Poem: The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
— Wendell Berry

Nurturing Soil

Can a baby really be affected by our attitudes? We believe they can, and this frightens us. What kind of environment do we want to create for Matthew? We have a choice. We can allow fear and doubt and anxiety to be the spiritual food that Matthew eats. Even though Matthew’s development is not his fault, he will grow up feeling blame, not good enough and like he is a failure and disappointment. Clearly this is not the outcome we wish for him, so we can – with God’s grace – choose hope and encouragement to be the nurturing soil in which Matthew grows. We do not use the words “God’s grace” lightly as we find our own wells of hope and encouragement are far too shallow to sustain the nurturing environment that Matt needs. Our hearts get crushed by fear so quickly. It is only God’s grace. Only God’s GRACE that has gifted us with His Holy Spirit. The fruit of this beautiful Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control. These are just what Matthew needs to grow into the man that God created him to be.