As we begin,
I want to honour and thank all the teachers,
Formal and implicit,
Who have supported and shaped my work in graced moments.
My words are also shaped by a lifelong curiosity about the sacred and the many ways human beings have sought to live in relationship with one another,
With the earth and with mystery.
May we learn from the quiet wisdom of the trees.
From roots reaching deep into the earth.
From branches opening towards the light.
From leaves dancing in the wind.
And from the patient rhythm of the changing seasons.
May we discover a trust.
That does not depend upon certainty.
A courage that does not require us to be without fear.
And a peace that can live alongside the uncertainties of life.
When the winds of change move through our lives.
May we remember the tree.
Rooted,
Yet able to bend.
Strong.
Yet open to the movement of life.
May we learn to hold gently what cannot remain as it is.
To release what is ready to fall away.
To surrender,
Not in defeat,
But in the quiet recognition that we cannot know or control all that life will bring.
And when we find ourselves striving,
Searching or struggling to become someone other than who we are.
May the trees remind us.
That every living being has its own unfolding.
May we grow in trust of the life that is ours to live.
May we remember too that no tree grows alone.
Every root reaches into a living earth.
Every breath belongs to a greater breathing.
Every life is woven into countless other lives.
May we come to know,
Not only in our minds.
But deep within our own bodies,
That we belong to this vast community of life.
We are not strangers upon the earth.
We are of the Earth.
Held within its rhythms.
Nourished by its gifts.
And called to care for the life of which we are a part.
May our sense of belonging deepen our compassion.
May gratitude find expression in how we live.
May we tread more gently,
Listen more attentively,
And honour the sacred presence of the living world around us.
And when life is difficult.
When the way ahead is uncertain.
When we cannot see what is yet to come.
May we find the courage to trust.
The wisdom to surrender what we cannot control.
And the tenderness towards ourselves and all who share this journey.
May we remember.
That we are part of something far greater than we can ever fully understand.
And may the sacred find expression through us in the ordinary ways we love,
Care,
Listen and belong.
