The Sacrament of Waiting by Macrina Weiderkehr

Slowlyshe celebrated the sacrament of letting go.First she surrendered her green,then the orange, yellow, and redfinally she let go of her brown.Shedding her last leafshe stood empty and silent, stripped bare.Leaning against the winter skyshe began her vigil of trust.

Shedding her last leafshe watched its journey to the ground.She stood in silencewearing the color of emptiness,her branches wondering;How do you give shade with so much gone?

And then,the sacrament of waiting began.The sunrise and sunset watched with tenderness.Clothing her with silhouettesthey kept her hope alive.

They helped her understand thather vulnerability,her dependence and need,her emptiness,her readiness to receivewere giving her a new kind of beauty.Every morning and every evening they stood in silenceand celebrated togetherthe sacrament of waiting.

by Macrina Weiderkehr