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Acknowledgment of Limitations  -  Burton D. Carley

I wonder if the river ever despairs of its downward destiny,
     and harbors a secret desire to flow uphill.

I wonder if winter yearns to be summer,
     or if a flower wishes it could bloom out of season.

I wonder if silence would like to shout,
     or if the sky wants to fall down and become the earth.

I wonder if the bird longs to become a rabbit,
     or if the fish ever dreams of walking on the land.

I wonder if the mountains envy the valleys,
     or if snow secretly covets the warmth of June.

I wonder if the moon complains that is it not the sun,
     or if the stars envy the earth.

I wonder if rain prefers a cloudless sky,
     or if grass tires of green and hopes for blue.

I wonder if spring really likes growing,
     or if fall rages against its colorful dying.

I wonder if the world ever sighs after more than it is --
     like you and I, like you and I.

O Spirit of life, we struggle against our limitations. Teach us to accept them. Amen.

Source: 1997 UUMA Worship Materials Collection; altered