Explore our December theme “stillness” more deeply.

In 2006, the Unitarian Universalist Beacon Press published Thirst, a volume of Mary Oliver’s poetry in which the poem, “The Place I Want to Get Back To,” appeared. The poem tells the story of the day that Oliver sat in perfect stillness in the pine woods, and two deer approached her. Silently sizing her up, one of the deer, in an almost impossibly compelling moment, nuzzles her hand.

While the magic of the wild deer’s soft, warm muzzle is the big surprise, it was made possible because Oliver was practiced–even very skilled–at being still. In the poem, the place Oliver wants to get back to is that perfect oneness found through stillness; stillness is both the path and the destination.

And this is a good way for us UUs to think about stillness, too. This month, we practice and play with stillness together both for its intrinsic value, and for its usefulness for the work ahead. In stillness is where our courage grows.

We’ll all be celebrating and experiencing different things this December and we’ve been through a lot together this year.  Lessons and learning opportunities will certainly emerge in the coming months, yet right now, like silent seeds tucked into rich soil, we pause in dynamic stillness together.

— Teresa Honey Youngblood, on behalf of the whole Soul Matters team