The Deserts in Our Lives

We have known the desert—both the chosen and the unchosen. It strips us of distractions and illusions, exposing the truth of who we are. The desert distills us into the absolute rawness of who we are and asks us who we want to be. In that clarity, we’re forced to ask what matters, what must be let go, and what must remain. We return to the practices that hold us steady: silence, presence, reflection, and surrender. We face ourselves with honesty. We stay in the discomfort until something shifts—not always visible, but real. These are the places where we’ve grown, whether we wanted to or not. The desert does not lie. It calls us back to simplicity, to humility, and to trust. We walk forward, carrying only what is essential—knowing that this, too, is part of our becoming.

May we walk forward with clarity and courage,
shaped by the raw truth of who we are
and the steady call of who we are becoming.

(inspired by Cassidy Hall, Queering Contemplation)