Song of the Builders by Mary Oliver
On a summer morning
I sat down
on a hillside
to think about God -
a worthy pastime.
Near me, I saw
a single cricket;
it was moving the grains of the hillside
this way and that way.
How great was its energy,
how humble its effort.
Let us hope
it will always be like this,
each of us going on
in our inexplicable ways
building the universe.
I’ve been trying to come up with words that describe the weekend of 6.15.24 and nothing seems to fully fit or describe ~ something along the lines of profound magic. The level of depth, love, meaning, celebration, and commitment despite future uncertainty while being held in community~ Greg and I were met with such incredible energy and support from people present, both in the flesh and spirit, and all I want to do is pour it back into the world tenfold. I’ve never felt so supported, while connected to something bigger, a sacred presence, a wider web.
While the wedding weekend was celebrating our marriage, it was also an important reminder of the power of collective intention, to witness and be witnessed in making declarations and commitments toward the future. That love can transform. As Greg and I made declarations and commitments, we invited our guests to do the same, to each other and the wider web of life.
As Joanna Macy says, “May all of us have the courage to open ourselves to the time that we live in, to let it shape us as we, in turn, shape it. May we perceive what is being asked of us. May we awaken here, on this sharp edge of uncertainty.”
We included this quote, and the poem above, Song of the Builders by Mary Oliver, in our liturgy for the the ceremony.
In this pivotal moment for life on earth, how do we remember, and reconnect to the wider web, to what we love, and what we are committed to, despite uncertainty? And what reminds us when we forget?
I've been trying to find the answer while transitioning back into everyday life during this integration period. Looking at today’s headlines, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day media frenzy and heartbreaking news, slip into despair, and forget the profound magic we experienced in June. In a culture full of fear, it's easy to forget what we love, and to lose sight of what we are working towards. And while it's important to stay tuned in and acknowledge what is, it's also important to remember that despair only grows in isolation and disconnection.
Lately, I've found myself craving rituals as one way to stay connected. To ground and to remember. As corny as it sounds, one of those rituals includes rewatching our wedding videos, where the sheer joy is contagious, and to remember the declarations we made in community. Another is spending time in the park sitting against a large maple tree where I can actively feel the pulse of aliveness. Remembering that I've, we’ve been given a gift, a purpose in the time that we live in, in the time that we have on this planet. And that underneath despair is love just calling us in to reconnect, to remember that we have a choice in how we engage with the world; that our actions today matter. And that the answers aren't meant to be found alone.
The future is unwritten.
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