A Ute Blessing

May the Earth teach you stillness
as the grasses are stilled with light.
May the Earth teach you suffering
as old stones suffer with memory.
May the Earth teach you humility
as blossoms are humble with beginning.
May the Earth teach you caring
as the mother who secures her young.
May the Earth teach you courage
as the tree which stands all alone.
May the Earth teach you limitation
as the ant which crawls on the ground.
May the Earth teach you freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
May the Earth teach you resignation
as the leaves which die in the fall.
May the Earth teach you regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
May the Earth teach you to forget yourself
as melted snow forgets its life.
May the Earth teach you to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.

– adapted from a Ute prayer