St. George Light

Weighing
Nothing upon nothing
One single grand of sand shifts.
One piece,
Gritty between the teeth
Irritates the eye
Weighing nothing upon nothing.

The sand constant in substance
Yet is capricious in form
It piles up forming
Mounds softer than sugar.
The sand cushions the body
Forming itself around limbs
Making blankets heavy,
Millions of grains becoming weighty.

One grain at a time
The sand shifts.
One grain at a time
Dunes are destroyed and rebuilt.
The wind blows the sand weighing
Nothing upon nothing
Until it becomes a force of nature.

The wind blows and the sands shift under
St. George light
Tilting the massive lighthouse
One year to the east
The next to the west.
One grain at a time
Nothing upon nothing moves
And cants the immense tower.

Each of us is nothing upon nothing –
One life meaning so little.
Until the Wind blows and the air breathes
One soul at a time, one prayer at a time,
Nothing upon nothing the prayers mound up and
We shift the vast tower
Of God’s will.

*Painting is from my friend Sam Lyons. My family has been going to this area of Florida for more than 50 years for vacations. St. George's beach is one of the top 10 in the world. The lighthouse is in severe danger of being lost to the sea. This is a foundation to try to save the light. However, it may be too late, as evidenced by this. Note: as of this morning (1/2/05), I discovered that the lighthouse is still standing, but funding is needed to move the lighthouse back to shore. I also got more email from Red Cross and UMCOR about needing funding for SE Asia Relief. Where to give? Such is the dilemma.