Wednesday, November 07, 2007

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

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