Thoughtful Thursday

Every once in a while, it dawns on me that part of the aggravation of trying to find personal calm within the realm of the real world is due to the fact that everything is always, always, always so damned complicated.

Yet to begin, once again, to be able to get down to the bare-bones organic-ness is to once again find overwhelming beauty in the utmost simplicity.

This week, I've started looking around for materials to use for our Passover meal.

It's an evening of readings and stories, and every year I try to find pieces that are uncomplicated yet resonant with our gathering: the usual adults, and an ever-evolving group of teenagers.

To keep the fine balance between tradition and modernity is a daunting task. But completely necessary - who among us ever wants to sit and be talked at all evening? This should be a time of honor, of education, and of inspiration, presented in a way as palatable as the feast served afterwards.

Through the sifting, I found this poem - on the surface beautifully simple, easily understood , yet with deep and significant implications - how many of us take all of these things for granted? How many of us ever bother to distill the gentle magnificence of those things which sustain us?

Blessing of the Stew Pot
Blessed be the Creator
and all creative hands
which plant and harvest
pack and haul and hand
over sustenance -
Blessed be the carrot and cow,
potato and mushroom,
tomato and bean,
parsley and peas,
onion and thyme,
garlic and bay leaf,
pepper and water,
marjoram and oil,
and blessed be fire -
and blessed be the enjoyment
of nose and eye,
and blessed be color -
and blessed be the Creator
for the miracle of the red potato,
for the miracle of green bean,
for the miracle of fawn mushrooms
and blessed be God
for the miracle of earth:
ancestors, grass, bird,
deer and all gone,
wild creatures
whose bodies became,
carrots, peas and wild
flowers, who
give sustenance
to human hands, whose
agile dance of music
nourishes the ear
and soul of the dog
resting under the stove
and the woman working over
the stove and the geese
out the open window
strolling in the backyard.
And blessed be God
for all, all, all.

Alla Renee Bozarth