The following poem has been graciously shared by Heather Seargeant, a participant at the recent Art: Vocabulary For The Soul Retreat held at King's Fold in June.
The retreat was a journey taken in community, and as we gathered to share where we'd been led throughout the weekend, Heather shared this new poem. I asked her if I could share it with you, as I believe it calls us toward to Sacred Small–toward the great gift of attention we can offer to the world and one another.
NOW
Now
Life as it is.
‘Embracing the present moment’
for this is where God is
‘Now here
God here
God’s grace
God’s presence
God’s love’
When bells ring, harps play, the sun shines, the leaves
rustle softly on delighted trees
When all is mundane
when the floors are dirty and need to be washed
when weeds grow, when papers pile high
when endless errands must be run
When relationships die
when life is distressing
when beauty is destroyed
When we are blamed for what we have not done
when the best of intentions are misunderstood
When faith seems unreasonable
When faith seems perfectly reasonable
In every moment
In every task
In every leaf, cloud, raindrop, hailstone
In every everything
God is
Seen or unseen
‘Love at the very heart of things’
Oh, God! Help me first stop
remember
acknowledge
be grateful
lean into
even the moments I wish would go away
Open my heart to your transcendence
open my heart to your
redeeming
every
everything
You are always there
eager for me to
lay my head
on your shoulder
to be embraced
to admit my confusion
my weakness
my need
to know you weave
miracles
into
every everything
This sacred now.
~ Heather Seargeant
An author's note from Heather Seargeant on the quoted sections:
"The '...' denote words that I have borrowed rather closely from Larry Werner, Jean Pierre de Caussade and Malcolm Guite ... the idea really was sparked again by ideas expressed by Bill Dogterom."