Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's evenings. YAHYĀ proclaims in the nights and speaks: "The [heavenly] wheels and chariots quaked. Sun and Moon weep and the eyes of Rūhā shed tears." He says: "Yahyā, thou art like to a scorched mountain, which brings forth no grapes in this world. Thou art like to a dried-up stream, on whose banks no plants are raised. Thou hast become a land without a lord, a house without worth. A false prophet hast thou become, who hast left no one to remember thy name. Who will provide thee with provision, who with victuals, and who will follow to the grave after thee?"When Yahyā heard this, a tear gathered in his eye; a tear in his eye gathered, and he spake: "It would be pleasant to take a wife, and delightul for me to have children. But only if I take no woman,—and then comes sleep, desire for her seizes me and I neglect my night-prayer. If only desire does not wake in me, and I forget my Lord out of my mind. If only desire does not wake in me, and I neglect my prayer every time."

How do we balance and fulfill and make whole our lives?

Mostly, for most of us, we don't. I expect most of us don't even try. Not really. We blithely allow the trivial and instrumental to fill our days.

And unawares we wonder why our lives seem more or less empty.

I expect there are six billion and more paths to fulfillment. But whichever way I am to go - or you - it means choosing an intended path and keeping mostly on the path.

Even if we are very slow. Even if we consciously choose a crossing path.

But too often I follow another's path or no path at all. Too often I am so busy going hither and yon I don't even notice the varied paths laid out for my choosing.

Dear God, thank you for the paths you have offered. Help me to stay on the way to you.