Toss the Stars Like Clover Seed

1:

My hearts is all kinds of tender heart this morning.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and this weekend we lost President Nelson, a beloved prophet and leader.

And then the shooting and fire at one of our chapels in Michigan. All of this on top of the shooting at UVU, which is just up the street from me.

I really wish the world was a little softer.

That we were all a little softer with each other.

In this space of confusion and grief, I drove to the mountains near my home with my daughter this morning. And the smell of mountain air, the glow of sun on the autumn leaves, the absolute beauty, the face of my dog with his nose out the window—brought me back to a place of wonder. And even if I don’t understand what’s happening on a local or global scale, I am confident there is still much to love and wonder at.

Let’s start looking, loving, and understanding instead of shooting.

2:

Here’s a bit of a poem by Maurice Manning from his collections, Bucolics. These poems are utterly delightful. They are written to God, whom Manning calls “Boss.”

His poetry reminds me that God is a sower of good.

XXVI

you toss the stars like clover seed
you sling them through the sky you must
be glad to be a sower Boss
you sow so many things besides
the sky you sow the seed of dew
the seed of night you let it grow
…
until the morning overgrows
you save a seed for me you sow
it in the furrow of my eye
as if seedtime Boss is a little bit
like sleep I think inside my eye
you keep a little patch of green