It was a long drive. Home.
It was a long trip. Home.
It was a long visit. Home.
It unfolded,
hurled and haunted
much to sift through. Home.
I am. Home.
And a bit cryptic exhausted, peeling back layers of revelation and old news of ancient salvation and. Newness.
And flipping through pages of poetry much more than me. And bigger than my words. And. Able to convey what I feel right now:
Love After Love
by Derek Walcott
The time will come
When, with elation,
You will greet yourself arriving
At your own door, in your own mirror,
And each will smile at the other’s welcome,
And say, sit here, Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
To itself, to the stranger who has loved you
All your life, whom you ignored
For another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
The photographs, the desperate notes,
Peel your image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
—
This poem is so lovely. It points to that process of unfolding and growing into authenticity. We get there through the love, the “love after love” of those who went before, who still are and who will one day be. And I can say I’m grateful for every one of those loves. The ones who’re “gone” and the ones who’ve relentlessly and couragously embraced me.
Meanwhile, I look forward to haunting the wealth of worlds connected to this blog. It’s good to be home!
J. Ruth Kelly 
Ahhhh… sit back, relax, home, sweet, sweet sister… Well done, Who is Derek? Glad you’re there. Lots of us miss you when you’re gone 🙂
Derek Walcott won the Nobel for literature in 1992 and I’d know nothing about him were it not for my book of poetry here.
Huuuuug…
Ahhhh. January 4th. When Home can be Home without the external pressures of the big fat HOLIDAY! I’m glad to be Home too, though I never left. xoxo Kristy
School starts back up on the 11th. I’m SO glad for this time to re-group and nest.
It reminds me of what Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We have to love ourselves to do that properly, right? Glad your home!
Me too! NacaNOWTHIS IS IT! You’re singing my best and most favourite Jesus song…”as yourself. as yourself. as yourself.” Or something like that. It’s a vast improvement from another one I had to sing years ago. I”m thinking Jesus didn’t like it any more than I did.
Hugs to you…
You always capture things so well. Home. It sure feels right.
I walked in and sighed. Such a wonderful visit with so many and yet. HOME.
And richer for your presence…