The Good, The True, The Beautiful

When we’re stripped of all our foolish ways
When at last we realize who we are
What remains of ourselves and all we encircle
The good, the true, the beautiful
The good, the true, the beautiful

When we cease the fight for things and schemes
And our falseness has fallen away
What remains; what we hold
For all we encircle
The good, the true, the beautiful
The good, the true, the beautiful.

Trust the process of life
Believe in the power inside
Let go and take hold and know this, know this:
Sacred is the ground where you stand.

When we claim the greatness in ourselves
When we live full measure
What we gain in ourselves and all we encircle
Is good, true, and beautiful
It’s good, true, and beautiful
It’s good, true, and beautiful

When we’re stripped of all our foolish ways….

 

Song Origins:
This is the first song I ever wrote and it will always be special because of that.  Not since has a song poured out of me the way this one has.  I had been preparing a workshop for my fellow Hospice volunteers and was listening to a beautiful CD, Graceful Passages, by Gary Malkin and Michael Stillwater.  In a deep, contemplative place, I went to shower for a client meeting.  Suddenly in the shower, the first line emerged, complete with melody.  And then the next, and the next, until I was scrambling to my studio, dripping wet to write it all down.  A miracle? Yes.

Jen’s Favorite Line:
When we’re stripped of all our foolish ways. When at last we realize who we are.

Questions to Contemplate:
What would being “stripped of all our foolish ways” look like in my home? In my community? In our world?
What do I need to “let go” of and what do I need to “take hold” of in order to claim the ground where I stand as sacred?