A Meditation for "Yes! And..."
by Rev. Diane Rollert, February 26, 2023
How funny we are
in our varying needs.
For each person who wishes
we would shout and clap,
there is another who wishes
we would remain silent.
For each person who wishes
for stillness and contemplation,
another wishes we could dance and sing
as loudly as we can.
For each person who wishes
they could be met by an escort at the door,
another asks to be left alone
to slip into this sanctuary
at their own pace — "Thank you very much!"
For each person who wants
to quench their thirst with coffee,
another wants only water.
For each person who hungers
for faith or God,
another only seeks the rational.
For each person who wants
to seek communion with many,
another wants to quietly peruse
the books in the library,
or sneak out the door
during the final hymn.
How wonderful, how rich,
how challenging to be so different.
Come, bring your joys and your sorrows.
Come, bring your open spirit.
Seek the "Yes!"
Live into the "And..."—
Say yes to reversing direction,
to turning ourselves inside out.
Say yes to trying something
we have never dared to try before.
And.. and... see how it feels.
Wear the shoes or the coat
of someone else.
Put on rose-coloured glasses
or take them off.
Sing a boisterous song,
or embrace the quiet.
Look for the joy
that is you,
that is me,
that is all of us
in the beauty of our uniqueness,
in the mystery of "Yes!"
in the wonder of "And!"
Come, shed your grumpiness,
your apprehensions,
your fears,
and your judgements.
Let your pain and sadness
rest for a moment.
Set them aside as package
to pick up later.
Yes! Let love wash over you,
and offer a respite
from all that weighs upon you.
Welcome the miracle
of what is "Yes!" — now —
And what is yet to come.