I will sleep sound tonight

with his voice in my ears

with the salty scent of his breath

surrounding me as peaceful dreams envelop me

only in the forest do I feel as safe

as I do here

some speak of the forest as a dark forbodding place

but to me she is filled with life

tiny pieces of sun seeping through the trees

to create patterns of light and shadow

dansing on the hemlocks and the laurel

I am no stranger to her - I am not a visitor there

but a part of a glorious tapestry

as I walk across holy ground

And here

here the endless comfort he speaks

stories of days long forgotten by others

wisdom and songs he teaches

I have heard some say how they feel insignificant in his presence

dwarfed by his magnificance

but they must not listen to him

for he tells me how each of us

is a significant part of the whole

just as each grain of sand he cast upon the shore

or sweeps out to sea