In Memory of Mary Oliver

“It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.”

Mary Oliver, “Praying”

Yesterday marked the passing of Mary Oliver, a beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, whose writing focuses on our spiritual connection to the natural world.

In Long Life she wrote, “What does it mean … that the earth is so beautiful? And what shall I do about it? What is the gift that I should bring to the world?”

Mary Oliver taught us, quite simply, to pay attention … to be fully present. Her poetry is imbued with a reverence for nature, and endless awe and delight in every detail of the living world.

We are eternally grateful for her gift.

“I walk in the world to love it.” 

Mary Oliver, Long Life: Essays and Other Writings