That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had his hand in this,
as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel,
(brave even among lions),
“It’s not the weight you carry
but how you carry it –
books, bricks, grief –
it’s all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down.”
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe
also troubled –
roses in the wind,
the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love
to which there is no reply?
— “Heavy” by Mary Oliver from Thirst. Originally posted here January 25, 2014.
Words for the Year 
Once again, just when I am in dire need of a reminder it appears in my mailbox – sent by a friend who didn’t even know how much I needed it. Thank you. xox
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❤️
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Lovely, timely and laced with truth. Mary Oliver…like no other. Thank you…
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She has a way with words, doesn’t she Chris? These were written after the death of her long-time partner Molly Malone Cook. Achingly beautiful.
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Powerful! So wonderfully human.
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Indeed. Powerful and beautiful…as are most of her words.
Grateful for your comment, thank you!
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