| Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever. (Psalm 30:13) |
| Dear Friends, We are sliding down the backside of Hump Day. Thinking about this last line in this pslam of praise from Sunday, I thought of a poem by Mary Oliver and invite you to meditate on it this week juxtaposed with this psalm’s final line. Sea Leaves I walk beside the ocean, then turn and continue walking just beside the first berm, a few yards from the water which is at half tide. Eventually I find what I’m looking for, a plant green and with the flavor of raw salt, and leaves shaped like arrowheads. But before that, down the long shore, I have seen many things: shells, waves, once a pair of whimbrels, gulls and terns over the water, rabbits long-legging it through the thickets above the berm. I kneel and pick among the green leaves, not taking all of any plant but a few leaves from each, until my knapsack is filled. Keep your spinach; I’ll have this. Then I stroll home. I’ll cook the leaves briey; M. and I will eat some and put the rest into the freezer, for winter. The only thing I don’t know is, should the activity of this day be called labor, or pleasure? What activity feeds you and blurs the line between labor and pleasure by making your heart sing? How do you practice the assurance of God’s abundance and care of Creation that you “take” in the form of “receiving,” never “taking all of any plant but a few leaves from each?” How do you practice your gratitude by leaving in your wake the means for future growth? Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever. (Psalm 30:13) In Peace, Rev. Dina |