The Midway-Point with Mary Oliver
A different way to look at life, half-way through your year
Dear Friend,
July carries us gently into the second half of the year.
I don’t share that to rush you—we all move through time in our own way.
Still, midway points can offer a quiet moment to pause and check in.
Not the kind of check-in that’s about goals or resolutions.
A check-in of the spirit.
When I need that kind of soul-tending, I turn to poems that have become touchstones for me—ones I return to again and again. Near the top of my list is Mysteries, Yes by Mary Oliver. It reminds me, with such clarity and compassion, that we live with “mysteries too marvelous to be understood.”
Oliver doesn’t ask us to be unscathed when we meet her words. She knows we come to poems carrying our scars.
So read this one with me—wherever you are today. Whether you’re holding old wounds or fresh ones, whether you're full of questions or quiet wonder.
Afterward, I invite you to write. What does the poem stir in you? What does it soften? What does it open?
With love,
Gabrielle Ariella
by Mary Oliver
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
Have a friend whose spirits could use a boost? Invite them to explore their creative energy with us!
Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompts:
Choose whichever one calls you today!
What mystery in your life have you stopped trying to solve and instead learned to live with?
Describe a moment when wonder surprised you—when you said, like Oliver, “Look!”
Begin with the phrase: Let me keep company always with those who…
Spiritual Practice for the week ahead: When you have a “Look!” moment, capture it in your journal, a text to a friend, a quick doodle or photo. At the end of the week, read through all your “Look!” moments.
Friends! I'm excited to have my chapter included in the upcoming collaborative book, Expressive Arts: The Ultimate Creative Guide to Transforming Stress, by Jean Voice Dart. My chapter is called The Write Words: How To Find Your Soul’s Voice.
The book launches on August 5 and features dynamic stories, tips, and twenty-two creative tools for managing stress through creativity. Every chapter provides valuable gifts and opportunities available only for you, the reader. To join my launch team and receive a complimentary advanced copy of the book, please click here.
Everyone on the launch team will be entered to win from among some great prizes! THANK YOU so much for your support.
