Steadiness

As October turns to November,
Delilah and I roam where the quiet
rests with ease
and the glorious pencil-legged heron
moves at tai chi speed.
We smell the summer wildflowers
(some that still fiercely bloom and some already gone to seed)
so that our senses can hold tight to
light and warmth in the dark days to come.

What we cannot change, we cannot change.
Our hearts are heavy with awarenesses
of the the inhumanities of humans and the toll
life’s harsh edges can take on a soul.

So, we walk to calm down, to let go,
to unteather ourselves from the
unhelpful side of struggle, sorrow, and pain
so we might find ouselves strong enough
and tender enough
to return to the work of kindness.

We walk.  We pray.  We laugh.  We sing.
We look, 
and in looking,
we are renewed by the lessons
and beauty all around us.

When we return home,
we gather a bouquet of marigolds still
dazzling in their orange and gold attire.
We fill the bird feeders.
We light candles, and
we give thanks...
that God provides,
that God is present in all and through all
as we watch the autumn leaves turn and tumble
and the morning sunlight fill the sky.

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