I used to lie awake at night listening to the rain

Only inches above my head

It is as though I am a part of the falling rain

It is not unwanted or intrusive

It is a part of my world, comforting

As I lose the sound while I sleep

Awakening to the first rays of the sun

Its rays streaking in through the window

Warming the crude cabin that is home

Dirt floor, gaps in the logs and cold morning

Growing up in the hills and forests

Expanding my sense of belonging

My world seemed to grow daily

And I along with it.

As the years went by

Disillusionment came and went

The world seemed at times

To be harsh and cruel

Floods, tornadoes, volcanoes

Fires, earthquakes and storms

Punctuated by the harshness

And cruelty of people

Wars, poverty, sickness

Greed, selfishness and dishonesty

Made me question the quality of life.

Retreating to the mountains

Forests and solitude

I sought solace and understanding

There was no voice to be heard

Or writing in the sky

But a new sense of appreciation

For life and death

Growth and destruction

While I idolized the serenity of nature

The beauty and wonder of it all

It, too, had its propensity for death

But death was not the end

It only promoted new life and growth

We, too, can die and give ourselves

Back to the earth to promote new life and growth

With appreciation for what we have been

And what we have shared

With this great earth that we call home

“Who knows but what the universe

Is unfolding as it should.”*

As we listen to the rain on the roof

The song of the bird

Look out over the mountains and seas

And know that we are a part

Of the wonder of it all

By being alive.

And even after we die.

We nourish the soil

And feed the plants

Trees, bushes

Fruit, nuts and berries

We still are a part of it all

We will always be a part

Of the wonder of it all

*Max Ehrmann’s  “Desiderata”