After walking miles of paved neighborhood streets
where autumn leaves are bagged up
unhealthy trees are removed and hauled away
and bark adheres to trunks
it was with a jolt that I enter the woods
down by the river, where
trees fold in half upon one another and
limbs fracture at the trunk.
Huge sheets of decomposing bark lie at the
base of the tree. Two saplings
cross one another like Medieval
swords in battle. “On guard! Touché!
After wondering if all of this signifies
the chaos of the world
My eyes are drawn to this tall tree that stands out.
One mature, healthy cottonwood pulls me towards her.
The tips of my fingers touch her rough, protective
bark of variegated colors.
In that graced moment and holy embrace
words of reassurance are heard.
Even if this one tree were all that was left
the forest will still exist.
Seeds will propagate. Rains will fall. The sun will shine.
In love, creation lives on.
Prayerfully encircling the Live One no longer
do I imagine hearing
Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Dorothy chanting their chief fears,
“Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, O My!”
Now the afternoon hours hasten on and
the unmistakable honking
of geese is heard overhead while others are
caught snoozing on a sandbar.
Flanked by the Missouri River, one gull transmits
a peace sign. The enchanted
forest draws me inward and I am thankful
for the unity with creation.
Moving in Circles
This week the possibility of seeing snow geese captivated me so I drove to the De Soto Bend Refuge Area. While there I began a circular path in the tradition of the Celts. While observing nature on both sides of the dirt trail, I was led to experience circles in a different way. On a path of my own making, I pray while softly singing a line of scripture. It is in the encircling that eventually I hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. She reveals brokenness hidden in my heart before fears and anxiety are calmed.
Reflecting back on the summer season of my life, it sometimes felt like I was running circles around myself while caring for our active family. Even in the autumn of my life there are times that there seems to be too much to do. Yet I long for enough time to simply be in the presence of the Divine.
When the earth is tilted just right, and the sun streams more fully through the windows revealing the waves of dust on floors and windowsills it is apparently time for spring cleaning. Certainly, I could run circles around myself trying to get all the things crossed off the list. Instead, I’ll keep this in mind.
Where the Light shines we are led to release
and are free to laugh or cry in prayer.
Know that you are loved and held in the embrace of God,
Rev. Marta Wheeler