In the black fullness of the night sky
deep silence holds me, wrapping my terror and aloneness,
comforting the despair for worlds torn and shattered.
It is thick and substantial and fully felt.

Slowly, very slowly, the morning light begins
to soak through the darkness,
like white ink being absorbed by black paper,
dissolving fear, radiating into my bones,
leaving a quiet mystery in its place:

Radical Hope!
Star of Wonder…. revealing
the primary condition of friendly grace.
A fresh perception of unmitigated being takes hold
in this earth, this sky, this quiet heart.

With each new awareness of beauty we are held
together in a communion of belonging.
When any one of us pauses to drink from the well of stunning glory
We are joined invisibly in our humanness.

On this day may you immerse yourself
in the beauty that surrounds you and swirls within you.
May you be touched by the wonder of stars
and the silence pulsing there:
the silence pulsing in us and through us
and blessing every second
with vital joy.

Beth P. Riley
December 2005