Where the Great Heron Feeds

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

OK, so the real name of the poem is The Peace of Wild Things and it was written by Wendell Berry. I was introduced to this poem about a month ago and was immediately taken with it. A few days later I memorized and read it at a church retreat while Ladyburg drew a beautiful picture of a heron. That was the Magical Mystical Church weekend.

After our morning of sharing in poetry and so much more, we headed to Cherokee park to do more of the same and have a picnic lunch. The experiences shared there were magical all on there own, but just before we left, Jud spotted a great blue heron. While all of us enjoyed the heron for a bit, it was Katie, Ashley and myself that seemed unable to walk away from this beautiful creature who seemed so unconcerned with the very nearness of us. She was beautiful and graceful and stepped through the water with an elegance seldom seen. She came even closer to us, bent down, plucked this big red fish out of the creek and strutted to the other side of the creek, faced us and held it in her mouth for it seemed like a minute or more. She then opened her mouth and swallowed the fish whole. Down the long slender neck it went... we saw it slide down until it rested just above her shoulder where we could still see it distorting the shape of the base of her neck. She then shimmied and the shape disappeared into her belly.

It was an amazing weekend. A weekend where I was fed and one in which I am still being fed. It was a grief anniversary weekend for me where I was able to literally go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.