Celebrate connectedness

Our connections — 

 To the earth, and to each other — 

 Keep us grounded when our institutions fail, 

Offer solace and safety in the storms, 

And inspire us to new heights 

Of compassion and creativity: 

Celebrate them!

Appreciate complexity

Surely the complexity of nature 

 Echoes the complexity 

 Of human minds and relationships: 

Why do we insist on reducing all we see 

To black and white when there are so many 

Shades of gray?

Gaining perspective

That is, of course, the gift of perspective: 

When we step back a bit, we begin to see 

Both the larger picture and the shadows 

Old decisions and restrictions may be casting…

Hidden in the shadows

Sometimes, hidden in the darkness, 

Masked by the threat of storms, 

There exists a door, hiding in the shadows, 

Waiting to be opened. 

 Move through this and keep breathing; 

New light and life await on the other side.

Righteous flocking

I watch as a flock of starlings, startled, 

Take shelter in my neighbor’s tree, 

Moving as one to fly to safety, 

Triggered by the sound of an opening door. 

It was just my husband, going out to feed them. 

Humans, too, are quick to assume the worst, 

Joining the unquestioning surge 

 Of righteous indignation, 

 Triggered by an act or word 

 Uttered with the best of intentions…

The earth can bear your weight

Those days when you feel sinking; lost? 

It may just be an illusion: touch the ground.

 Trust that you are still connected; 

That the earth can bear the weight 

Of your troubles, and those illusions 

Are neither as convincing or as terrifying 

As they appear.

Healing the divisions

We cannot hope to heal 

The divisions between us 

Until we begin to heal 

The divisions within us.