Daily Signet

Long travels, long delays, layovers and standbys.  A day full of getting there.
Long storms, long nights, late freezes and standbys.  A winter full of getting there.
Long illness, long suffering, surgery and standbys.  A year full of getting there.
Long injustice, long hunger, sanctions and standbys.  A decade of getting there.
Long separation, long sleeps, sacrifices and standbys.  An eternity of getting there.
In between grief and getting-there, is standing by. In standby time we anguish
with the unknown.  The worst is over but the birth has not yet happened.
The Jews have set out Elijah’s cup for thousands of years now,
Waiting for the birth.
Did the three days after Jesus’ crucifixion seem like thousands of years?
In celestial time?
What if his followers had all turned against him
because the resurrection did not come at once?
There is no standard gestation time for a birth that follows death.
No direct correlation of death time to rebirth.
The only promise is that it will come,
maybe in this lifetime, or the next.
In this Holy Week I pray for strength in the standby times. 

Jamie Ziegler

On This Day…

St. Mary of Egypt: 4C penitent and wilderness hermit known for her miracles

Washington Irving born 1783 in Manhattan, New York, died 1859: author, essayist, biographer, historian, diplomat.

Works: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Biography of Muhammad, Tales of the Alhambra

Quotes: “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.” “A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.” “Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.”