Smith Commencement Benediction 2006

Benediction – Smith College Commencement, May 21, 2006

It’s time to go.
So, for one last time, be here.
Put both of your feet on the ground.
Tip your face to the sky,
And take a deep breath.

You are part of the circle of women (and men) that Sophia Smith dreamed would be a force for good in the world. But in order to bear that burden of expectation and hope, you will need to be flexible and strong. You will need access to your whole self – body, mind, and soul. My blessing today is adapted from Joy Harjo’s work, “Eagle Poem,”

“I pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear,
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion. . .

Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
we are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.”

Go now, you blessed ones,
go where love and hope are needed,
and bless the world.

Amen.