Giving Voice

Why wonder about the loaves and fishes?

If you say the right words, the wine expands.

If you say them with love

and the felt ferocity of that love,

the fish explode into many.

Imagine him, speaking,

and don’t worry about what is reality,

or what is plain, or what is mysterious.

If you were there, it was all those things.

If you can imagine it, it is all those things.

Eat, drink, be happy.

Accept the miracle.

Accept, too, each spoken word

spoken with love.

—Mary Oliver

Pick a prayer, any prayer. Whisper it, sing it, shout it, force it out through clenched teeth with tears streaming down your face… just bring it out loud, with as much faith as you can muster, or as much as you can stand. Love the need that brought you to this moment, and give it voice. Your spoken invitation, whether accompanied by music or tears, is all that a miracle requires.

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Speaking of giving voice… my newest guest blogger, Elaine Chukan Brown, is in her own words, “an Alaska Native, only parent, and full-time philosopher fashionista, that has been blessed with the patience of God's love, the persistent urging of my ancestors, and the daily devotion of my daughter.” I’ve known Elaine for many years, and love and admire her way of looking at the world. I’m thrilled to be sharing her voice here with you! Look for the first of her contributions coming soon.