Beginnings

All beginnings are somewhat strange; but we must have patience, and little by little, we shall find things, which at first were obscure, becoming clearer.                                                                                              –Vincent De Paul

 

Classes will soon begin at Moravian Theological Seminary.  And with each new semester, students have new syllabi in each of their courses to guide their work through the semester.  Whether a student has one class (and one syllabus to master) or many classes (and equal numbers of syllabi), looking over the expectations for reading, assignments, and class objectives is often overwhelming at that first “read-through.” 

 

Yet, almost always, if one steps back, takes a breath, and looks at the list of readings and assignments as a series of steps, the task becomes do-able.  Just take the first step, and when done, take the next step. 

 

One of my favorite poets is David Whyte.  His poem “Start Close In” from River Flow (2007) speaks of this:

 Start close in

Don’t take the second step

Or the third,

start with the first

thing

close in,

the step you don’t want to take.

 

Start with

the ground

you know,

the pale ground

beneath your feet,

your own

way of starting

the conversation.

 

Start with your own

question,

give up on other

people’s questions,

don’t let them

smother something

simple.

 

To find

another’s voice,

follow

your own voice,

wait until

that voice

becomes a

private ear

listening

to another.

 

Start right now

take a small step

you can call your own

don’t follow

someone else’s

heroics, be humble

and focused,

start close in,

don’t mistake

that other

for your own.

 

Start close in,

don’t take

the second step,

or the third,

start with the first

thing

close in,

the step

you don’t want to take.