Returning to the Field: A Reflection on Belonging
In a world that often pulls us away from ourselves, where grief and uncertainty can feel like solitary burdens, there is a place where we can lay them down. A place where the wind carries no judgment, where the earth hums with the quiet invitation to begin again.
This poem, The Field Where We Begin, written in honor of Mary Oliver, captures the heart of our retreats—a return to connection, belonging, and the unshaken truth that joy is not something to earn, but something we are all worthy of.
As you read these words, we invite you to take a breath, to step outside of the stories that keep you small, and to imagine yourself in the field—wide, waiting, and ready to welcome you home.
Read the poem below and join us in the gathering.
The Field Where We Begin
A Poem in honor of Mary Oliver
Step out of your sorrow.
Step out of the small, dark house
you have built inside your own ribs.
Come to the field where we are gathering,
where the trees lean in to listen,
where the wind carries no judgment,
only the quiet hymn of beginning again.
The world is at war, yes—
but still, the fox moves through the meadow,
the heron lifts its blue body toward the light.
Still, you are here.
And what if, all this time,
you have not been lost,
only waiting to be found?
Come, sit among us.
Lay down the old story—
the one that says you are not enough,
the one that says joy is for other people.
What if you could put it aside,
just for a moment?
What if you could touch the center of yourself
and find it soft,
and find it full of light?
This is not just a gathering.
This is a return.
A movement toward what has always been yours—
connection, belonging,
a quiet knowing that you were never meant to live
so far from your own heart.
Let us walk together.
Let us listen for the sound of the earth breathing.
Let us remember—
joy is not something to earn.
It is the field, wide and waiting,
where you have always been welcome.
Peace and Love,
Jayne Gumpel, March 19, 2025