Monday Meditation

some fervent and necessary arrangement

Like many of Mary Oliver’s poems, Sometimes, is a meditation on death and God, while marveling over the exquisite wonders of nature. She writes:

Something came up out of the water,
a head the size of a cat
but muddy and without ears.
I don’t what God is.
I don’t know what death is.
But I believe they have between them
some fervent and necessary arrangement. 
___
The poet continues, describing an gathering storm:

Water from the heavens! Electricity from the source!
Both of them mad to create something!
The lighting brighter than any flower.
The thunder without a drowsy bone in its body.

Then, like the psalmist, Mary Oliver says the words that are for me a profound inner compass:

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished. 
Tell about. 
___________
Paying attention is the core practice of all relationships. It’s necessary for birding. It’s what Moses, Isaiah, Mary, Jesus, Paul all the ancient wise ones teach. Finally, it is the path to a life with the capacity to be astonished. Telling others is the deep joy - whether it’s sharing a bird sighting or a wondrous gathering storm or toddler’s first steps. Be astonished. Tell someone. 
___
This week I’ll be leading a retreat for pastors in the Pacific Northwest at Ingalls Creak Enrichment Center, in Leavenworth, Washington. Not only we will engage in conversation theology and the practice of ministry, we will also venture in to the nearby Cascade Mountains. Conversation, Communion, Conviviality with a slice of wilderness. I expect we will be astonished, like when I saw these American Oystercatchers at Cape May relaxing on one leg.