Rapture of the Seasons

I am thankful for my life, the good earth, the fruits that life bears, and the seasons that march proudly through our lives, even though we live in Sunny California where the summers are long and hot, and the rain doesn't fall some years.  I am from the valleys and mountains of a land far, far away and we had the seasons there.  I have not forgotten and my childhood was filled with the wonders of nature.  As I've stated previously, I was allowed to roam to my heart's content and I did.  I loved the feel of the soft dirt on my bare feet, and many spring days were spent in the hills behind our house, laying in the grass and looking for 4-leaf clover.  It was thought that if you found one, you'd have good luck!  I remember a beautiful bracelet my Mother had that had a clover leaf enclosed on a gold medallion and covered with glass.  I was fascinated with it and although I never wore it, I'd open the hope chest often just to look at it.  Her Dad had given it to her, and everything he had given her was sacred in her eyes.  Not for children to wear, but she would show me proudly the things he had given her.  She loved him very much. 

The seasons of my childhood have come back in my later years, whether for pinning for the hills of home, or just wanting to share a bit of nostalgia, doesn't matter.  It was beautiful, wild and wonderful and I do miss it at times.  So, the other day I was doing dishes and suddenly a phrase popped into my head, as it often does, and I dried my hands and went to write it down.  Then the whole poem came to me in words that painted a picture of the world I knew as a child. 

"The sages say quite seriously that those who wish to know Tao better should cultivate the poet in themselves."  A sentence from my husbands Tao book.  I am a strange bird.  I am a Christian Taoist and Shaman all rolled into one.  I do write poetry and this one springs from years ago, the words of a child experiencing all the wonders of the season.  I thought I'd share it today and see if you like it as well.

       Rapture of the Seasons

Heavenly Father, you lend your warmth and sensibilities to every Season. 

In the fall there are warm colors to make our world a homey place!
Followed by the Christmas Season, filed with delights and seasoned with Grace.

In spring we have the Daffodils and Tulips in a row.
All the world is green and lush, nurtured by the winter snow.

Summer comes with thunderstorms and languid days of heat. 
We don our shorts and summer frocks and run with our bare feet!

In all the seasons you are there in nature's beauty revealed.
And all our lives you care for us and our destinies are sealed.

You have a plan for every life, you nurture us with care,
and oh what sweet repose is ours, just knowing you are there.

It doesn't matter what we face on this great earth you made,
we have a friend who gave His Life, so we could all be saved.

Saved from ourselves and the sins we all have and given Eternal Life,
we come to your throne our joy to receive and find release from all strife.

Open our eyes and gladden our hearts and sweet repose we will find,
A part of your plan from beginning to end for you have made us Divine!


This may not resonate with many, it is more than just the seasons to consider.  But the seasons to me are gifts of God's love and a part of his wonderful ways of nurturing our earth and bringing forth ever--unfolding new life.  It is with a care-free spirit this is written.  It speaks to me of days filled with goodness and the manifold blessings of the Grace God has bestowed upon us.  Whether we were raised to believe in the great spirit, God, the Tao, or any other faith, the beauty of the earth cannot be denied and we are blessed in ways we can't comprehend in all our wildest dreams. 

I am most grateful for my life.  My family is a gift too from His manifold Grace.  He gave me many gifts and not least among them is the gift of my soul-mate.  He introduced me to the Tao and it took me years to really find it for myself.  But it is real, and to me represents the spirit of life.  God.  The Universe and the ever unfolding nature of life.  I could no more live a day of life without being grateful to God for my many blessings, than I could part the Red Sea myself.  It is from a grateful spirit and the abundant love I feel for all life that this is written.  You don't have to be religious to enjoy life.  If you are in step with nature, and feel the heart-beat of life in your own body, you know the miracle of life itself even if it's not something you think about every day.

"All life is sacred".  The Tao teaches us that.  Your life, mine, every man, woman and child have a reason to be here.  "And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt The Universe is unfolding as it should."  From Desiderata....  All things have a purpose.  All things are blessings.  Even Death.  For it is in dying that we are reborn into a new life, a new beginning, and for all of us, something that is mysterious and not fully explained.  It isn't sad to pass away and become a part of the force that created life itself.  It is a blessing, it is a going home.  It is rest, and peace, new energy, new unfolding.....the great mystery explained.

.More than just a poem...it is the beating of a human heart.