Recently my son was given a homework assignment to memorize a poem of his choosing.  Knowing that I love poetry, he came to me for suggestions and I seized the moment to share with him a poet I hold very dear —- I think many of you do too —- Mary Oliver.  We thumbed through several volumes of her work and he settled on When I Am Among the Trees.  And so the last few weeks he has worked his way, stanza by stanza, through this glorious gift of a poem.   I thought I would share it here so that you too might linger over her invitation to pause, to notice the natural world around you, and to embrace gratitude.    When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locusts, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say they save me, and daily.I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness, and discernment, and never hurry through the world but walk slowly, and bow often.Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out, “Stay awhile.”  The light flows from their branches.And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say, “and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.”  ~~~ Mary OliverAnd one final gift from me to you.  A rare interview of Mary Oliver here on the On Being podcast.  Perhaps you might enjoy listening to it as you walk among the trees.

xxoo Deb