The Journey – Feb. 7, 2019
The Journey One day you finally knewwhat you had to do, and began,though the voices around youkept shoutingtheir bad advice–though the whole housebegan to trembleand you felt the old tugat your ankles.“Mend my life!”each voice cried.But you didn’t stop.You knew what you had to do,though the wind priedwith its stiff fingersat the very foundations,though their […]
Wild Geese – Feb. 6, 2019
Wild Geese You do not have to be good.You do not have to walk on your kneesfor a hundred miles through the desert repenting.You only have to let the soft animal of your bodylove what it loves.Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.Meanwhile the world goes on.Meanwhile the sun and the […]
Instructions – Feb. 5, 2019
Instructions for living a life Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it. -Mary Oliver, excerpt from “Sometimes,” in Red Bird (Beacon Press, 2008)
The Summer Day – Feb. 4, 2019
The wonderful poet Mary Oliver died on January 17th at the age of 83. She was considered “a poet of the natural world”. She made nature sing and dance in a spirit filled way for me. Quite likely, you’ve read a poem or two of hers. Moved by the rich simplicity with which she wrote, […]