Benediction

I discovered a poem by Mary Oliver this morning that I’d never read before and it felt like a

Benediction

this damp gray unusual February day.

White Owl Flies Into and Out of the Field

Coming down
out of the freezing sky
with its depths of light,
like an angel,
or a buddha with wings,
it was beautiful
and accurate,
striking the snow and whatever was there
with a force that left the imprint
of the tips of its wings —
five feet apart — and the grabbing
thrust of its feet,
and the indentation of what had been running
through the white valleys
of the snow —

and then it rose, gracefully,
and flew back to the frozen marshes,
to lurk there,
like a little lighthouse,
in the blue shadows —
so I thought:
maybe death
isn’t darkness, after all,
but so much light
wrapping itself around us —
as soft as feathers —
that we are instantly weary
of looking, and looking, and shut our eyes,

not without amazement,
and let ourselves be carried,
as through the translucence of mica,
to the river
that is without the least dapple or shadow —
that is nothing but light — scalding, aortal light —
in which we are washed and washed
out of our bones.

   —Mary Oliver

I stumble through this life too often weighted down by small self-centered concerns, not noticing the beauty and amazement of it all. Then a reminder floats into my life and I am lifted up by the beauty I see all around me. And I know in my heart that death is nothing to be feared. It is those of us left behind who suffer through lack of vision and tears of loss. The great circle encompasses us all. Let us experience the luminance of the light and know that all will be well.

Yesterday I made great progress preparing for the flower photography workshop I am teaching next weekend at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts (Feb. 17). Today’s photos are some of the images I discovered as I perused through thousands of flower images looking for just the right ones to illustrate different teaching points.

Wishing you comfort if you are sad, light to lessen the dark, trust that all will be well.

May you walk in beauty.