Inspired by Matthew 4:1–11:
“And suddenly angels came and waited on him.”
WILDERNESS BLESSING
Let us say
this blessing began
whole and complete
upon the page.
And then let us say
one word loosed itself
and another followed it
in turn.
Let us say
this blessing started
to shed all
it did not need,
that line by line
it returned
to the ground
from which it came.
Let us say
this blessing is not
leaving you,
is not abandoning you
to the wild
that lies ahead,
but that it is loathe
to load you down
on this road where
you will need
to travel light.
Let us say
perhaps this blessing
became the path
beneath your feet,
the desert
that stretched before you,
the clear sight
that finally came.
Let us say
that when this blessing
at last came to its end,
all it left behind
was bread,
wine,
a fleeting flash
of wing.
—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons
Image: “Where Angels Love to Tread“
Carrie's Bench 