Gratitude #2
On Sunday, November 30, attendees helped write two poems following a template suggested by the Soul Matters resources that we are using this year.
A UUSRF Poem of People in the Style of Mary Oliver’s “Gratitude”
What did you notice?
The open and kind spirits of people around me;
The willingness to help each other even if you are a stranger.
What did you hear?
Children laughing while sledding down the hill near my house and laughter from
their raucous play as they discover the world;
Singing with 160 people in a choir;
Her soft speech to her mother, assuring her that it was alright. Roles reversed as
the life was ebbing away;
The music; everybody hurts sometime;
Humans speaking their truth.
When did you admire?
Oh five, a great age to appreciate not strange things, admire new things, old things:
The smile on a child’s face when they accomplished something they thought they
couldn’t;
How carefully the young child lowered a stick into the pond so ants could climb
out, rescued from drowning;
The strong women who stand up for what is right – for the people who cannot
stand up for themselves;
My mom; my mother.
What would you like to see again?
People I met for the first time;
Loved ones now gone.
What was most tender?
Waking up to my beautiful wife;
My heart beating while in my husband’s embrace.
A hug that enveloped me as if it would never end.
What was most wonderful?
The smile on my granddaughter’s face as she cuts out cookies on my kitchen counter.
The smell of cooking and baking from the kitchen.
My grandmother’s smile as we sit and talk over a pot of tea.
A grandchild running into my arms.
People I’ve met along the way.
Friends around my table.
What astonished you?
How much I love coming here;
Finding a group of like-minded people who share my values.
What did you think was happening?
The seasons of life are blessings galore.
Submissions for the UU Musings section are welcome. Send essays, poems, songs, or other writings to annleake001@gmail.com. These can be original works or pieces by other authors that you enjoy and want to share with our community.