I went to a reading by beloved author Anne Lamott and was moved by her honesty and raw wisdom. She spoke about teenagers and how much risk they are taking these days. An audience member asked if there was anything we could do to reclaim our influence in their lives. Anne paused and suggested that perhaps we need to become the adults who they might want to some day be instead of the busy and harried ones that we are. Poems are prayers for me. Walking home in the rain, I wrote this poem/prayer for myself and my sons.
Be Where You Are
Whether sunlight streams through the window
or the rain drops down,
be where you are.
At times you will be weary
confounded by mixed signals or crossed signs.
Reaching and striving
will produce only dead ends.
So be where you are
back in your center
where there is always
air and light
time and peace
and possibility.
Leave the phone calls
and the work load
worries, conflicts, and expectations
lying where they may
and be where you are.
There with the crying child
or the laundry pile
and the nascent hopes and dreams.
Whether lonely and afraid
or simply noticing the spaces
in between thoughts and words and actions.
Just be where you are
with your breath in and out
and the beauty in front of eyes that see.
With potential in your hands reaching out
and your heart open again to this mystery.
Wild Feminine blessing: May the light shine wherever you are.
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