404. Until we understand what land is, we are at odds with everything we touch. ~Wendell Berry

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And to come to that understanding it is necessary, even now, to leave the regions of our conquest – the cleared fields, the towns and cities, the highways – and re-enter the woods. For only there can a man encounter the silence and the darkness of his own absence. Only in this silence and darkness can he recover the sense of the world’s longevity, of its ability to thrive without him, of his inferiority to it and his dependence on it. ~Wendell Berry

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Before the human mind could warm to itself,
The hands of the farmer had first to work,
Creating clearances in the earth’s thicket:
Cut into the thorn screens of wild briar,
Uproot the clusters of scrub-bush,
Dig out loose rock until a field emerged
Whose clay could be loosened and softened
To take seed and bring forth crops.
The earth was able to trust
The intention of the farmer’s hands,
Opening it, softening it, molding it
Into a domain of shelter and nourishment.
It waits through its secluded winter
For his imagination of springtime
To feed into its darkened heart
New seeds for it to work its mind on
Until the harvest gathers and thickens. . .
In his mind his fields become presences;
The feel of their colors, the brace of their walls
Have greened his thought and tempered his heart.
~Excerpt from BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US
by John O’Donohue, poet, philosopher, scholar

Trust the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. ~Psalm 37:3   ✝

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you save, you heal, you restore, and you reveal Your Father’s heart to us! You have captured me with grace and I’m caught in Your infinite embrace! Like Saint Hildegard Lord, may I too be a feather on your holy breath and spread, like seeds, the gospel abroad.

**Image via Pinterest

9 thoughts on “404. Until we understand what land is, we are at odds with everything we touch. ~Wendell Berry”

    • Why, thank you, Laurence. I’m glad you enjoy them. I pray that all is well down under. It occurred to me yesterday that if we just entered summer here, you must have just entered winter. Stay warm! Cheers, O master of the Roos. 🙂

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      • You’re welcome Natalie. yes it’s winter, we have strong winds at the moment though it’s only cool. Down in the southern alps there’s a blizzard the moment. All across the southern part of the continent there’s wild weather. I have my fire going now. 🙂 RooMaster! I like that, Laurence of the Roos. I’d better not get too carried away.
        Cheers and hugs
        Laurence (of the roos)

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  4. I’ve just read several books by Wendell Barry–thoroughly enjoyed them. His knowledge and reverence of the land he loves comes through his thoughts. Glad to see you quote him here! Hugs ~ Laura

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