A Bench of Living Wood

 A Bench of Living Wood


Coming into Quaker meeting on Sunday,

sitting on the beautiful old wooden bench,

sliding aside the cushion so I am on the wood,

connecting with the spirit of that former tree,


I sit asking for an easing of my unrestive thoughts. 

Let my criticism drift away, stop seeing in black and white.

This climate of chaos and violence pulls me

smaller, reactive, into harsh judgement.


Trust seems a long-ago thing, lies have become the norm

out there on the political scene. We can no longer count on honesty.

And yet I need to remember a wider reality.

Like imagining myself as part of the original tree of this bench.


My branches are blowing around in the wind.

I’m surrounded by a whole forest of trees

connected to each other, communicating,

functioning as a network of life, a living web.


It is wide and beautiful in this reality,

beyond human chaos, beyond greed and violence.

It reminds me that no matter where our species is headed

the earth that holds us and nurtures us will remain.


And my task, my role, is to remember this earth mother,

remember that we are not alone, are part of a vast family

of life. Our roots can stretch down and out to the whole.

We can learn from our cousins, the trees, and all of life.


And then, coming back to my human body sitting on the bench,

I realize that no one wants to be a bad person. There are reasons

why we get off base, lose the healthy path, deviate into the unsustainable.

We are fallible, and right now our mistakes endanger our future.


I look around and realize everyone sitting around me was once a baby.

I imagine them small and cute, just learning about the world.

And I imagine all the people who anger me as babies too,

Innocent, just trying to grow to be good enough.


I remember that I’m just a tiny part of a huge world,

all connected, all growing to the best of our ability.

And during these frightening times, my best quiet action is to

tune into the sacred space beyond our individual selves

and our species. We are not alone. We are part of Beauty.



 

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 27, 2026 at 7:07 PM

    We each must stay anchored if we are to be of any use in this chaotic situation. We each have different needs, fears, and hopes, but many we share. If we can stay centered, we can collaborate. That is the best survival technique, not brute force, money manipulation, or trickery. Thank you for sharing how you keep your equilibrium.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wendy BrownJanuary 28, 2026 at 9:28 AM

    Thank you, Nan. This is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

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