Dear Mary,

The last three years have been some of the hardest in my life. My husband and I tried for most of that time to have a baby, only to be told that we couldn’t. There have been many dark days and even darker nights. Never have I cried so much, and felt so helpless. By my bedside, I keep a small book of my favorite poems, each line handprinted over the years. That little book’s spine always falls open to “Wild Geese.” It reminds me that we’ve all had dark days and I only have to look to the world around me to find connections with others.

Just last month, my husband and I finalized the adoption of our son. “Wild Geese” was the first poem I read to him as he slept in my arms for the first time. And every night since, as I rock him to sleep, I repeat this poem to him, .knowing that it will speak to him, as it’s spoken to me.

Rain