{"id":1827,"date":"2016-04-11T09:56:26","date_gmt":"2016-04-11T13:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=1827"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:47:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:47:49","slug":"april-11-start-close-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2016\/04\/11\/april-11-start-close-in\/","title":{"rendered":"April 11 — Start Close In"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday, April 11 \u2014 “begin to pray from where you are\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lives of Catherine McAuley, RSM and Ignatius Loyola, SJ, Detroit Mercy\u2019s two foundational spirits, offer similar advice about beginnings: \u00a0try to notice where I am and begin from there. \u00a0\u201cWhere am I?\u201d can make a subtle and revolutionary question. \u00a0When I am frightened, I begin with that fear; when I am tender and accessible, begin there. \u00a0Same with my sadness, my anger, my joy.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a favorite from Ignatius in The Spiritual Exercises; notice the place talk: \u00a0\u201cI will\u00a0remain<\/u>\u00a0quietly meditating\u00a0upon<\/u>\u00a0the point\u00a0in which<\/u>\u00a0I found what I desire, without any eagerness\u00a0to go on<\/u>\u00a0until I have been satisfied.\u201d (Sp. Ex. #76) \u00a0 Catherine, an exceptional traveler, writes in 1840:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cAmidst\u00a0all this tripping about<\/u>: \u00a0our hearts can always be in the same\u00a0place<\/u>\u00a0centered in God, for whom alone we\u00a0go forward<\/u>, or\u00a0stay back<\/u>.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0Place matters. \u00a0When I notice where I am the place awakens me.<\/p>\n

David Whyte has made regular appearances on this list. \u00a0Here\u2019s one about beginnings and place that a friend pointed out this past weekend. \u00a0It makes a good start to the new week for me. \u00a0For you too, I hope.<\/p>\n

Blessings on these days of spring, daffodils and baseball.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post\u00a0\u2014\u00a0\u00a0“START CLOSE IN<\/strong>“<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Start close in,
\ndon’t take the second step
\nor the third,
\nstart with the first
\nthing
\nclose in,
\nthe step
\nyou don’t want to take.<\/p>\n

Start with
\nthe ground
\nyou know,
\nthe pale ground
\nbeneath your feet,
\nyour own
\nway of starting
\nthe conversation.<\/p>\n

Start with your own
\nquestion,
\ngive up on other
\npeople’s questions,
\ndon’t let them
\nsmother something
\nsimple.<\/p>\n

To find
\nanother’s voice,
\nfollow
\nyour own voice,
\nwait until
\nthat voice
\nbecomes a
\nprivate ear
\nlistening
\nto another.<\/p>\n

Start right now
\ntake a small step
\nyou can call your own
\ndon’t follow
\nsomeone else’s
\nheroics, be humble
\nand focused,
\nstart close in,
\ndon’t mistake
\nthat other
\nfor your own.<\/p>\n

Start close in,
\ndon’t take
\nthe second step
\nor the third,
\nstart with the first
\nthing
\nclose in,
\nthe step
\nyou don’t want to take.<\/p>\n

\"David-Whyte\"<\/a><\/p>\n

David Whyte in\u00a0River Flow: New and Selected Poems<\/u><\/p>\n

This newly revised edition contains the most up to date versions of poems from David’s first five volumes of poetry:\u00a0Songs for Coming Home, Where Many Rivers Meet, Fire in the Earth, The House of Belonging<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Everything is Waiting for You,\u00a0<\/em>as well as the latest versions of the new poems that originally appeared in the first edition of\u00a0River Flow<\/em>. September 2012.<\/p>\n

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Monday, April 11 \u2014 “begin to pray from where you are\u201d \u00a0\u00a0 The lives of Catherine McAuley, RSM and Ignatius Loyola, SJ, Detroit Mercy\u2019s two foundational spirits, offer similar advice about beginnings: \u00a0try to notice where I am and begin … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1828,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827\/revisions\/1828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}