Dear Spirit to Spirit friend
I stumbled upon this poem, not by a well known poet or author, but by a woman who offers this beautiful expression of
her understanding of life.
"Sweeping the Garden"
by Marcia Klepper-Smith
“What if?
every encounter has been
a gift brought, a present wrapped and ready
to unnest, ready
to be drawn up and out
from its enclosure,
something meant…
What if?
each skirmish has been a mine
to venture into, its ore waiting to be
found, ready to give over
its lode, its offering this lesson
that you most need
to know…
What if?
you were prepared, unbeknownst, and set
to receive that gift, the one that found its way
to you wrapped in its own private pilgrimage,
the one being
entrusted to you to travel with,
to behold, and to be
beholden to…
What if?
these encounters, those abrasions, every one
has had its reason to be offered
to you, its own affliction anchored to its remedy,
by towing you under, pulling you in
and turning you over, finally,
to be loved…
What if?
this life is not the series of obstacles it seems
to be but is the river’s rising,
widening, cutting deep
into the banks on either side and turning
the great overcome
to overflow…
What if?
these entanglements have been
the currents in their crossing, the wake of debts
being paid, the burdens carried
being laid to rest, the trails in the stilling
waters of your own being
reflected…
What if?
from your beginning, these offerings,
each for its own sake,
have been for you persistent
nudging of the Light,
and blessings put upon the darkening
you bring…
What if?
these meetings are merely Creation
carrying on, still at work, still
hovering over the face
of the deep?
In Gratitude & Love, Joanna