Poetry for the Soul and the Body

I was at a parish retreat tonight, a wonderful gathering of the Raggedy Band of believers who make up St. Leo Parish. We had 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 to pray over (we are many parts, we are all one body...) and then moved into groups to talk about what "weighs on your heart." I told the group that I sometimes find it easy to go to "the dark side," but that tonight, that tendency was more than balanced by the elation of the rescue of the Chilean miners. I need that reminder of good news so I can maintain a sense of hope in my work and in my being.

Over and over again, both in our small group and in the larger group as we reported back, hope was a key word, and this parish is a place that both gives us hope and sends us out in hope.

We closed with this poem by William Stafford.

The Way It Is

There's a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn't change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can't get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.
You don't ever let go of the thread.