BOOK ONE: pSALMS 1--41

Psalm 1
The Way of the Righteous and
  the End of the Ungodly



The Psalmist Prays:

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the
      ungodly,
  Nor stands in the path of sinners,
  Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
   And in His law he meditates day and
       night.
He shall be like a tree
    Planted by the rivers of water,
    That brings forth its fruit in its season,
     Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.


Psalmist Doris Prays:

Blessed is the woman
Who does not have her ear tuned to the gossip of the
     unholy
   Nor casts her lot with the ways of the proud,,
   Nor shares her heart with the haughty.
But her delight is in the lovingkindness of the Lord
   And in His lovingkindness she ponders morning and
       evening.
She shall be like a precious flower
    Planted in the garden of Eden.
    That brings forth its perfume in season,
    Whose petals also shall not wither;
And whatever she does meets with abundance.
 

 The Psalmist Prays:

The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind
        drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in
        the judgment
Nor sinners in the congregation of the
       righteous.

Psalmist Doris Prays:

The unholy are not so,
But are like the seeds of a dandelion that a small breeze
       steals away.
Therefore the unholy shall not
       bear witness
Nor be found in the midst of 
       a god-fearing people.

 The Psalmist Prays:

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalmist Doris Prays:

For the Lord stands with His people,
But the way of the unholy shall be lost.

Psalm 41

The Blessing  and Suffering
    of the Godly

THE PSALMIST PRAYS:

Blessed is he who considers the poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of
 trouble.
The Lord will preserve him and keep
  him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
You will not deliver him to the will of his
  enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him on his bed
  of illness.
You will sustain him on his sickbed.

PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:

Blessed is the woman who casts her glance
  on the downtrodden.
For the Lord calls her Compassionate..
The Lord will smile on her and call her his Beloved.
And she will be blessed in her comings and goings.
You will not put her forth in front of the evil one.
The Lord will lay beside her in her iniquity.
You will sustain her on her sickbed..

THE PSALMIST PRAYS:

I said, "Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against
  You."
My enemies speak evil of me.
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
And if he comes to see me, he speaks
  lies,
His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
When he goes out, he tells it.







PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:

I wept, "Lord, be loving to me;
Heal my spirit, for you know my sorrows..
My enemies would have me disappear.
"When will she depart, and be no more?"
And if she visits me, she looks at me with
  contempt. 
Her heart is full of wrongdoing.
And when she withdraws, she leaves a vapor
  of disdain.

THE PSALMIST PRAYS:

All who hate me whisper together against
  me;
Against me they devise my hurt.
"An evil disease, "they say, "clings to him.
And now that he lies down, he will rise up
  no more."
Even my own familiar friend in whom I
  trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted his heel against me.

PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:

All who dislike me speak in low murmurs with one another
  against  me.
Against me they plot my demise.
"A cancer, they say, "spreads through her body.
And now that she is on her sickbed, she will
 waste away."
Even the one I call faithful friend with whom I
 broke bread,
Has slipped from my gaze and turned against
  me.

THE PSALMIST PRAYS:

But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and
  raise me up.
That I may repay them.
By this I know that You are well pleased
  with me.
Because my enemy does not triumph over
  me.
As for me, You uphold me in my
  integrity.
And set me before your face forever.

PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:

But You, O Lord, in your lovingkindness
  have seen fit to show me another day.
That in my being I may show your mercy and
  put it before my enemy
By this I know your smile is ever on me.
Because my enemy has failed in its grasp of me..
As for me,  You pour your strength into me.
And hold me in the palm of your hand forever.

THE PSALMIST PRAYS:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.

PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:

Blessed be Yahweh, My God, My All.
From beginning to beginning!
The End and The End.

longest journey from the head to the heart.

The longest journey for me from the head to the
heart has been understanding what that means and
still exploring it.

Every time I hear that sentence my mind goes blank.

There is nothing that makes sense of it.

It's like I have a shadow or double exposure next
to myself.  That it sometimes trembles and shakes
and then merges into my body form.

Another way of thinking, another way of seeing.

It takes me a long time to comprehend words.
Like the word compassion -- to feel sorry for
someone-- yes, but there is more of  a depth to
that word compassion than at first hearing.

I step into that other person's body.  I walk with
them.  I don't fix anything.  And that enables me to
survive.