Journal of Sacred Work

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   While on vacation, instead of an original meditation I offer two gifts of wisdom from two great explorers of the soul. The first is from theologian Fredrick Boechner.

   "Listen to your life. See it
for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and the pain of
it no less than the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your
way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all
moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."

   The second is a poem from the great Wendell Berry called "The Peace of Wild Things." Berry
speaks past the surface of our lives to our soul consciousness. He is
not interested in our ego. He cares about our spirit… 

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

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5 responses to “The Peace of Wild Things”

  1. Karen York Avatar
    Karen York

    I have long loved Berry’s Peace of Wild Things because of the simplicity of its message and the beauty with which he portrays it. It reminds that that in the midst of the daily worries we pile on ourselves, we must rest in the world that surrounds us – the beauty just outside our door.

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  2. liz Wessel Avatar
    liz Wessel

    I read Fredrick Boechner’s stirring message and I hear Black Elk’s voice rise up and circle round as if to complete a thought, “and everywhere is the center of the earth.”
    I experience Wendel Berry’s poem for the first time and his images soak into my mind as a splendid meditation, washing my spirit in waters of peace, and flowing into my heart with tenderness and grace.

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  3. Tom Knowles-Bagwell Avatar
    Tom Knowles-Bagwell

    I find poets to be amazing creatures. “The peace of wild things” . . . What a provocative notion. And yet when I read it I recognize exactly what Berry is referring to. And, yes, I find myself joining him there and feel the despair that drove me there wash away. Thanks for this meditation, Erie. Hope you are enjoying your vacation.

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  4. bryce galbraith Avatar
    bryce galbraith

    I actually just recited this poem for my english class today, i memorzied all of it.
    it was a pleaure to recite this poem for an A+

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  5. clohe Avatar
    clohe

    what language techniques does he use in this poem, e.g similies, metaphhors,etc.

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