Little Leaf

You liked where you were walking
on the solid ground of yesterday
safe from shadows and thorns.
But change comes in like the wind
and pushes away all that you saw as solid--
the comfortable that keeps you
in places like green pastures and goodnight kisses
And you see it as a struggle when that wind comes
and you cling to the tree
like a little leaf
Unable to see the sky above
or the road ahead calling "Come and be free!"

In Africa you caught a glimpse
of that mysterious place that ties us together
with trust and love
and your heart is asking for more.
And you know, letting go now, will pull you back into that sacred space
Not into the safe meadows in the
sheltered softness of what has always been home
but somewhere beyond, somewhere unknown
high above those lofty clouds you've watched

And insecurity holds you there
tethered to the tree
Will you trust that something bigger is at work here
and simply let it be?
What dreams will die? What life may come!
what treasures lie in store!
how do we do it together, when it's always been just me?
You wonder and you cry
and you cling.

But you, little leaf,
you needn't be afraid.
He will always keep you safe.
You must surrender to the wind
as it takes you high and low, hither and yon
You will find your heart at ease there beyond
all you could ever think or dream
And when you look back over your shoulder at the unending sky
you will probably find
that until now you never really were free
and you didn't really know how to fly.