A Pause in Lent 3

Having spent the afternoon in the garden today in the lovely weather tidying up and pruning back trees I found this poem to be very true. We often fill our lives with noise without really hearing or listening.

Listening Day - Stephen Cherry

Lord, let this be a listening day
Let me be attentive.

Start me with silence.

Let me put my ear to the breeze,
the sky, the hum of traffic, the distant work.

Let me connect with birdsong, irritating insect buzz
with school playground in the distance,
river under bridge, rain on glass.

Let me read the off-stage sounds.
Let my mind follow my ear.

Help me use the "off-switch".
Ration my exposure to noise.

When I am listening to others, let me
use my eyes, my heart.
Let me hear tone of voice, inflection,
hesitation.
Give me the calm that winkles the
stammering thought from the frightened tongue.

When music comes, let me
enter into its texture, its depth.
When there is singing, let me hear the soul.
If there is applause, open me to its energy, delight and warmth.

When reading, slow me down, on screen
or page, from book or report.
Let me imagine the writer, in haste or in deep thought;
rushing
it off or editing carefully and with sorrow.
Give me some sense of what lies
behind the passage I see.
Let my eyes read between the lines,
around the words, above
and below the paragraphs.

Return me to silence again.
Let me hear my footsteps, my
heartbeat, my breathing.
Let me hear your Spirit
as it broods over all.