BEYOND BORDERS

by Rick Hoyt 

Go forth
Because we are always going forth from somewhere 

Going from our homes, our childhoods
Going from our cities and countries
Going from innocence to experience to enlightenment 

Going into mystery and questions
Going into the desert
Getting to the other side. 

Go forth,
Leave behind the comfort and community of one place
Head into the anxiety and loneliness of another. 

Carry with you the love and laughter of this place
And let it light your way
Carry with you the wisdom you learned
and the good memories
May they give you strength for your journey 

And when you have been away long enough, far enough,
Done what you’d set off to do
Been there so long
That place too, starts to feel like home 

Come back
Come back to the one, universal
Everywhere and every when and everyone inclusive home,
This beloved community of all creation
That you can never really leave.