Paying Attention

 

There’s a kind of white moth, I don’t know

what kind, that glimmers

by mid-May

in the forest, just

as the pink mocassin flowers

are rising.

 

If you notice anything,

it leads you to notice

more

and more. ~ from a portion of The Moths by Mary Oliver

 

I love the poetry of Mary Oliver, partly because she loved and noticed nature as I do. I think we can’t help but take more notice of nature in the summer, it’s so prolific! Everything is growing, blooming, living.

But maybe this poem is about more than noticing nature, maybe it speaks of paying attention to those fellow human beings around us. Maybe we’re called to notice those in pain, those who need a helping hand, those who just want someone to see them.

An incident happened in my life recently that made me consider more carefully how we interact with others. Often our energy only allows us to worry about our own people, ourselves, our jobs, what to fix for dinner and how we can afford to repair the car. Whatever little reminder you can give yourself to pay more attention to others will not be in vain.

Prayer: Lord, help me to notice those around me with whom I may come into contact today. Help me to see them as your children. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

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