"What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?  This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous." - Thomas Merton. 

Thomas Merton is, without a doubt, my deserted island writer. You know the question: If you only had one album to take with you to a deserted island, what would it be? My answer: Kind of Blue, Miles Davis.  I can listen to it on repeat for years and still find new conversations within it. Its layers and textures of extraordinary improvisation force you to listen and give, not take. Give it your attention, ask it your questions, and draw your conclusions.  Then do it again.  And that just gets you through the first Coltrane solo.  There's so much more to come!  

I esteem Merton very much the same way.  "No man is an Island" might be my favorite of his and would certainly accompany me on that island. I love the serious attention he pays to the "real self".  We are undeniably and perpetually distracted into thinking that marque accomplishments in life are the reason we're here, when that scary adventure across the "abyss that separates us from ourselves" is the real underestimated treasure. 

I have written a few songs for my wife. A few songs about my wife. I sang the first one at our wedding.  I've sung the second one at other weddings. They seem to be well liked. I'm sure there are those who like the songs for their melody and feel. I believe my wife likes them for the stories they tell. The song is not the hero. Love is the hero. The journey and relational discovery are more significant elements in the songs than their catchy or un-catchy choruses.  

When Logan, my daughter, figured out how to buckle herself in her car seat, it wasn't the neatly snapped straps of the seat that was impressive, but rather that it represented a beautiful fight. The battle she fought for weeks trying to sort it all out. The frustration. The anger. The determination. The resolve. The belief. The victory! 

I believe God did not waste his time or artistry on any of us. We were made to reflect a goodness that is worth discovering. We are swings designed to move. To do so, we extend by learning and contract by habit-ing, all the while moving with enthusiastic anticipation across that abyss.