Faith

I want to write about Faith

About the way the moon rises over a cold snow night after night

Faithful even in its fading from fullness

Slowly becoming that last curving and impossible sliver of light before the final darkness

But I have no faith myself

I do not give it the smallest entry

Let this then

My small poem, like a new moon,

Slender and barely open, be the first prayer that opens me to Faith

– David Whyte
 
 
How precious it is when one commits to an idea or calling.

I’ve had the incredible fortune of bearing witness to the courageous stepping forward of many, and without exception, each person comes to realize the effort is as much a fading away as it is a new beginning. All are asked to let go of old stories, expectations, and identities they’ve whispered from the beginning.

Have Faith.

Take the first step, not the second or the third.*

Let the beginning unfold into its unknown and leave it be for a time.

And when you are met with silence, confusion, and disappointment take a deep breath and soak in the astonishing symmetry with which the world speaks.

Do not pivot abruptly and return home. Do not turn your desire into wishful action and cookie cutter solutions.

Take the first step, not the second or the third.

Bear the light of Faith. Stand in the silence and listen.

Let your poem have its voice.

This, I believe, is what will make your work wondrous.

 
(* This line attributed to the poet, David Whyte, in “What to Remember When Waking”.)