The Green Bag

April 19, 2007

“My” cardinals are back this year, as they have been for a long time now, to mate. Sitting on my screened porch just now, I watched their fledglings testing their wings. Small moments such as this remind me of the part of Harrold’s farewell letter to his daughters, where he tells us (paraphrased here) to remember that no matter the ills of the world, i.e. Earth or our personal lives, the sun will still come up tomorrow; there’s so much more out there than our own micro-lives. I’m grateful to be exposed to that in instances of surprise like the one I just witnessed. I’m at peace this morning – well, except, maybe, when I realize I have to learn how to use the digital camera I bought yesterday! But that’ll take care of itself, too.

My favorite poem when I feel this way is from Pippa Passes:

“The year is at spring,
And day’s at the morn.
Morning’s at seven,
The hillside’s dew pearled.

The lark’s on the wing,
The snail’s on the thorn,
God’s in His heaven,
All’s right with the world.