Living to Shine – Merit Post

Today I heard  news of a relative in America who has just died, Dorothy Lillian. I’d never met her or her husband, Tom my cousin although several of the young relatives would visit my parents.  And I spent time with my second cousin, lovely Jessica while she visited the UK.

Tom and Dorothy devoted their lives to raising a family and developing land, their farm, in such a way to be sensitive to systems and methods that support the land. There is more to say however I don’t have the details. From a distance I have always admired them and how they lived their lives. I particularly liked that they used heavy horses rather than machinery to do the ‘heavy lifting’ and hauling. Here below is a poem dedicated to Dorothy, her husband and her extended family.

WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES
by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

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6 thoughts on “Living to Shine – Merit Post”

  1. Thank you so much for this. She was the best mom, ever, and chose Dad, so she told me, because he would make a great dad. She was right. She was always right. She, also, did not hurry through the world, and knew how to just be and sit, and admire the garden she planted …or just appeared on its own and “stay awhile.” She loved us and our animals and telling us what really mattered. We all will miss her, forever, and although the pain will stay awhile, she will be among the trees, and we will share her light, again, at some point, and shine.

  2. Mugo thank you for this beautiful poem. I always feel peaceful and calm in the presence of trees. So much we can learn from them, if we slow down and take the time to be still, and listen.

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