Tricia Kibbe

I just returned from an incredible journey to Chartres, France. It was the first trip of my new tour company called Seeking the Sacred. I was privileged to be a part of an amazing circle of 17 women from around the US and Britain. My circle sisters and I spent 7 days experiencing the sights, sounds, tastes and mysteries of a beautiful medieval town and its Cathedral, which this year celebrated it’s 1000 year anniversary. Dana Reynolds who facilitated the circle gave us this poem for one of our meditations and I wanted to share it with all of you.

The Sacrament of Letting Go

Slowly
she celebrated the sacrament of
Letting Go…

First she surrendered her Green
then the Orange, Yellow, and Red.
Finally she let go of her Brown.
Shedding her last leaf
she stood empty and silent, stripped bare.
Leaning against the sky she began her vigil of trust.

Shedding her last leaf
she watched its journey to the ground.
She stood in silence
wearing the color of emptiness,
her branches wondering:
How do you give shade, with so much gone?

And then, the sacrament of waiting began
The sunrise and sunset watched with
tenderness, clothing her with silhouettes
they kept her hope alive.
They helped her understand that
her vulnerability
her dependence and need
her emptiness
her readiness to receive
were giving her a new kind of beauty.
Every morning and every evening
she stood in silence and celebrated
the sacrament of waiting.

poem from “Seasons of Your Heart”
Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB