“He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!”
(Edwin Markham, 1852-1940)
This epigram from American poet Edwin Markham appears in six different places through the Canyon and the Kerrville offices. Mary Holdsworth Butt’s Kerrville office is one of those places—an office that was also used by our president David Rogers for many years. Cabin 4 campers at Singing Hills are also used to seeing this quote on the wall.
Markham’s poem is a straightforward reminder that love seeks to unify. Unity is no accidental or easy task, though. Including others requires clever intent and a dash of ambition. Others may treat us as heretics, rebels, or enemies, yet we will respond in love.