This poem was written as I approached my two year anniversary of work at the children's home in Central America. On a retreat with fellow staff, we were asked to write a sonnet about our spiritual life at the farm ("the farm" is shorthand for where I worked). I wrote the following. For me it represented a commitment to service deeper than the daily challenges and woes. It was a way to express my belief that something greater was driving and supporting our work at the farm.
"Prayer, Life, Love"
My prayer life at the farm of child,
Better put my foundation and life here,
Holy Longing* prayers in action, seem mild,
Little words, little actions, make love near,
Work, tasks, exhaustion, always there looming,
Graces and great love fade into background,
Laudes seems chore like, private prayer fading,
But the words never fail, hope again found,
Quiet nights in the chapel bring heart peace,
Comfort found in present hearts all around,
Accept weaknesses, love, let labors cease,
Renewed soul takes in love's harmonic sound,
Our ever growing prayer life at the farm,
Inspires a love beyond human charm.
--Gertrude Rose
Personal Journal
4/11/2012
*Referring to The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser
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