This verse of Rumi reminds me of our free spirit moving on through life struggling to navigate from birth to death. This could be a straight path between two important points in life on earth. Is this journey ever straight enough to see through the purpose of life?

Rumi describes our connection to each other as a flame of a candle in our hearts that is ready to be kindled when we feel the joy or sadness of others…

Sometimes, there are tough patches on the path of life that we have to walk through.

Rumi tells a story about a King drunk with his own power asking to be worshipped! He commands his people one by one, “Worship me or jump into this pit of fire!”

Many months ago, I elaborated on one of Rumi’s poems about Jesus and the resurrection. Shortly after that I got a call from my poet friend with this question, “Isn’t resurrection Catholic?” Perplexed, I thought about her question.

If we ask ourselves how we create imbalances in the world, this verse from Rumi would be a good quote to remember! What I love about the books of Mathnawi is the wisdom of Rumi who could bring a few words together in such a profound way in order to show us the pitfalls of human nature. Mathnawi is a manuscript of [self-reflection]. With each story, the readers learn something about themselves and what they need to face.