on the banks of lake tahoe

   

      To the bird on the branch—

                     we are alike, you and I.
       You flit from twig to twig
       just as I flit through the day,
       each searching for the surprise blessing
              that awaits,
       discovering with delight the God who is
              the whole tree.
 
To the chipmunk in the rocks—
              we are alike, you and I.
       Exploring, enjoying, making our way
       around boulders and in shadowed nooks,
       anxious to be our whole selves
              and do our work
       just as God made us to do,
       though all we can see is the next right step.
 
To the two jays, brightly blue—
              we are alike, you and I.
       You converse in high and low pitch,
       back and forth in endless squawks,
       just as I seek to be heard in relationship
              to the ones I hold most dear.
       We learn and converse uniquely,
       and find that God is the space between
              and in all we have to say.
 
To the lake, shining and full—
              we are alike, you and I.
       Sometimes blown by the wind,
              stirred and anxious in the chaos around us;
       sometimes settled and serene,
       inviting our Creator to see into the depths
              he created,
       and show us ourselves, colored as a mirror by heaven.
 
Jesus—
              we are alike, you and I.
       Wholly and holy human,
       Beloved before God the Father,
       seen and known for all that we are, and in communion
              with every grace-filled breath,
       alive by the Spirit who is the wind and fire of God

                    in every living thing.