Lessons from the Animals
by the Rev. Elizabeth A.Lerner
Service at UUCSS on October 23, 2005
Sermon
I will take my lessons from the animals
And so endure, and so rejoice.
In this season of crispness and
The beginnings of endings
Of frost imminent
And colder to come,
As arrowing flocks head more or less south
Or wheel in airy crowds clustered for sustenance and safety
I will prepare for my soul’s migration inward
I will prepare my home for gatherings of sustenance and safety
I will draw in some part of me that is usually moving out in the world
And make it a warm bed, and give it time to rest
To be ready for the harshness and demands of the long chill ahead
In the season of freezing and
The beginning of waiting
Of cold that abides
And darker to come
As that world draws itself in and holds a long, long breath
I will, like the mammals, retire warm in dark places lit by comfort and safety
I will rouse myself too, as the bright birds that dare scrounge beneath the leaden sky
I will answer with acceptance and alertness the demands of life:
And give thanks for beating hearts, voices calling or singing, the need and pleasure of the food and drink, the cheer of others of my kind around me.
In the season of warming and
The beginning of springing
Of life that emerges
And bolder to come
As life moves from hints to declamations, like the new beings on scattershot legs
I will take joy in the simple: moving, warming, hearing and scenting and seeing
I will stroll and stamp and gambol unselfconscious
I will feel not my years but the eternal youth around me and become so: glad and tender and fresh
I will keep nothing in reserve, give back what I have hoarded in the cold
Spend it all to do my part in meeting all existence that comes out in joy together.
In the season of light
The beginning of fruiting
Of living that burgeons
And harvest to come
As warmth moves to heat, and rain fades to heavy languid air
I will release myself to the truth of those days
I will move gently in the pace and heat and ripeness everywhere
I will let the ease and plenty around me ease my soul, free me of fear and strain
Trusting in the lightness all around me and the balance that meets all needs, than answers all questions abundantly and calls the spirit to rest and trust.
I will take my lessons from the animals
And so endure, and so rejoice.
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