Sometimes, powerful and poignant words have a way of wiggling into your mind and making a nest. This visual is not meant to be intrusive, but a gentle reminder that we are shaped by our thinking and learning. Linguistic earworms have the potential to dance through our synapses and light up our memories. I think that they take root in ways that ultimately change the course of our steps through this world.
I’m an avid reader and as I write this, I can think of countless writers that have made a home inside of my mind. I welcome the words of James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and contemporary writers like Fatimah Ashgar and Kiese Laymon. Their words are safe with me, and I greet them readily. In fact, in times of distress, some of these words turn into tiny prayers as I share in their hopes. But I also know that I am called beyond a mere greeting. I am called to wrestle with the fact that what we know must also change what we do, and who we understand ourselves to be.
I can’t help but pause and invite you to reflect on a few questions: Who do we want to be in this moment? What words are lighting a path for you? And how do we move closer to acting in alignment with this warm, nest-filled version of ourselves?
I recently read an excerpt from John Haynes Holmes that says: “Prayer is attention unfolding into intention. It is purpose, resolution, dedication. Which brings us face to face with the greatest of all spiritual discoveries—that if our prayers are to be answered, we must answer them ourselves’”.
Mr. Holmes so aptly names the challenge before us: if we believe in our prayers, or the words that rest in our hearts, then we should also remember that we are called to act daringly, and to emulate them more closely. For me, this means becoming more of an embodiment of love and solidarity. And while I understand this to be a challenge, I also find this to be a wonderful invitation. We have the potential to be the answer to our own prayers, and to the hopes of the people we admire that have come before us. May we honor our nests, and step closer to our prayers with careful attention each day.