I shared a poem by John Roedel on Sunday as part of our meditation. I thought it was important enough to share again. So, here it is…exactly as he writes.
my old friend, Failure, showed up at my door dressed like it was attending a somber wake
pressed dark suit,
mirrored sunglasses,
~ slick polished shoes
so
I gave Failure a bright red rose for its lapel, a glass of champagne and then kissed it on its pale cheek
Failure stared at me for a moment
before it finally spoke with a growl:
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“no.”
I explained to Failure
that its arrival wasn’t the end of my story ~ but simply a plot twist
I reminded Failure that
it wasn’t there to preside over my funeral ~ it had come to baptize me
“oh.”
Then Failure took off its coat and walked me down to the lake and laid me out prone in the clear water and I felt something inside of me become brand new
when it was over, failure pulled me to my feet and hugged me to my bones while whispering into my ears it’s two word sermon: “Now….grow.”
We said our goodbyes
knowing that we’d see
each other again soon
I left Failure in the lake and sat
by the shore until I watched it became a white swan
And as we walked home I thanked God for our unlikely friendship because
Failure has taught just
about everything that I
know
