Advent Hope - Day 4

Introduction

A guest post from a member of our Community, Marilynn Mincey, she writes:

 I have a poem that speaks to me of hope and change and our own spiritual issues. It gives me hope when times are difficult. It tells me that life and death and uncertainty are all part of our souls searching. When I know that I have difficult choices to make in my life, this poem shows me that I just need to be still and become part of the process not part of the problem. 

I hope it will speak to you and others as it has spoken to me. 

Peace,

Marilynn Mincey TSSF

Poem

Breathing Under Water 

I built my house by the sea.
Not on the sands, mind you;
not on the shifting sand.
And I built it of rock.
A strong house
by a strong sea.
And we got well acquainted, the sea and I.
Good neighbors.
Not that we spoke much.
We met in silences. 
Respectful, keeping our distance,
but looking our thoughts across the fence of sand.
Always the fence of sand our barrier, always the sand between. 
And then one day,
-and I still don’t know how it happened-the sea came. 
Without warning. 
Without welcome, even
Not sudden and swift,
but shifting across the sand like wine, less like the flow of water than the flow of blood. 
Slow, but coming. 
Slow, but flowing like an open wound. 
And I thought of flight and I thought of drowning and I thought of death. 
And while I thought the sea crept higher, till it reached my door.  
And I knew, then, there was neither flight, nor death, 
nor drowning. 
That when the sea comes calling,
you stop being neighbors,
We’ll acquainted, friendly-at-a-distance neighbors, 
And you give your house 
for a coral castle,
And you learn to breathe under water. 

Sr Carol  Bialock,RSCJ

Scripture

 Many waters cannot quench love,
   neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
   all the wealth of one’s house,
   it would be utterly scorned.

Song of Solomon 8.7

Breathing Underwater by Metric