Here’s my holiday offering to all of you. It’s a poem by Jan Richardson that I recently received as a Christmas greeting from my publisher. I’ve chosen a companion image from the Creative Commons. Deep peace, everyone.
Blessing in the Chaos
Jan Richardson
To all that is chaotic in you,
let there come silence.
Let there be a calming
of the clamoring,
a stilling of the voices
that have laid their claim on you,
that have made their home in you,
that go with you
even to the holy places
but will not let you rest,
will not let you hear your life
with wholeness
or feel the grace
that fashioned you.
Let what distracts you cease.
Let what divides you cease.
Let there come an end
to what diminishes and demeans,
and let depart
all that keeps you
in its cage.
Let there be an opening
into the quiet
that lies beneath the chaos,
where you find the peace
you did not think possible
and see what shimmers
within the storm.
Poem credit:
Used with permission provided on the website of Jan Richardson
Photo credit:
“Empty Cage” by Hartwig HKD
Used under License CC BY-ND 2.0