God and Nature 2026 #2
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By Adelle Strobel
Forgiveness is Like Composting
The warm sun could feel comforting;
Instead it heats up the box tucked in the corner
Illuminating the unmistakable scent
Of compost.
Decay and debris churn
By a community of ordinary worms.
Their limbless tubes detestable.
The compost they produce, indispensable.
Day over day, restless bodies wiggle and digest.
Night after night, the stench cools ahead of tomorrow.
The rains come, the sun shines,
And we anticipate the hope of garden growth.
Composting is Like Forgiveness
Blinding light might give clarity,
If it didn’t hurt so much.
Instead, revealing the reality,
Of needing to forgive.
The debris of wrongs done scattered,
Feeling too far to gather and mend.
Taking a community of listeners to attend to the dirt,
Patient to show off the gem underneath.
Day over day, tending to the process of letting go of old hurts.
Night after night, praying for their good and my release.
The rains come, the sun shines,
And we anticipate the hope of personal growth.
Adelle Strobel co-led a local watch party for the ASA 2026 Winter Symposium. She was inspired by Dr. Charlotte Witvliet’s quote: “Like composting, forgiveness takes time” and exploring a homemade compost in a friend’s garden. The scents and complex nutrient layers of the compost are as easy to recall and as hard to manage as forgiveness.
Forgiveness is Like Composting
The warm sun could feel comforting;
Instead it heats up the box tucked in the corner
Illuminating the unmistakable scent
Of compost.
Decay and debris churn
By a community of ordinary worms.
Their limbless tubes detestable.
The compost they produce, indispensable.
Day over day, restless bodies wiggle and digest.
Night after night, the stench cools ahead of tomorrow.
The rains come, the sun shines,
And we anticipate the hope of garden growth.
Composting is Like Forgiveness
Blinding light might give clarity,
If it didn’t hurt so much.
Instead, revealing the reality,
Of needing to forgive.
The debris of wrongs done scattered,
Feeling too far to gather and mend.
Taking a community of listeners to attend to the dirt,
Patient to show off the gem underneath.
Day over day, tending to the process of letting go of old hurts.
Night after night, praying for their good and my release.
The rains come, the sun shines,
And we anticipate the hope of personal growth.
Adelle Strobel co-led a local watch party for the ASA 2026 Winter Symposium. She was inspired by Dr. Charlotte Witvliet’s quote: “Like composting, forgiveness takes time” and exploring a homemade compost in a friend’s garden. The scents and complex nutrient layers of the compost are as easy to recall and as hard to manage as forgiveness.