Last night, I had a dream that I would like to share with you...
Rose of Sharon and I were at some sort of refuge for animals (probably a zoo). In leaving through a gift shop, I picked up a t-shirt that was for sale, noticed the price (fifty dollars) and quickly set it back down. The next scene that I remember is that of her and I going to a small diner for lunch. As we entered, right there on the counter was the very same brown t-shirt that I had looked at earlier, except this time I was told the price was only ten dollars. I thought "sweet" and said that I would get it...
Rose of Sharon took the t-shirt and ran out the door to play. Meanwhile, I ordered a lunch of enchiladas, rice, and extra salsa. After a short while, I could see that my plate had just been served up by the cook and placed on the glass shelf for the waitress to bring to me. But right then, a ragged old man took the plate and turned to bring it to me...
As the ragged man began to walk through the dining room towards me, he began to notice people that he knew sitting at other tables and so began to give them all food off of my plate! All of a sudden he had a big soup ladle in his hand: there went most of the rice... salsa went here and there as did the enchiladas... Finally, he made it to my table with a radiant, nearly toothless grin, on his face. There was only a very small portion of the food that remained on my plate...
I looked at the food and then up into his face, all dirty, creased, and nearly toothless simply beaming at me. I said, "Wow, you sure have a lot of friends." It seemed that his smile got even larger. I remember thinking (in my dream) exactly this: St. Francis called his favorite place of refuge and prayer "a little portion" (Porziuncula). St. Francis still lives in a little portion!
Then I decided to leave (before that old man could give away my remaining food). At the counter, my ticket said that the t-shirt was really fifty dollars and my enchilada dinner twelve... "Ah well" was my next thought in walking out the door... and there was Rose of Sharon (four years old once more) running around with the brown t-shirt draped on her back like a super-hero cape...
Normally, I give very little thought to my dreams (only a few have been worth remembering) since its those "awake dreams" that really count. But this one... and the grin on that old man's face... and it's not because I also gave away a lot of food to hungry folks... rather, it's about the little portion that matters: and not just a little bit. Each of our little portions mean everything: it is the sum total of our lives. And not that there is some Almighty Accountant in the Sky tracking everything for which we will have to pay...
Rather... it's the portion and the grin... we receive the gift of breath and we continue to live so long as we give it back to where it came from, right? All that we ever really "have" is our next breath and even that hinges upon our giving it away. We all complicate everything: with our perceptions, constructs, theologies, economics, and politics: with our fears, hurts, doubts, questions, and memories: when the truth is always the same and always for everyone: the Home of the Beloved (the Kingdom of God) is within you / us... in our little portion of life... and it is always an absolute miracle...
Rose of Sharon and I were at some sort of refuge for animals (probably a zoo). In leaving through a gift shop, I picked up a t-shirt that was for sale, noticed the price (fifty dollars) and quickly set it back down. The next scene that I remember is that of her and I going to a small diner for lunch. As we entered, right there on the counter was the very same brown t-shirt that I had looked at earlier, except this time I was told the price was only ten dollars. I thought "sweet" and said that I would get it...
Rose of Sharon took the t-shirt and ran out the door to play. Meanwhile, I ordered a lunch of enchiladas, rice, and extra salsa. After a short while, I could see that my plate had just been served up by the cook and placed on the glass shelf for the waitress to bring to me. But right then, a ragged old man took the plate and turned to bring it to me...
As the ragged man began to walk through the dining room towards me, he began to notice people that he knew sitting at other tables and so began to give them all food off of my plate! All of a sudden he had a big soup ladle in his hand: there went most of the rice... salsa went here and there as did the enchiladas... Finally, he made it to my table with a radiant, nearly toothless grin, on his face. There was only a very small portion of the food that remained on my plate...
I looked at the food and then up into his face, all dirty, creased, and nearly toothless simply beaming at me. I said, "Wow, you sure have a lot of friends." It seemed that his smile got even larger. I remember thinking (in my dream) exactly this: St. Francis called his favorite place of refuge and prayer "a little portion" (Porziuncula). St. Francis still lives in a little portion!
Then I decided to leave (before that old man could give away my remaining food). At the counter, my ticket said that the t-shirt was really fifty dollars and my enchilada dinner twelve... "Ah well" was my next thought in walking out the door... and there was Rose of Sharon (four years old once more) running around with the brown t-shirt draped on her back like a super-hero cape...
Normally, I give very little thought to my dreams (only a few have been worth remembering) since its those "awake dreams" that really count. But this one... and the grin on that old man's face... and it's not because I also gave away a lot of food to hungry folks... rather, it's about the little portion that matters: and not just a little bit. Each of our little portions mean everything: it is the sum total of our lives. And not that there is some Almighty Accountant in the Sky tracking everything for which we will have to pay...
Rather... it's the portion and the grin... we receive the gift of breath and we continue to live so long as we give it back to where it came from, right? All that we ever really "have" is our next breath and even that hinges upon our giving it away. We all complicate everything: with our perceptions, constructs, theologies, economics, and politics: with our fears, hurts, doubts, questions, and memories: when the truth is always the same and always for everyone: the Home of the Beloved (the Kingdom of God) is within you / us... in our little portion of life... and it is always an absolute miracle...
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