Finished Mandala #61 on a stormy morning / Ann Humphreys (Lummi Elder) / "Come in," he said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

Mandala #61:  Honoring Ann Humphrey's Life)

*

SHELTER FROM THE STORM

'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, I got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on an uneventful morn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence I got repaid with scorn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

Bob Dylan

To Point Whitehorn and home again

 

Several friends had told me that Point Whitehorn is a magical place that can now be visited fairly easily.  In recent days, I have longed to be by salt water again and so I arranged to meet a friend at the trailhead yesterday.  There is a 3/4 mile trail through a lush forest of mixed evergreens and deciduous trees, filled with summer birdsong.  As the winding trail meets with the bluffs, there are spectacular lookouts and finally a set of wooden stairs down to the narrow beach with its glacial erratics,  cobblestones,  massive driftwood and an abundance of shelters created out of smaller pieces of driftwood.  The morning was windy and cool but not uncomfortably so.  Only a few people had come to walk on the beach and look out at the expanse of salt water with islands in the distance.  My friend and I talked through our masks  This is only the third time I have arranged to get together with a friend since March, although I have talked at a safe social distance with friends and neighbors when I go out walking in my neighborhood.  Point Whitehorn is a 30-minute drive from my home.  My friend lives close to Point Whitehorn.

Looking north

Looking south

Looking up to see one of the many Bald Eagles

Returning home to where I continue to shelter in place, missing the presence of Oboe after having her lovely company for the past 15 years

I know I'll be returning to Point Whitehorn again and again.  Beginning with my childhood in California, I have found shelter in the beauty of our mother earth.



Be safe.  Be well.  Be loved.

By going and coming, a bird weaves its nest.
-- African (Ashanti)

"... it could even be like a myth ..."

How many ways down have does a stroll of the man before you to call a man to him?
(Dashboard translation of a Dashboard translation of "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?")

Storm The From Shelter:



When I woke up this morning, I could hear "Shelter From The Storm" in my mind.  What jumped out at me were the words, "If I could only turn back to the clock to when God and her were born."  A Zen question came to me.  Who is the mother of God and her?

Thank you to whomever turned back the clock of "Shelter From The Storm."

Bringing it all back to "Twas" and "Nalyd Bob."

SHELTER FROM THE STORM

As I was thinking about having heard my nephew sing "Woodstock" in an "American Rock" performance in Seattle last Sunday, these later lyrics by Joni Mitchell came to me.

"All we ever wanted was just to come in from the cold."

NEW MORNING AT SCUDDER POND

A while back, my sister emailed this video to me. It just takes a few minutes to watch. I've been meaning to post it.

I've been listening to a CD with the title of "Graceful Passages." I bought it at the hospital gift shop during my father's last years, the years that followed the death of my mother. I was drawn by these words on the back of the CD case:

"A powerful tool for the grieving; a healing comfort for the heart." -- Stephen and Ondrea Levine

"Music with spoken messages and prayers, presenting a peaceful reflection on the eternal questions of life while helping us care for ourselves and our loved ones. Spoken by:

Ram Dass
Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh
The Very Rev. Alan Jones
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D.
Fr. Maximillian Mizzi, O.F.M. Conv.
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
and other mentors and guides.

Introduction by Ira Byock, M.D.
Foreward by Sam Keen
Epilogue by Kathleen Dowling Singh, PH.D.

Epilogue:

PRAYER FOR PRESENCE:

Let us be the ear that listens without judgment and with deep compassion
to all that the voice of our loved one has to say in the phase of Chaos.

Let us be the still and quiet point of acceptance where the personal life is
reviewed and resolved, honored and released.

Let us be the silent and understanding companion to the voiceless time
of Surrender.

The love will endure, never fear. In fact, beyond the personal self,
love just gets stronger, purer, freer, deeper. Go there with your
loved one.

Sit and breathe with your loved one, matching your rhythms.

Sit and meditate with your loved one, matching your visions.

Sit and pray with your loved one, matching your deepest longings.

Let us share, far beyond the last breath and even through a breaking
heart, in our loved one's Transcendence; the entrance, at the edge
of life, into the peaceful luminous Center."

I had put the CD away before my father died and completely forgotten about it until a few weeks ago.

















"So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue." (Bob Dylan, "New Morning," 1970)