Within the flower there lies a seed,
Within the seed there springs a tree,
Within the tree there spreads a wood.

In the wood there burns a fire,
And in the fire there melts a stone,
Within the stone a ring of iron.

Within the ring there lies an O,
Within the O there looks an eye,
In the eye there swims a sea,

And in the sea reflected sky,
And in the sky there shines the sun,
Within the sun a bird of gold.

Within the bird there beats a heart,
And from the heart there flows a song,
And in the song there sings a word.

In the word there speaks a world,
A world of joy, a world of grief,
From joy and grief there springs my love.

Oh love, my love, there springs a world,
And on the world there shines a sun,
And in the sun there burns a fire,

Within the fire consumes my heart,
And in my heart there beats a bird,
And in the bird there wakes an eye,

Within the eye, earth, sea and sky,
Earth, sky and sea within an O
Lie like the seed within the flower.

-Kathleen Raine

All life begins with a seed; a thought in the mind of God.

“In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters. God said let there be light, and there was light.” Genesis 1:1-3

Life's unfolding is circular and offers us continual opportunities for renewal as we grow towards love.  In Jean Vanier’s reflections about community life,  he observed, “We all carry our own deep wound, which is the wound of our loneliness. Some people think their wound of loneliness will be healed if they come into community but they will be disappointed. We have to realize that this wound of loneliness is inherent in the human condition and that we have to walk with it instead of fleeing from it. We cannot accept it until we discover that we are loved by God just as we are and that the Holy Spirit, in a mysterious way, is living at the center of the wound.”

The natural flowering of our life’s seed takes time, growth can be painfully slow. In community we can help nurture each other's growth towards love with our patience, presence and forgiveness.

Tender Words 

Tender words we spoke
to one another
are sealed
in the secret vaults of heaven.
One day like rain,
they will fall to earth
and grow green
all over the world.

                                                                                         –Rumi

 Contributed by Liz Sorensen Wessel