Altars

I wake up
and here I am:
lying at your altar
uncertain
how I got here
or why.

I rejoice, give thanks, and journey on
only to waken
and find myself at your altar
once again.

Journey by journey
altar by altar
wakening by wakening

the swallow and the sparrow
sing me into grace

until I see altars everywhere

and know
that they all
are One.

This year I tried out an online advent retreat.  I was surprised by how quickly a community developed online - and by how sacred the space became.  One of Jan Richardson's reflections was on Psalm 84.  A different version of the Bible changed altar to altars, which opened a new space for me ... and for this poem.  Always amazed by the impact a single word can have.

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Grammatical note:  alter - to change; altar - a place for sacrifices. 
My husband questioned my spelling.  I humbly changed the poem.  :-)