Grace

During a period of such significant uncertainty, it helps to get back to first principles—for example, grace. Poet, novelist, and environmentalist Wendell Berry is known for his poetry celebrating life and everyday miracles. He wrote the poem “Grace,” for his friend Gurney Norman.

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Grace

for Gurney Norman, quoting him

by Wendell Berry

The woods is shining this morning.
Red, gold and green, the leaves
lie on the ground, or fall,
or hang full of light in the air still.
Perfect in its rise and in its fall, it takes
the place it has been coming to forever.
It has not hastened here, or lagged.
See how surely it has sought itself,
its roots passing lordly through the earth.
See how without confusion it is
all that it is, and how flawless
its grace is. Running or walking, the way
is the same. Be still. Be still.
“He moves your bones, and the way is clear.”