my relationship with jesus has been an interesting journey..
like many folk i know..
it began when i was a young methodist novice of christianity..
i was brought to sunday school in my best pinafores
where i was given a picture of jesus..
a very congenial fellow with long hair, blue eyes..
very white and bright..
i liked him right away
- though he seemed to watch me wherever i went -
one of those pictures where the eyes followed one
around the corner and through the walls..
i remember placing the picture in my closet
just to get a little privacy..
every now and then, i'd step in for a viewing
and an intimate conversation..
we were closet buddies..
i grew away from him when i went off to theater school..
leaving him alone with his thoughts..
and taking mine with me..
i began my own svadyaya.. self-study..
buddhism - to study the way is to study the self
krishnamurti - to lead a timeless life, you must wear a watch
yoga - yoga is the dissolution of all reactive tendencies of the mind
gurdjieff - remember your self always and everywhere
sufism - love is the healing power and the remedy for all pain
i ching, the tarot, the runes
leaving him in the dust..in my closet
soo many years later
while visiting my mother's family
in south carolina..
i was taken to a concert of the doobie brothers ..
of course, of course -
i knew the song..
it turned out to be more
of a revival meeting than a rock concert..
the mantra ~
jesus is just alright
and he was, is.. always has been..
i like him..
now
much deeper and sweeter
are my feelings for him and his teachings..
he speaks the truth
and i know
from our long standing friendship
that he asks only the best in us
to
shine, shine, shine..
after all,
the kingdom of heaven is within..
he and the holy mother..
(all the holy mothers)
reside in the pantheon
of high holies in my heart..
he is an ancestor and a spiritual friend ~
he rises every morning with the sun..
embraced by the buddhas,
dancing with the gopis,
sharing psalms in the highlands,
sowing seeds in the lowlands,
riding the waves of every sea..
jesus is just alright with me
jesus is just alright
arthur reynolds - 1966
( first recorded by the art reynolds singers - 1966
the byrds - 1969, the doobies - 1972, dc talk - 1992)
