Love is the whole thing. We are only pieces.*

Keys in one hand and organic pastries in the other, he starts his SUV with the click of a button as he dashes through the frigid air.

Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.

I turn the corner. Glancing at the time glowing in the predawn light, I slow my fuzzy-booted pace.

Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place.

A small burst of warm cinnamon air escapes the store reaching the makeshift cardboard fort on the sidewalk. 

SUV Guy: “I did not give you a dirty look.”

The moon stays bright when it doesn’t avoid the night.

Homeless Guy: “You did! You looked right at me– ”

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

SUV Guy: “I wasn’t looking at you. I have my own problems– ”

Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the world.

Crossing the threshold of pine and holly, the scent of Christmas wraps me in memories of you.

When you seek love with all your heart you shall find its echo in the universe.

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*Rumi quotes in italics

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Jalal al-Din Rumi, known as Rumi as well as by the honorific Mawlana (1207-1273), was a Sufi mystic and poet in the Persian language. He also wrote in Arabic as well as Turkish and Greek, to a lesser extent. Rumi’s writing and spiritual leadership influenced the Indian subcontinent and by the end of the 20th century his poetry was circulated worldwide.
See Rumi’s English language bibliography, here.

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