“Geese appear high over us,
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds
them to their way, clear
in the ancient faith: what we need
is here. And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye,
clear. What we need is here.”
~Wendell Berry

The summer has fallen into a sweet, relaxed rhythm for me. Perhaps it is the stifling heat and humidity making my mind into mush, but I realized at some point of last week that I was not anxious about anything in particular. I had not awakened in the night worrying about what I hadn’t done or what I did that I was now regretting. I realized that I had a calmness that felt good and right. I am not sure what contributed to this state of being but I think it has something to do with the ways in which both my work and living spaces are being cleaned out, spruced up, how the extra ‘junk’ has been slowly been being moved out. I mentioned to a coworker today that I had the feeling that there was more space being created in both my head and my heart. She nodded her agreement. Clearly, this experience is not mine alone.

Last week we used this Wendell Berry poem in worship. I love the idea of the geese being held in their flight path by an ‘ancient faith.’ I believe it is true. The ancient faith that helps them maneuver through their flight patterns also holds us, reminding us that ‘what we need is here.’ And yet so many times I find I try to force what I think is needed in a situation, in my life, in my work. Still other times there is so much junk….distractions, little undone tasks, too much looking backward, too much looking into the future…..that it becomes nearly impossible to be fully present in the here and now.

When our children were born I remember thinking, as I looked at their perfectly beautiful faces: ‘They have all they need to be who they are meant to be in this world.’  I believed, and still do, that our role as parents was to provide the safe, loving environment for them to evolve and discover all that means. The same is true for each of us. What we need is here. We may need to do some clearing and cleaning out now and then. But the ancient faith out of which we have our birth holds us and supports the small and large steps we take.

And if we are truly present some days, like the geese, we will take flight.