Somewhere in us a dignity presides

The Inner History of a Day

No one knew the name of this day;
Born quietly from deepest night,
It hid its face in light,
Demanded nothing for itself,
Opened out to offer each of us
A field of brightness that traveled ahead,
Providing in time, ground to hold our footsteps
And the light of thought to show the way.

The mind of the day draws no attention;
It dwells within the silence with elegance
To create a space for all our words,
Drawing us to listen inward and outward.

We seldom notice how each day is a holy place
Where the eucharist of the ordinary happens,
Transforming our broken fragments
Into an eternal continuity that keeps us.

Somewhere in us a dignity presides
That is more gracious than the smallness
That fuels us with fear and force,
A dignity that trusts the form a day takes.

So at the end of this day, we give thanks
For being betrothed to the unknown
And for the secret work
Through which the mind of the day
And wisdom of the soul become one.

******

May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love

~ John O’Donohue ~

(To Bless the Space Between Us)

After deciding to post this poem on this site, I heard "by chance" some of Symphony No. 5 in E minor (Tchaikovsky) on the radio. Somehow this music felt so fitting. So I suggest you may want to listen as well in context to the topic here. When I read a bit about the composition, I was assured the music fit indeed.

Find the illustration a related Donohue poem on day's beginning here
Photo's title: Clearing Storm, Pioneer Basin, California-0-0