To pray you open your whole self

Yesterday afternoon, our daytime Education for Ministry group gathered as it usually does on Mondays. It has been only a week since one of our members, Pepe Humphrey, died of cancer.

His presence is still much with the group, and his loss much on our minds. A member of the group, Kelli Olson, offered this poem to the group yesterday. She said it reminds her of Pepe and what he brought to life and to us. I share this poem with you today:

Eagle Poem
By Joy Harjo

To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can't see, can't hear
Can't know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren't always sound but other
Circles of motion.
Like eagle that Sunday morning
Over Salt River. Circles in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon, within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.