Dirt
Glory be to God for Dirt—
For backyard soil
as dark and dense
as the midnight sky.
And for all the creatures
who make this ground
their earthy home—
the wiggly ones
and leggy ones
and the tiny ones
our eyes can’t see.
For muddy puddles
on neighborhood paths,
beckoning little feet
to jump and splash,
and little hands
to squish and form
hand-packed mud pies
(nature’s finest!)
for a friend.
For that Garden ground
first lovingly made,
now put to new use
when scooped up
in the Creator’s hands.
Dusty-earth made alive
with divine-breath.
Humus-formed humans,
crafted and blessed.
For dust you are
and to dust you will return.
And so, in the meantime . . .
May we learn to see and love
those creatures, small and great,
who inhabit our neighborhoods
as their earthy abodes.
May we be quick to share,
with neighbors (known or new)
our garden plenty
or just store-bought greens,
being ever astounded
by the gifts of sun and soil.
And on this dust-to-dust journey,
may our hubris
give way to humility,
remembering always
with gratitude and awe,
our humble beginnings
in this simple gift of dirt.
Amen.
Michelle Stinson finds herself delighting in this present season of writing, speaking, and getting her hands in the dirt. She regularly speaks and writes on food, hospitality, land care, and the Psalms. She is a trained Spiritual Director and a Visiting Scholar in Old Testament at Denver Seminary.
