More than the Sum

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”― Hamilton Wright Mabie

“Still, what I want in my life
is to be willing
to be dazzled—
to cast aside the weight of facts

and maybe even
to float a little
above this difficult world.
I want to believe I am looking

into the white fire of a great mystery.
I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing—
that the light is everything—that it is more than the sum
of each flawed blossom rising and falling. And I do.”
― Mary Oliver, House of Light

We count
Compare
Weigh
Measure
Do the math
The transaction
The efficiency
The formula
Zero-sum game

Living is in the essay
The story
More than the sum
Found in nuance
Connections
Interruptions
The unfolding
Imperfection
Mystery
Beauty
Grace
Vibrant, unexpected
Getting lost only to be found
Tripping and landing where we should be but didn’t plan on

Go be light in the darkness
Hope in the struggle
Joy in the not so straight nor smooth journey
Dazzling light powered by love.

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”― L.R. Knost