All the things I will never know, I will never know and in my not knowing, I am comforted and consoled by all the things I have known and can know. There is no sadness in my not knowing, for there is unbounded joy in that which I am blessed to know. I cannot expect to be a glorious, blooming flower but I can bloom where I am planted. I get to be part of this natural world in ways I could not have imagined – living in the mountains, in the desert, by a river, near the woods, on a lake. Having feasted in all the seasons as well as on the seasons of my life, I am humbled and bowed in gratitude.
Today I saw fresh cow parsley as green as green can be on this first day of December as I walked on the trail. The cows had been there and left patties of thanks too. I walk through the trees, watching the leaves fall and accumulate, die and decay and then provide food for new plants and growth next Spring. The birds are fewer and they will return soon in greater numbers, small and large, colorful and camouflaged. The vermilion flycatcher stays and flashes his red coat so we recognize him.
As one of the creatures who inhabit this natural world, I sense my place in it, not as a blooming flower in all its glory but rather as a species able to describe where I am, who I am, what my place is and how I am to be in these sacred moments. Yes, sacred because, like the one who said he sees through a glass dimly and then face to face, I see Creator Spirit where I look and, like Denise Levertov said, being in the orchard, being hungry and tasting the fruit. That is one of a thousand sacred moments that are given to us every day.
When I move from the common and ordinary to the uncommon and extraordinary, that’s a good moment in time and that happens often and comes in many forms. Sometimes it is a slight shift in perception, sometimes it is a big shift in movement. Some are planned, some are not. The latter ones I file under surprised by Grace.
—Gary Gruber
No comments:
Post a Comment