Meditation from a Farmer

Farmer Thom Shuman of Cincinnati, Ohio sent this in after reading a weekday Gospel passage. Wise words put cleverly. Thank you so much, Thom!


'Vocatus atque non vocatus
deus aderit'

I've checked into Motel Stupid so many
times in my life, tossing and turning on
its hairshirt bed. Yet every morning,
you are there, straightening up the room,
putting out clean linen, hanging up my
clothes, wanting to know if there is anything
else you can do for me.

I've found myself in the crushing crowd at
the Chaos concert, pushed and pulled and
pummeled by the fears, doubts, and worries
all around me. And I feel your hand on my
shoulder, as you whisper in my ear, 'I've
got your back.'

I've bellied up to the bar at the Pub of Bad
Choices, where you wipe off the bar with
your veronica towel, top off my pint, hand
it to me, and lean on your elbows asking,
'so, what brings you here tonight?'

Packed and finally ready to go, I take the
last train to nowhere, hopping off and walking
the last few yards to the edge of despair, where
you stand looking over, shaking your head and
muttering to yourself, 'looks like a long drop
to the bottom' as you shine your light for me.

Over the entrance to his house in Zurich, and
on his tombstone, psychologist Carl Jung had
inscribed 'Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.' ("Bidden or not bidden, God is present.")

p.s. If you'd like to see more of Thom's work, check out his website at: www.occasionalsightings.blogspot.com