By Mimi Simmons
As news from our troubled world brings reports of more conflict and suffering daily, we all work at staying centered. Decades ago, above the phone, I tacked a greeting card that said, Home is a place inside of me where all is well.
Every day I make my best effort to return to that place, to dwell in that place. That is my true home, the seed of the beginning and the end, as Wendell Berry calls it in his poem The Wish to be Generous. A much-respected minister once advised, instead of praying to God, pray from God within. I aim to align my whole self with that place. From there, I feel calmer and more steady. From there I can take my stand on the earth like a tree in a field. And be a patient willing witness.
Again, advice from Wendell’s poem. I work in the yard, give myself to what will answer with blossom and fruit and Let the radio keep its death toll and speeches, advice from Deciduous by Elizabeth Austen. And I find joy. A friend affirms, I won’t let them steal my joy.
Yes, we authentically feel our sadness, then we do something, reconnect with nature. Thank you for that guidance, Roger Delmar in Port Townsend. I so appreciate this Beloved Community of people, of all stripes, who are attempting to negotiate these troubled waters with universal love and enduring peace.
Some of Mimi’s favorite sources of inspiration: