Spirit of Life,
You who body forth as our starry universe
and this shimmering, blue-green planet:
Now begins our hot blue and gold time
when the air smells of dry grass and live oaks
the wild birds are raising their young
and the tomato plants begin a mad rush
toward the sun.
Help us know you as the breath of our bodies.
Help us know you as the life force
that fills apricots and cherries
with the juice that delights our tongues.
Help us also know you as the force
that dries the petals of wildflowers
and scatters them, dead, along the ground.
Help us know you as a love so large
that in all beginnings,
and in all endings,
we are ever safely held.
Help us rest in that love,
as we look with open eyes
upon the suffering within us
and all around us.
Fill us with the loving kindness we need
to relieve this suffering.
Help us breathe your love and peace
into our scarred and beautiful world.
Blessed be.
Spirit of Life, source of all love,