Smile According to Habakkuk

Saturday morning I sat by the Newburyport waterfront and began working an outline for a longer work I wish to write. So while six hawks soared the sky across the river I graffit’d away on my Sony Clie. Things went well for a time until I realized I had strayed from my original intent. And the hawks were gone. So I set down my stylus and went and bought Brian Wilson’s Smile instead, his masterwork that was released last week, thirty-seven years in the making.

Later that night, Beverly and I attended the wedding of her friend’s son. While sitting through the long Catholic Mass, my mind began to stray and I thought of the outline and where I should go with it, frustrated at the slowness and difficulty of this particular idea. The mass continued into Communion so I grabbed the missal and decided to read this Sunday’s liturgy. The first reading was from the Book of Habakkuk:

Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

Amen, I smiled. Communion was realized. Vows were said; the groom kissed the bride; and the mass was over. We went in peace.