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.
--Wendell Berry
Growing up, we had a dial on our television that allowed us to adjust from black and white to color. In order to achieve this, a sibling or parent might stand in front of the screen, blocking whatever program we were watching, and adjust the dial. When the color finally appeared and the obstructed view removed, we felt transformed, able to see the television show in full color. Like the iconic moment in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy leaves Kansas to arrive in the Land of Oz, the abrupt change from black and white to color felt euphoric. During these troubled times, it’s hard to see the world in full color; it feels like the dials on our collective worldviews are stuck permanently in black and white, devoid of color or sunlight.
I’ve heard Wendell Berry’s poem “The Peace of the Wild Things” frequently in the last year, read in public spaces, as a reminder of our need to find ways to heal our wounds and care for ourselves and our country. Berry’s poem reminds us of the simple practice of enjoying nature as a way of finding the “peace of wild things” and allowing us to see the color and beauty of the world. When I spend time in nature and soak in that peace of wild things I find my mind steadies and my heart feels less heavy. Like Psalm 23, Berry’s poem provides a daily anthem that allows us to see the world as God intends it to be—full of color and hope and unexpected joys. Berry reminds us that the more we “rest in the grace of the world” by enjoying the carefree existence of birds or dogs chasing sticks, the more we can imagine possibilities for change, justice, and new beginnings. Creating a world free of racism, violence, and despair means we must make time to rejuvenate our spirits and collective imagination.
Be gentle with yourselves and each other.
--The Rev. Katie Solter
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