Passage Two: In Sunshine and In Shadow
This morning I said, "What?"
With impatience in my voice,
And I was immediately sorry.
Others may slash and burn
Without a second thought,
But they do not know better.
I want more. I want better,
But better is not a tightrope walk,
With any slip, a fall from grace.
I am becoming better
Toward myself and others.
I am more understanding,
Even when I do not understand.
Some things take time.
Things I could not make myself
Be or do with a whip in hand,
With humility I have grown
And come to in good time.
Humility is not a low thing.
It is a thing so great,
It encompasses all things.
It holds all gently in its hands.
It looks upon with open eyes.
It is not afraid to look or feel
Because it knows
How it looks and how it feels.
It knows it is benevolent.
We let turtles go this afternoon,
Ones Graham had nurtured back to health.
The sun was shining through the trees
And the water of the creek was still.
Almost every one of them resurfaced,
And some looked at us for quite a while.
It was a quiet, sunny, happy time for us.
I know I never will forget it.
When I am feeling impatient or annoyed,
There are places where
Those ripples are allowed
To dissipate in sunshine and in shadow.
I am not going to tell you
All you have to do
Is this or that.
I will say that you will grow
In wisdom and in love,
But not in wisdom without love.
As we grow in both,
We grow more humble
Because we realize how much
We have been given.
