Being the Beloved - A Monthly Blog from CFDM Northwest
By Lisa Alteio, CFDM Faculty
Fall has arrived in my neck of the woods, and I am soaking in the beauty all around me. I am grateful for the reminder nature gives each year - that letting go can be beautiful. I am excited to share a favorite poem with you and I pray it is a blessing to you in this season. After reading Macrina’s words, I am deeply touched by the thought that my vulnerability, my dependence, my need and my emptiness, is where my Beauty can be found. May I be courageous enough to give to the world and those I love from this place.
I would love to know what is evoked in you as you read.
THE SACRAMENT OF LETTING GO
© Macrina Wiederkehr
Slowly
she celebrated the sacrament of letting go.
First she surrendered her green,
then the orange, yellow, and red.
finally she let go of her own brown.
Shedding her last leaf
she stood empty and silent, stripped bare.
Leaning against the winter sky,
she began her vigil of trust.
Shedding her last leaf,
she watched it journey to the ground.
She stood in silence
wearing the colors of emptiness,
her branches wondering,
How do you give shade with so much gone?
And then,
the sacrament of waiting began.
The sunrise and the sunset watched with tenderness.
Clothing her with silhouettes
that kept her hope alive.
They helped her to understand that
her vulnerability,
her dependence and need,
her emptiness, her readiness to receive,
were giving her a new kind of Beauty.
Every morning and every evening they stood in silence,
and celebrated together
the sacrament of waiting.
It is my prayer for us all that we may be found waiting in Hope, ready to receive the gifts that are offered when we have let go of what we are called to.
What books, media, activities are nurturing your heart, soul, mind, strength in this season as we are loving God and our neighbor as ourselves? Post in the comments below or hop on over to our Facebook page and share with one another.