Gravity of Grace
“Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson – from his essay “Gifts”
All that passes descends, and ascends again unseen into the light: the river coming down from sky to hills, from hills to sea, and carving as it moves, to rise invisible, gathered to light to return again. Gravity is grace…All that has come to us has come as the river comes, given in passing away.
Wendell Berry – The Gift of Gravity
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Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that restore a sense of value. Noticing a small wildflower along a stream can act as a clearinghouse of the mind. You cannot place a price-tag on an experience such as this and you can’t really go around trying to explain to people the impact of such a small event. Maybe poets can get away with it, but most of us just keep this little secret to ourselves and go on with our everyday lives. These small rays of beauty open us to the wonder that this world is and to what we are. It is a most useful awareness. Art, nature, driving to the supermarket and mowing the front lawn are all natural expressions of this way of being.
Wendell Berry implies that all is grace. Everything is coming and going and it is all the natural way of the universe. Linda and I have a new Buddha statue sitting in our herb garden. Most of the herbs in the garden are perennials, so we don’t have to worry about them. They essentially take care of themselves and their seasonal instincts kick in. Right now (this was written in August) the Echinacea is in full bloom; purple and yellow splashing the day with color. The Buddha is just sitting there calmly taking it all in. As the plants arrive, thrive and decline, the Buddha stays the same. A Buddha for all seasons; sun, rain, ice and snow. The Buddha is a symbol of our timeless awareness. The soul touches eternity and is eternity as it observes and moves through the changing manifestations of a rhythmic world. It doesn’t matter how much movement there is, we are not swayed too far because of grace. The gravity of grace grounds us to the moment and the action. As we feel the energy and pull of life’s cycles, we experience for ourselves the greatest experience. We are alive and know it.
Dave