~ PARISHONER’S NOTE ~
Mary Oliver (1935-2019), during her lifetime, was the best-selling poet in the United States. Her poems combine her deep and welcoming faith with nature, where she found beauty in all of God's creation.
"Making the House Ready
for the Lord"
Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice -- it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances -- but it is the season when they need shelter,
so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen
and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling in the yard,
and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe
you will come, Lord:
you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering
sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you
whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon:
Come in, Come in.