Farther up, and farther in!

Sad news — see NYT Obit from Sarx — that Madeleine L'Engle died Thursday in Connecticut. She was 88. See also Maggi Dawn's blog.

Not so well known this side of the pond, L'Engle believed everything hangs together in spiritual unity, and that religion, science and magic are simply different aspects of a single seamless reality. She said of children's writing, "You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children"

She produced what Ian MacDonald calls "Spiritual Toffee" — so here are a few nuggets on which to chew:

Those who believe they believe in God but without passion in the heart, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, and even at times without despair, believe only in the idea of God, and not in God himself"

When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability... To be alive is to be vulnerable.

We tend to defend vigorously things that in our deepest hearts we are not quite certain about. If we are certain of something we know, it doesn't need defending.

It is far too easy to take refuge in our little groups, rather than allowing the Creator to change us as he changed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

agape means "a profound concern for the welfare of another without any desire to control that other, to be thanked by that other, or to enjoy the process." Not easy. But if we can follow it, it will mean that we will never exclude...It teaches me not only about forgiveness but about how to hope to give guidance without manipulation.

Wherever there is unity in diversity, then we are free to be ourselves; it cannot be done in isolation; we need each other.

We have false expectations of our holy days, of our churches, of each other. We have false expectations of our friends. Jesus did not. He had expectations, but they were not false, and when they were not met, he did not fall apart. He was never taken in by golden calves! Friendship not only takes time, it takes a willingness to drop false expectations, of ourselves, of each other. Friends--or lovers--are not always available to each other. Inner turmoils can cause us to be unhearing when someone needs us, to need to receive understanding when we should be giving understanding

Rest in peace... Rise in glory!