LIFT OFF

Near the end of his life,
Plato recognized,
The mind of each human person is a divine spark
That if nourished correctly,
Could raise us up away from the earth,
toward what is akin to us in heaven.
And there you have it,
The raising is all.
Parenting,
For which none of us are ever ready,
Is everything.
The designation of priest given to us unawares.
We are plunged into the task of growing hope
Which will require all our skill and devotion
Patience, fortitude, resilience, forgiveness and
faith.
And still we may not overcome fortune,
Many times, leaving us devastated and bereft of hope.
But what better task is there for a human being than this endless nurturing,
The struggling to find wisdom in a moment of need,
This practicing,
again and again,
of,
the cultivation of love.