Blue

“Poor little bird, you can’t fly.”

“No, but I can look up.”—George MacDonald

Ancient Israelites were instructed to attach tassels to the four corners of their garments, and to weave a cord of blue into each tassel. “You will have these tassels to look at,” Moses said,“so you will remember…that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God” (Numbers 15:37-41).

We don’t necessarily wear blue-tinted tassels these days, but we still have reminders: a mountain lake, a glacial crevice, a mountain bluebird, a jewel–wing damselfly, an alpine forget–me–not, a hyacinth, the eyes of a loved one, a cloudless, cerulean sky—all these visible things remind us to lift our eyes from our loneliness and the four walls of our cloister to that invisible realm where eternal love and compassion await us (Psalm 103:4).

This is the end of life: To be loved and loved and loved.

David Roper

5.6.20