Readings
Elizabeth TarboxExpect Life!
Do not live too far in the past or the future. Live now.In each moment expect a miracle: ten kinds of birds at the feeder, and the tracks of a fox in the snow.
Pick up a magnifying glass and scrutinize that crocus. See the pollen at the center of the daffodil, life's dust, death-defying life. Be astonished at the flower, arrested by its beauty.
Run naked through the garden early in the morning and hope the wild geese fly by.
Get silly and laugh loudly with your grandchildren or your grandparents. Refuse to leave the dead behind, but bring their memory to all your chores and games and corners of quiet, warm tears.
Know always that joy and sorrow are woven together; one cannot be without the other. If you love, know that sometimes your love will bring you tears; if you grieve, know it is because at some time you were willing to love.
Do not be afraid to die today. But expect life!
Copyright: The author has given Unitarian Universalist Association member congregations permission to reprint this piece for use in public worship. Any reprints must acknowledge the name of the author.
Last updated on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.
