AdventWord: Obedience (or not)

a writing prompt for you to use this week or someday

Today’s AdventWord prompt is obedience.

Ugh.

Half of me thinks I should have something inspirational to say about obedience. Some reflection on faithfulness. Or at least some words about staying obedient to your own inner call to write.

The other half of me doesn’t have it this week, on the longest day of the year. And perhaps the world would be a better place if we stopped adding words when we don’t have anything useful to say. (Instead, I’ll keep writing in my journal, where words don’t need to have a use…)

So I’ll fall back, once again, on Mary Oliver, who writes kindness for us in a poetry prompt for today, or someday.

Someday

—by Mary Oliver

Even the oldest of trees continues its wonderful labor.
Hummingbird lives in one of them.
He's there for the white blossoms, and the secrecy.
The blossoms could be snow, with a dash of pink.
At first the fruit is small and green and hard.
Everything has dreams, hope, ambition.

If I could I would always live in such shining obedience
where nothing but the wind trims the boughs.
I am sorry for every mistake I have made in my life.
I'm sorry I wasn't wiser sooner.
I'm sorry I ever spoke of myself as lonely.

Oh, love, lay your hands upon me again.
Some of the fruit ripens and is picked and is delicious.
Some of it falls and the ants are delighted.
Some of it hides under the snow and the famished deer are saved.

—from Red Bird: Beacon Press Boston; 2008

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Christmas and New Year blessings to you

I’m taking the next two weeks off from the newsletter to finish a project and spend time with family. The next writing prompt will publish on January 11.

For paid subscribers, the next writing hour will be on Sunday, January 22 at 4 pm Eastern. The Zoom link will be sent by email closer to the date.

Thank you for joining me this year to read, write, and share. I am so grateful for this community of writers and wish you all a warm and happy holiday.

Write some things down! Let your words help you pay attention to what matters. I can’t think of a better way to close one year and start a new one. Peace to you.

Photo by Quentin Fahrner on Unsplash