When the walls of fury and dystopia threaten our made up worlds,
just breathe.
When coughing madness spews upon us its pointless fury,
just breathe.
When those bent on denying as “fake” anything “those ones” have said,
just breathe.
When “those ones” spend all their time trumpeting the correction as the end,
just breathe.
When hints of community are abandoned for mutual blaming,
just breathe.
When neighbours and friends respond to us as foreigners and enemies,
just breathe.
When social distance becomes an excuse to deepen selfishness,
just breathe.
When social distance deepens our loneliness, broadens our fears,
just breathe.
When time and brilliance and humanity once again find their way,
just breathe.
When the disparate voices of the many find semblance of singularity,
just breathe.
When the despair from our losses kisses the tears of our gratitude,
just breathe.
When the detritus of our streets, our homes, our world is swept away,
just breathe.
When the heroes of our wholeness return to their own neglected homes,
just breathe.
When opens again the doors of mosque and church, synagogue and hall,
just breathe.
When real, unimagined community replaces rampant, unbalanced commerce,
just breathe.
When masks, gloves, distance, and disinfectant give way to gathered embrace,
just breathe.
When the darker memories of our day become the fodder for our laughter,
just breathe.
When breathing and prayer are indistinguishable,
just breathe.
Just breathe.
Remarkable image by Larisa Koshkina
What follows is from the penultimate section of the book entitled “Staying with,” in which he outlines the Rule of Life for the recently established Nazareth Community. I found it especially poignant give our current situation in which we find ourselves – in much that is unknown. 
