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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap: break-word;-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;line-break:after-white-space'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Really beautiful and inspiring! Thank you! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>-Doug<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> thespiritexpress-bounces@lists.mcn.org [mailto:thespiritexpress-bounces@lists.mcn.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Riantee Rand via Thespiritexpress<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, January 27, 2022 11:05 AM<br><b>To:</b> thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [Thespiritexpress] Poem tread at Mastery<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>To A Family Honored with a New Spirit</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we are entrusted with this body</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we carry it light </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>and easy.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we are made to walk upon Mother Earth</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we follow the path she opens </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>with great tenderness.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we are chosen for the difficult task of humanity</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we revere it </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>with the most sacred part of ourselves. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we are honored with this new spirit</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we rejoice in the inevitable parting, </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>that is a reunion with our soul.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we do not know where this path leads,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we trust ourselves to the unknown sea</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>and discover new lands.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we are not made to be perfect</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we find our shadow as a stepping-stone,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>to move through darkness into the light.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we are not a finished product</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we walk through life and death remodeling</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>and transforming ourselves.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we are created poets, musicians, artists, creators, homemakers,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we choose the limitless vision that will open a new way.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>All of life is a teacher.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As our feet meet the ground to feel </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>the blood running through the arteries of our ancestry,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we are grateful for gravity. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we honor the ones who have passed away,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we see the divine in all we encounter</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>and find the medicine we bring to others.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we look up at the sky and recover </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>the perspective of the above </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>we see ourselves dancing to the music of the galaxies.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Thank you for bringing a new child into this world to dance with us. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></blockquote></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>