patience.

went for a walk this morning and saw that my neighbor's yard, filled with an ivy groundcover, had bloomed beautiful purple blossoms everywhere. this reminded me of hopkins' poem below: "patience." it came as a much needed reminder at this time as my grandmother's health has been up and down and all i want is to be across the country in north dakota with her and the rest of my family... but she took a turn for the better this morning so we are waiting...

PATIENCE, hard thing! the hard thing but to pray,
But bid for, Patience is! Patience who asks
Wants war, wants wounds; weary his times, his tasks;
To do without, take tosses, and obey.
Rare patience roots in these, and, these away,
Nowhere. Natural heart’s ivy, Patience masks
Our ruins of wrecked past purpose. There she basks
Purple eyes and seas of liquid leaves all day.
We hear our hearts grate on themselves: it kills
To bruise them dearer. Yet the rebellious wills
Of us we do bid God bend to him even so.
And where is he who more and more distils
Delicious kindness?—He is patient. Patience fills
His crisp combs, and that comes those ways we know.