It is hard to even know what to do with the reality that my dad may not live for more than a few months. And yet, what a wonder that "we walk here in the light of this unlikely world that isn't ours for long." Sometimes {and if I pay attention, often} the beauty of this world sweeps away the pain of it.
{The sun waking up over the Atlantic. Taken on the beach on Ocracoke Island.}
A Prayer among Friends
by John Daniel
Among other wonders of our lives, we are alive
with one another, we walk here
in the light of this unlikely world
that isn't ours for long.
May we spend generously
the time we are given.
May we enact our responsibilities
as thoroughly as we enjoy
our pleasures. May we see with clarity,
may we seek a vision
that serves all beings, may we honor
the mystery surpassing our sight,
and may we hold in our hands
the gift of good work
and bear it forth whole, as we
were borne forth by a power we praise
to this one Earth, this homeland of all we love.
"A Prayer among Friends" by John Daniel, from Of Earth. © Lost Horse
Press, 2012.