|
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up
and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and
complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly
washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through
the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?
The Summer Day
by Mary Oliver |
One
of the best kept secrets at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church is
The Middleton Center. The Middleton Center was formed in
1999 as a specialized ministry of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian
Church, with the mission to help people – Presbyterians, and
non-Presbyterians, our Jewish and Muslim neighbors, those
with no faith community, those with means and those without
– to help people navigate the transitions of their lives, to
live more fully and effectively, and to come into the
fullness of themselves.
Mary
Oliver asks this question in her poem, The Summer Day, “Tell
me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and
precious life?” Through our many services and programs, the
Middleton Center provides you with opportunities to listen
to yourself, to heal and grow, to take seriously your one
wild and precious life.
Although we have seen an average of over 3,000 clients per
year in the past six years, the majority of those who come
to the Middleton Center are not connected to BMPC. The
Middleton Center has much to offer you.
If
you are unemployed, underemployed, or ready to reenter the
job market, you may want to join our career-counseling
group.
If
you are grieving the loss of a loved one, consider our
bereavement support group.
If
you are experiencing chronic pain or have heard a recent
diagnosis of cancer, there is support for you as well.
If
you want to deepen your marriage or deal with the problems
within it; if you need relief from emotional difficulties
such as anxiety or depression, you may want to develop a
relationship with one of the therapists who practice at the
Middleton Center.
If
you are struggling with an addiction, now may be the time to
reach out for help.
Perhaps you have this gnawing restlessness within you, or
wonder how you might become more loving – or loveable; or
question where God is in your life, you may want to sit with
one of our spiritual directors to listen to your deepest
longings and therein hear the voice of God.
I
invite you to take advantage of all that the Middleton
Center offers – and spread the word. Our work is
confidential. Our fees are on a sliding scale. We WELCOME
you and want to support you as you embrace your “one wild
and precious life.”
For further questions,
please call, 610-525-0766, or email,
mail@middletoncenter.org
|
