THE GIFT OF PURPOSE
The Gift of Purpose
The trees do not ask
why they lean toward the sun.
The river does not question
its long slow bend to the sea.
Even the sparrow,
lifting its voice at dawn,
sings without knowing
what it means to fulfill a calling.
And yet,
isn’t this the truth we long for?
That in the open hand of creation
we are given everything:
the wind that teaches surrender,
the stones that show patience,
the wildflowers that spend themselves
in beauty and are content.
I too am part of this living world.
With my own small gifts
I take my place in the great turning,
listening for where my spirit
might be useful,
how my hands might bless.
So I follow the deer into the clearing,
watch the clouds shape and unshape,
and remember:
my purpose is not to strive,
but to live,
to give thanks for breath,
to love,
to be a part of this holy whole.
