How the Grass and the Flowers Came to Exist, a God-Tale
by: Mary Oliver
I suppose
the Lord said:
Let there be fur upon the earth,
and let there be hair upon the earth,
and so the seed stuttered forward into ripeness
and the roots twirled in the dark
to accomplish His desire,
and so there is clover,
and the reeds of the marshes,
and the eelgrass of the sea shallows
upon which the dainty sea brant live,
and there is the green and sturdy grass,
and the goldenrod
and the spurge and the yarrow
and the ivies and the bramble
and the blue iris
covering the earth,
thanking the Lord with their blossoms.
Yes, as Oliver points out, everything is an act of praise, right down to the dirt and grass and flowers. There is so much to be thankful for in this universe. I often forget that as I get wound up in the busyness and, sometimes, shittiness of humankind.
Today and tonight, especially, I am reminded of the gifts in my life. It's Christmas Eve, and, for better or worse, the "work" of Christmas is over. And now we all can take a deep breath, turn off the lights in the living room, and soak in the lights of the tree.
I just got home from the third of the church services I played pipe organ or sang at. At one of those services, I played 14 Christmas hymns, which was both challenging and lovely. Telling the story of the nativity of Christ through music and song. My wife and I also attended worship at the church in which she grew up (and where we were married). We finished up at my home parish, with all the bells and incense that Catholics love. My son came to the Mass and sang his heart out. Well, as much as a 15-year-old, surly teenager can.
And now, the gifts are wrapped. According to NORAD, Santa is headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as I type this, and I am filled with praise for my family and friends who fill my life every day with wonder and joy.
Like Oliver's blooming irises, I am breaking into blossom.
A poem Saint Marty wrote last Christmas . . .
reindeer
-- noun --
2. also called caribou by those who don't believe in wonder
3. may have a nose that glows red in the presence of bullies or that cute doe in gym class
4. not a moose
5. something bright in the winter solstice sky, inspiring gospel writers and children
6. moss-eater, tundra dweller
7. hitched to a sleigh, it may pull an Orville-and-Wilbur, rise into the air, defy gravity, leave hoof prints in the treetops
8. mode of transport in Lapland
9. gift-bearer, magi
❤️
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