We Know How

Day #20

There is something about a church women’s retreat.

We certainly know how to make things pretty.

How to put out a spread of food.

And how to eat it.

How to keep the coffee brewing.

How to take the conversation to the next room when it dives deep.

How to laugh.

How to laugh hard.

How to laugh at ourselves 

and then share it with others 

so they can laugh too.

We know how to talk.

How to share our feelings,

our hurts, 

our misconceptions 

and what God is doing with all of them.

We know how to hear when a word is being spoken

and when to notice when someone in the corner 

is being split wide open from that word.

We know how to hug.

How to stay up too late talking

and laughing

and playing games.

Spoons!

We know how to ask for prayer and when to offer it.

We know how to make a mess

and how to clean it up.

We know how to encourage.

We know how to cheer.

We know how to celebrate that we are 

fearfully and wonderfully made.

And we know that that looks differently on every single one of us.

We know how to lead

and when to follow.

We know when to acknowledge the struggle

and when to suck. it. up.

We know when to look up

and notice all the beauty around us.

And we know that sometimes it takes leaving

what’s comfortable 

and close 

and tidy

to find what we’re really made of.