Marla Legere wanted to share these words and beautiful poem with readers of Walking on Sacred Ground.
We often ask so much of ourselves and others as our lives unfold. We push so hard and expect so much… but like the rose, true beauty cannot be hurried. We must be patient with our tender humanity and realize that something truly miraculous is taking place within. That God, the master gardener is at work.
It is so beautifully said in this lovely poem by Mark Coleman… “we open fully only to warmth and light”… and most importantly that ” a flower cannot be opened with a hammer”.
If you would grow to your best self
Be patient, not demanding
Accepting, not condemning
Nurturing, not withholding
Self-marveling, not belittling
Gently guiding,
Not pushing and punishing.
For you are more sensitive
Than you know
Mankind is tough as war
Yet delicate as flowers
We can endure agonies
But we open fully
Only to warmth and light.
And our need to grow
Is fragile as a fragrance
Dispersed by storms of will
To return only when
Those storms are still.
So accept, respect
Attend your sensitivity
A flower cannot be opened
With a hammer.
–Mark Coleman