Spirit of Life, mysterious energy that enlivens all beings:
Now is the time when rainclouds swathe the hillsides and then race away on cold winds.
Mossy trees backlit by bright sun are limned in green fire,
and water droplets on twigs shine like silver pearls.
The air is so fresh and clean that we cannot get enough of its sweetness.
We breathe in more deeply and more often
than is strictly necessary.
It seems impossible in the face of such beauty
that the drums of war should beat…
and yet they do.
That children should be in any danger at all…
and yet they are.
That so much life should be on the brink of collapse…
and yet it is.
In times like these, what can we do? How can we live?
Help us open our hearts.
Help us open our hearts so wide and so deep
that when we look upon the suffering and danger all around us
we feel no fear, but only love and compassion.
Only love and compassion
which we then give away
the way you give us rain and sunlight and fresh sweet air—
freely, in abundance, with no hesitation and no holding back.
Help us open our hearts to love.
Blessed be.