On Thursday of this week we celebrate the
birth of Mary Oliver, one of great American poets (born 9/10/1935). Here is a poem of hers I have used in
homilies. It says so much in just a few
words. And these words are so true.
The Uses of Sorrow
(In my sleep I dreamed this poem)
Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.
