of living overwhelmed me— So I pause to become mindful and give thanks for many blessings, some so intimate that they do not seem blessings at all: The ability to get tired and be renewed by rest and relaxation; the whole range of tastes from sweet to bitter and the subtleties in between; the peculiar quality cool water has for this Christmas. I believe experiences of unity in human relations are more Grand County Council/UDOT public compelling than the fears and prejudices which divide. Despite the Board became convinced of the strong tendency to feel my positions superior, my friends the only true friends, my faith the one authentic faith, I must evaporate the boundaries of my exclusiveness until my sense of separateness is completely enveloped in bonds of fellowship. I believe the true meaning of Christmas is expressed in the sharing of claims were refuted at the October hearing in Moab, and apparently the general support for this innovative project. This purchase will help protect a significant treasure. Scenic Byway 128 from the Dolores River confluence near Dewey Bridge to Potash is the only stretch on the Colorado Plateau where of hues blending with objects, making one’s graces in a world in which it is so easy to become callous, insensitive, the eye the inlet for flowing sensations of movement and form; the sheer mistrusting, and hard. Once this spirit one can drive along the Colorado River at water level (and Moab is the only town near the river.) I applaud the wisdom of the UDOT Board, the creativity of the Grand County Council, and the becomes part of our lives, every day is willingness of the Nature Conservancy. wonder of sound that gives to my inward parts feeling tones of height and Christmas and every night is freighted with anticipation for the dawning of Hurrah! quenching thirst; the color of sky and river and redrock and the vast complex —Cris Coffey |
