Last week, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, surrounded by uncertainty, hundreds of questions and countless fears, a friend e-mailed me a beautiful poem that soothed me.
“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed”.
Kitty O’Meara, a wise woman and a retired teacher and chaplain from Madison, Wisconsin, wrote this poem.
The poem helped me consider that nature is taking my hand and walking me through this craziness. Spring, seemingly unaware of our troubled times, pushes up colorful tulips, sprinkles cherry blossoms along the sidewalk, paints incredible sunsets and graces us with sweet showers. Spring follows its seasonal rhythm and clothes our cloistered world in beauty.
May you all stay safe as we journey through the next few weeks.
Susan, I love that poem, too. And, your photos are so vibrant. You’re right, the flowers and birds, trees and all growing things, don’t know there’s a pandemic.
Thank you for this.
Be safe, healthy and optimistic.
Love, Susan
Dear Friend Susan…thanks for sharing this soul-stirring and calming poem. More than ever we are enjoying our amazing nature and counting our blessings every day!
Salud,
Abel & Toni Martinez
This was so beautiful, I needed to see this today, thank you.
xo
Susan,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem. It is my hope that we’ll all learn from the situation and get back to appreciating what is most important. I’ve wondered whether you’ve been called back into “active duty” amidst the high need for medical personnel. In any case, stay well and safe.
Very thoughtful poem. I have certainly found peace in slowing down.
Beautiful pictures for a beautiful poem
Thanks for sharing this lovely poem that evoked much to think and pray about. Tennessee, while still grieving and recovering from the horrifically destructive tornadoes in March and now Covid-19, is displaying the beauty of spring. The trees are sprouting new leaves, flowers are blooming, and the grass is alive with multiple shades of green. We have had amazing colorful sunsets this past week. Please stay safe and well.
What a lovely post, and what a lovely poem. I have to remind myself that whatever force created all the beauty in the world surely wouldn’t want this pandemic to linger. Stay well and safe, my friend.
Dear Susan,
Thank you for the uplifting message and lovely photos.
I shall look at your posting again and again.
Stay well, safe and content with our new phase while
we move through it.
Love, Andrea
What an absolutely beautiful and calming poem! Thank you so much for sharing it. I would love to see it in more places so more people could benefit from its peacefulness. Your pictures are as beautiful as ever and much needed at a time like this with all that is going on in the world. Thank you for brightening my day.
Thank you for beauty and positivity – we really need that now. ❤️
The poem left off “and some of them now work at home.” And I am so fortunate to be able to do that with so many jobs, lives, and careers up-ended. The photos are indeed beautiful and look as if you have been back to Descanso, if not in this year of closures, at least in more normal years.
Just beautiful, Susan. Thank you and be well!
Beautiful. Stay safe and healthy.
Love you,
Chris and Margie
I love the pictures that accompany the calming poem, they add to the calming.
Wow! Just what I needed after donning my mask, gloves & standing in the Senior line at Trader Joe’s for an hour this morning. Two weeks on our home protective status spurned me to get out. Looking at your pictures, I could almost sense the fragrance of the flowers. Such beautiful pictures. It’s not just the camera, it’s the photographer’s choice of subject, the effort in framing the picture. The poem is so relevant to the world as it is today. Too many won’t have a chance to heal but we, if we ourselves survive this, will seek our new normal, a new path if necessary & heal in the comforting arms of nature’s beauty & the wise words of our poets & writers. Thank you, Susan.
I just love this Susan! Beautiful poem and photos!!