Snow White! Snow White!
Bloodroots & Beauty in a Broken World
Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!
O Queen beyond the Western Seas!
O light to us that wander here!
Amid the world of woven trees!
.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Dear Ones,
Many of you already know James Hart from his poetry and storytelling here on Substack. James is also a husband, a father, and a talented calligrapher. Last week, I was fortunate to receive a piece of his art. He had offered it so casually—free to anyone who wanted it—that I was expecting a machine-copied version of an original.
Instead, I received this amazing work of pen and ink.
This poem comes from a song heard by the hobbits and sung by the elves on their way through the Shire in the story, The Lord of the Rings. I read that Tolkien may have been inspired by the Catholic hymn “Hail Queen of Heaven, The Ocean Star” when he wrote it. And I have always loved both the story of The Lord of the Rings and Star of the Sea as one of the old, poetic names for Saint Mary.
I show James’s work in my home, propped against a stained-glass window that once graced my grandparent’s old Lutheran church. I like seeing the two things together. It makes me think of how bold my young mother was to marry an Irish-Catholic man at a time when her Swedish-Lutheran parents definitely wished otherwise. My father’s family felt the same way. There was an unspoken sorrow throughout all the years of their marriage.
My husband and I have been fortunate to have been accepted without the slightest reservation by both sides of our families. This is something I don’t take for granted.
Our world has always been full of false divisions, large and small.
Today, even more so. We are heartsick and grieving.
We want the world to be less broken.
Ourselves to be less broken.
James Crews
Walks in nature help me to recenter myself. When I walk contemplatively, there is an encounter with Beauty that seems personal. An ordinary walk becomes a way to step outside the brokenness for an hour. And on a quiet trail, I find a secret belonging where I am met with wholeness.
I allow myself to feel loved in flowers.
This past week, microseason 8 was so warm that the wild Bloodroot flowers emerged in greater numbers than I had ever seen before. I counted 17 plants in all, with more on the way. This was along a trail where there had only been a handful of flowers last year.
I love the Bloodroot’s joyful posture as it reaches up to the light, only blooming for a day or two.
Generosity is kindness that can be celebrated
in its many small gestures, lines, and details.
Here is Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!
read by J.R.R. Tolkien:
What’s beautiful makes us want to reproduce it in some way. It invigorates an ordinary day and we can naturally inspire one another with our creative acts.
A tree is a poem. A flower is a song.
Speaking of songs, here is a lively sung version of Snow White! Snow White! O Lady Clear! This production is made by Shire Folk Pub and you can listen and download on Bandcamp.
I hope you enjoyed a moment of beauty here today.
As always, I’m honored by your presence. You are a kindness, dear one.
xo Ann
"When I walk contemplatively, there is an encounter with Beauty that seems personal."
Is it possible that it IS personal Ann?
I tell myself it is.
There are so many beautiful treasures to be found in the short post - poems, calligraphy, flowers, wisdom, a song, and even Tolkien reading from The Hobbit. Thank you Ann for putting it all together.