On Our Community & Remembering "Not": Brief Thoughts 4 the Week

Being witness to a vibrant & engaging community in South Orange County this year was quite enlightening.  This was especially so as we have been witness to the compassion and humanity of our Faith Communities and as we saw selfless souls who stepped up to serve and have now taken up the mantle of service.    

As we count our blessings in this oasis of prosperity and engagement, we need to remember who we are.  This young Australian Poet said it ever so eloquently:

Not.

“You are not your age,
Nor the size of clothes you wear,
You are not a weight,
Or the colour of your hair.
You are not your name,
Or the dimples in your cheeks,
You are all the books you read,
And all the words you speak,
You are your croaky morning voice,
And the smiles you try to hide,
You’re the sweetness in your laughter,
And every tear you’ve cried,
You’re the songs you sing so loudly,
When you know you’re all alone,
You’re the places that you’ve been to,
And the one that you call home,
You’re the things that you believe in,
And the people that you love,
You’re the photos in your bedroom,
And the future you dream of,
You’re made of so much beauty,
But it seems that you forgot,
When you decided that you were defined,
By all the things you’re not.”
~ Erin Hanson (E.H)

Erin Hanson is a young poet living in Austrailia. Visit her blog The Poetic Underground

Onward....