I am certain,
Someday when I rock a chair with my weathered skin, my worn out body,
that I will rock to the rhythm of these days.
That old chair, will click with the memories of bare feet on these plank floors,
the steady and predicted tick of irrigation running,
the anticipated sun on their eyelids as it rises over us,
the ebb and flow of the waves on all the lakes we have sat beside this summer.
All these memories will rock me to sleep, help me keep the peace.
But there is something else in me too;
I am terrified of these luxurious days.
In a world where bombs fall on schools and hemorrhagic fevers rage;
Where planes just fall from the sky and vanish,
is it still okay to spend an entire afternoon searching for the perfect swimming hole?
Am I part robot, all callous, if I can’t read another article about Syria but instead
read a poem by Wendell Berry as the sun rises, Annie Dillard as the sun sets?
I don’t know.
I make an offering of the huckleberries we picked.
A ceremony of the found fruits I hold and wash.
I celebrate the things that seem whole in a world so dreadfully broken.
Each one is a prayer for my friends in the midst of the rage.
To begin, I make all the peace I can.
one thing blog 
Beautiful. Just beautiful. You know, I don’t watch the news, nor do I read a newspaper. But every time I go to retrieve my emails, I see thumbnail snippets of what’s going on in the world. Even that exposure makes me nervous and sad, sometimes angry. I have to remind myself that God still sits on His throne, and all of it is still under His sovereign control.
And then, I have to touch base with the simple things again. A deer at our watering trough, a baby chipmunk scurrying in the yard, a butterfly, a sunset, a breeze making the chimes blow.
All that to say, that I think we honor God with a sort of worship when we turn away from the turmoil and focus on His beauty. As you said, “I celebrate the things that seem whole in a world so dreadfully broken.”
Yes, there is something hallowed about this.
GOD BLESS!
Your words are so beautiful, touching, and overflowing with emotion. We are privileged to live in a peaceful place at this time and also privileged to intercede in prayer for those caught in the horrors of this world.
Love this blog, Liss! Eyes full of tears at the moment!
Beautiful. With the world throwing us so many things to fear, I just keep pouring love into the things I love. Love on the people who matter and live creatively. Look for beauty and it will be everywhere. God Bless! ((HUGS))