I find you in all these things of the world
that I love calmly, like a brother;
in things that no one cares for you brood like a seed;
and to powerful things you give an immense power.

Strength plays such a marvelous game –
it moves through the things of the world like a servant,
groping out in roots, tapering in trunks,
and in the treetops like a rising from the dead.

There are two sides to forgiveness: giving and receiving. Although at first sight giving seems to be harder, it often appears that we are not able to offer forgiveness to others because we have not been able fully to receive it. Only as people who have accepted forgiveness can we find the inner freedom to give it. Why is receiving forgiveness so difficult? It is very hard to say, “Without your forgiveness I am still bound to what happened between us. Only you can set me free.” That requires not only a confession that we have hurt somebody but also the humility to acknowledge our dependency on others. Only when we can receive forgiveness can we give it.

Grateful that my work will appear in the Anthology, Without A Doubt – poems illuminating faith, to be published in August 2021. https://nyq.org/poets/poet/Bill-schulz