The High Place
The young man stood beneath the shade of the juniper, staring upward at the sheer face of the cliff. It reared its head above him, stretching nearly a thousand feet upward, to end in a sharp point that the old ones had called The High Place. The hill had once been considered sacred, he knew, […]
A Stranger “The Reverence Poem”
“The Reverence Poem” A Stranger stood by the old Church door, His clothes were old and worn; His shoes were scuffed and the soles were loose, His coat was ragged and torn. I paused as I saw him standing there, His hair was thin and gray, And I wondered, “Should I ask this man To […]
The Three Apprentices
Three apprentices were one day making swords for their Master, who had commanded them to do so. The Master also had given specific instructions on how they were to be made. As the three apprentices worked they debated over what was really the proper procedure and the many secrets of making fine steel. The first […]
Optimist Creed
Promise Yourself – To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only […]
The Cynic
The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man and never fails to see a bad one. He is the human owl, vigilant in darkness and blind to light; mousing for vermin and never seeing noble game. The cynic puts all human actions into only two classes, openly bad and secretly […]
It Isn’t the Church – It’s You
If you want to have the kind of a church Like the kind of a church you like, You needn’t slip your clothes in a grip And start on a long, long hike. You’ll only find what you left behind, For there’s nothing really new. It’s a knock at yourself when you knock your church; […]
John Muir Quote
Every motion of the constantly shifting bodies in the world, is timed to the occasion of some definite, foreordered end. The flowers blossom in obedience to the same law that marks the course of constellations. Nature is one, and to me the greatest delight of observation and study is to discover new unities in this […]
Should Man Expect Much Less
The earth’s a gentle place When Spring first breathes anew, And lifts its smiling face To say that Winter’s through. The sun that paints the skies, Which Winter grays conceal, Bids nature to “Arise!” And breaks the ice-tong’s seal. What song of hope is ours As heaven’s grace is shed On hilltops crowned with flowers […]