What I Have Learned So Far

 images of Lake Roosevelt, winter 2009 (click to see larger)


What I Have Learned So Far

Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I
not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,
looking into the shining world?  Because, properly
attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.
Can one be passionate about the just, the
ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
to no labor in its cause?  I don't think so.

All summations have a beginning, all effect has a
story, all kindness begins with the sown seed.
Thought buds toward radiance.  The gospel of
light is the crossroads of -- indolence, or action.

Be ignited, or be gone.

 

~ Mary Oliver ~ 
from New and Selected Poems,Volume Two

It only seemed fitting to close the year with a poem by one of my favorite writers. Mary Oliver always gives me words to chew on and thoughts that I continue to digest long after I close the book of poetry.  Happy New Year. May 2010 be filled with peace, possibilities, and promise.