Poetry at Peace
Many thanks to Chrissi Brewer for this insightful poem on kindness and service. Are we watchful for that “hopeful connection”? Can anyone else relate to being "too stubborn to accept their gift"?
Poems at Peace meets on zoom 9 am Thursdays and in-person 9 am on Sundays in the ‘upper room’.
Friends, I will be taking a break from providing these poems to "What’s New" for the next six months, as I begin another life adventurer. It’s been an honor to provide you with the inspiring words we enjoy in community during these last several years. Blessings and Peace, Rev. Bonnie Lange
COMMUNION AT THE BP
Posted by Paula Gordon Lepp | Jun 24, 2021 |
It was a little thing, really,
this offer to fill my tire.
I was unscrewing the valve cap
and heard a voice behind me.
‘Here, I’ll get that for you”
“Oh that’s ok, I’ve got it” is what I
normally say to such overtures,
this knee-jerk reaction to refuse.
I am the one who offers to help,
I am the one who serves.
Perhaps it was the eager spirit
on his face or his brown eyes
full of hopeful connection that
caused me to say ok.
I felt the vibration of
his unspoken benediction-
I can’t do much for you
fellow weary traveler,
but I can do this. Lay
your burden down and
I will carry it for a bit,
and I couldn’t help but wonder
how many times I have denied
someone the blessing of serving
because I have been too stubborn
to accept their gift.
As I was standing there in
the sun drenched gas station
parking lot, the hiss and tick of
the air pump sounded very much
like a psalm. I watched his hands,
a few shades lighter than that
Goodyear rubber, filling more than
just my tire with air, while goodness
and grace swirled around us
stronger than the fumes of gasoline.
Many Blessings,
Bonnie Lange
bonniep357@gmail.com | 360.921.7629
"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day,
if you listen carefully, you can hear her breathing."
~ Arundhati Roy
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