sabbath moment

for everything there is a season

sometimes on the Sabbath

all you can do

is settle into the soft body of yourself

and listen to what it says

listen to the exhaustion

that is deeper than tiredness

the hunger

that is for more than food

the thirst

that is for more than drink

the longing for comfort

that is more than physical

on the Sabbath

body and soul reach out for time of a different sort

time that is full of space rather than activity

time to watch the burning bush in your own back yard

the movement of the wind among bare branches

the last leaf that clings to the branch

before its final letting go

letting go is hard

letting go of that which no longer works

that which no longer brings joy and meaning

that which is no longer full of life

it seems cruel

that something that used to be so beautiful

should fall to the ground

sinking into the earthy mud

along with everything else that is dying

no longer recognizable for what it used to be

it seems cruel

but it is the way of things

one generation gives its life

for the next

one season slips away

so another can come

one crop of fruit falls from the tree

so that more can be borne

one wave recedes

while another gathers strength

to crash upon the shore

it seems cruel

but it is the rhythm of things

and rhythm has its own beauty