A pause for poetry 5 . . .

Here is my fifth and final selection of poetry for you in these last weeks of summer. Click here to learn more about my weekly practice of offering selections of poetry to you for your own contemplative pause. I look forward to returning next Monday to my weekly practice of sending a message to guide you to live with compassion for yourself and for others.

I invite you to join my fall Lectio 360 workshops -- information to be posted on my website in September -- or to attend my regular Friday 30-minute sessions.

This last poem, "Remember," was written by Joy Harjo, our 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate and the first Native American to be so named. This beautiful poem was sent to me by a friend when my husband died a year ago and I have kept the card ever since. It reminds me that we are all always connected. We need to remember this, both for our personal loved ones and for those humans on this planet that we do not know. As I post this in early August, I've no way to know what the world's news will be in September. But I know this. We always will do better when we remember. Remember this:

Remember the sky that you were born under,

know each of the star's stories.

Remember the moon, know who she is.

Remember the sun's birth at dawn, that is the

strongest point of time. Remember sundown

and the giving away to night.

Remember your birth, how your mother struggled

to give you form and breath. You are evidence of

her life, and her mother's, and hers.

Remember your father. He is your life, also.

Remember the earth whose skin you are:

red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth

brown earth, we are earth.

Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their

tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,

listen to them. They are alive poems.

Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the

origin of this universe.

Remember you are all people and all people

are you.

Remember you are this universe and this

universe is you.

Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.

Remember language comes from this.

Remember the dance language is, that life is.

Remember.

~ ~ ~

I look forward to connecting in a more immediate way next Monday. In the meantime, peace and love to you in the week ahead.