One Blossom Given

One Blossom Given

It is time:
Defy the Law of Spiritual Gravity!
You know,
The one that says
You are either not good enough, or
You have not done enough.
It is time to shred
Those particular"enoughs"
With the sure knowledge
Of your infinite possibilities!
For the Holy One has set her household
In the confines of your beating heart -
Yes, in your very heart -
That same heart which has in its smallness
The power to Love without Limits...
It is as simple as bread for the hungry,
Or one blossom of the Rose of Sharon
Given for the beauty of this world...

I wrote this poem (inspired by my Master, Rumi) for my daughter Rose of Sharon on her dedication blessing at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose, California. But as I begin my sabbatical from the Catholic Worker in Salinas (Dorothy's Place Hospitality Center), I realize that it has also been written for Catholic Workers, and especially for all those persons being served by all of us Workers around the world. "The world will be saved by beauty": this quote by Dostoevsky inspired Dorothy Day's interior journey as well as her daily work of writing, peeling potatoes, and all else that goes into a House and its graceful, wild, life. May Beauty nourish your minds and hearts and lead you into courageous endeavors for Love, Community, Peace, and Justice!

Now: on into the Mid-West!