Sheldon Poems

The Sheldon Prayer

Thanks be to God
The Holy Three:
Father, Mother;
sister, brother;
friend, lover

You have found for us a place,
Small enough to call home;
but not so small any need be turned away

Set apart, but not isolated;
where we find space;
but not emptiness

A home beside a wood,
with a stream flowing by

The rush of the wind in the trees:
the wind of your spirit:
which lifts us where we,
like leaves, have fallen;
and gathers into one

The sound of the water:
ever changing, ever new;
clear living water
we can draw within us
to cleanse and renew.

The music of birds
singing psalms
in praise of creation.

A hearth to return to;
kindled in love,
to warm and not destroy.
Where we can be open,
without being afraid;
vulnerable,
without being threatened;
and know the encompassing three
protecting us.

The sacred Three
To save
To protect,
To enfold
the heath,
The home,
The household,
This day,
This night,
Each and every
day and night,
Amen

Written from themes in the Carmina Gadelica
for the service of Thanksgiving and dedication of the Sheldon Centre for the Society of Mary and Martha July 1992
First published in the Society of Mary and Martha Newsletter
Vol 6 No 1, Michaelmas 1992

Walking through the world

1. I am walking through your world, Lord
Your creation surrounds me
Birds, like naughty children, heard but seldom seen
flitting through the branches as I approach.
Bees, recycling an old trunk as a home
Fungus, like chamois leather given life by the death of a tree
Nature creating, and recreating itself as new life
emerges from decay, the tree of life grows on.
So in my life Lord,
let each death - of ambition, of hopes, of fears,
be the beginning of new life
and help me take my place in your re-creation.

2. I walk through your world, Lord,
And see pain all around.
The sad and the lonely
The lost and the dying.

Yet you came to bring joy
The joy of knowing you,
The joy of being yours
The joy of being loved.

So that in all we do
and all that we are
and all that we share:
You are there too
with the sad and the lonely,
the lost and the dying.

The pain is yours, Lord,
as you walk through our world.

Steps in a wood

Steps in a wood, time worn
Earth erasing human tread
Ants turn timber to dust
as all must,
but which all dread.

Steps renewed climb upward,
a gate foretells the way ahead.
The path counts a steady pace,
no quick race
by which we're led.

The power of the motor

I am going out in faith
energy from the earth empowering me.
As the power of the motor is beneath me,
so may the power of God be within me,
the company of the son be at my side
the guiding of the spirit lead me on.
And may Christopher protect me from the danger of flood
Michael protect me from my enemies.
And may I protect those whom I pass
and bring a blessing to all whom I meet.

The huts through the wood.

The home we long to reach
The life we long to live
The person we long to be
is hidden from us by the trees
is cut off by the storm around us
is closed by the walls of our mind.

You are the path through the wood
You are the bridge over the flood
You are the gate to our soul.

Father of all
Saviour of all
Spirit of all

this day, this night
all days all nights.

©Peter G Ashby 2002