the rain fell as we slept,
an event momentous
in a time of drought,
of plague, and fire, and flood,
a time
when the spurned earth
seems to be shaking us off
for the rapacious
culpably careless pests
we are,
transforming herself
yet again, into a world where
only other lives will thrive, not ours;
and so the rain, falling as we slept,
seemed, in retrospect, a generous message
saying, “I could still be your home.
I could forgive you. we could
live together as loving partners.”
but then I realized
I was all the way through breakfast
and halfway through the day
before I whispered, “thank you.”
belated,
with the best intentions.
when lovers wake,
their first act is embrace,
their first words breathe of love.
and so it cannot be surprising
that gratitude too often shared
(if shared at all) in retrospect,
finally,
receives drought
plague, fire, and flood
rather than momentous rain.
© Copyright of all visual and written materials on The Daily Round belongs solely to Catherine M. O’Meara, 2011-Present. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited, without the author’s written approval. No one is authorized to use Catherine O’Meara’s copyrighted material for material gain without the author’s engagement and written permission. All other visual, written, and linked materials are credited to their authors. Thank you, and gentle peace.
THE DAILY ROUND 
May we become more conscious of the blessings and express gratitude immediately, as a constant habit.
Wonderful to hear you finally got some rain.
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Thank you, dear Yacoob! Yes, 3/4 of an inch! And a bit more today. We are very grateful, right now, in the moment, that’s for sure…but could do with less of the high winds, thunder, and lightning. These storms have been very high on drama and low on rain, I suppose due to the lifting of intense heat and utter lack of moisture in the air. But, if our home can remain standing, we’ll take whatever rain we can get, with gratitude.
Hope you are safe and well. 💙
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Beautiful thoughts and so well expressed. I especially like the second part… So many think of this belatedly when it is then too late ~!
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Thank you, Sam; it’s very kind of you to take time to comment. We are a species capable of doing the right thing and then doing it too late, aren’t we? I agree it would be better if we cultivated the habit of looking through “gratitude lenses” so we’d always see the ways we’re blessed and respond immediately…
Stay well and safe, and gentle peace to you, Sam.
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Lovely verse, Kitty!
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Thank you, Tracy! It’s so kind of you to visit and very much appreciated. I hope you’re safe and well, and having some wonderful adventures to post on your superb blog. Gentle peace to you.
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Ah, Kitty, you are so pensive as of late, even more so than usual. 🙂 And your so aptly written words are just what we need to hear … the reminders that we all need to be more conscious of being grateful for what we have. And when we have it, not just trusting it will always be there.
Our poor planet … California in flames. Most people probably don’t even realize how much of our food comes from there. And if they do, do they connect it with our daily, mindless activities and habits that are causing our earth to founder?
At least I can thank you right away … for writing so beautifully. Thank you.
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I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about connection, Jeanne, for we’ve lost, or never truly had, the sense of profound understanding that out choices and actions directly and ever more swiftly impact our fragile web. It seems a time of endings and farewells, of conscious acknowledgement that we’ve caused painful and rapid extinctions, and that in our lifetimes, the clock has run out regarding our opportunities to ameliorate the dissolution of much of the miraculous life on Earth. Greed, denial, and ignorance have won.
I’m not without hope that some may survive, that new and more gracious ways of existence on our planet may be born, but we’re absolutely now standing in the chaos between all the innocent dying we’ve caused and what may come, and I think we need to do so consciously and with reverence. As with Covid-19, most of the loss is simply due to human choice, and we have to bear that burden, that guilt. Most of our species, or too many–enough to tip the balance–could not accept its dependent place in the circle with humility and gratitude, and so the circle breaks.
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How beautiful Kitty, your words often linger and float around my head. Utterly delighted to hear you have had some rain, here’s to more without any storms. Just loved the heron, what a beauty.xxx
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Thank you, dear friend. Yes! Many late afternoons and evenings in the basement lately, but we’re safe and the gardens are happy to have had sweet rainfalls. This weekend, I’ll tackle the weeds that also loved the rain. 🙂 xoxoxoxo
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