Simply Sunday

Bird’s-Eye View

I see you perched
at the highest point
on the top of our roof

What do you see from up there?

I feel jealous of your current
position-The broader, all-
encompassing perspective

Does it lighten your load to see
further into the landscape?

Does it reaffirm that there is
light shining in the darkness?

I choose to believe your answer is Yes!

Pastoral Pink Petunias

“Where flowers bloom so does hope.”
~ Lady Bird Johnson ~


Heads bowed, a quiet
Thank you! for protection
during the stormy night

Now, rain barely falls.
And they nod, barely aware.

Faces turned toward
the afternoon sun-
Their preference-maybe later

Solemn quiet allows space
for a prayerful song

Growing deep from within
where roots, long forgotten,
began to wake due to the

Slow seeping of evening
rain reaching the underground

A renewed purpose-Holding
strong, so the faces above
remember their origins

Reassurance that they will
again turn their faces to the sun

Knowing from their current
posture, future sunlit faces
will accompany grateful hearts

Simply Sunday

How to Greet the Day

With a yawn
and a stretch
Eyes still closed
Lay still, and listen

Listen to the birds
Happily chattering
No fear of creatures
still silently slumbering

Listen to your heart
beating slow and steady
Breathe in grace, mercy, hope
Breathe out a quiet Thank you

I found myself in need of this reminder today. Perhaps you need it, too. ❤️🕊️❤️

Rising

Do you feel it?
The growing weight

A blanket sewn of fear
and hate cast over
everyone in its path

Another layer added
with each news story,
unsolicited opinion,
misguided answer

Like being wrapped in
a down comforter on
the hottest day of summer

And I am suffocating

But no amount of worry
will ease the weight
Or change this season

Do we burrow deeper?
Do we kick off the cover?

What if I reach for your hand,
and you reach for mine-
Then together, together

Like brilliant sun rays
piercing storm clouds
We poke pin holes
in the fabric

Each aperture releasing
a breath, a smile, a memory-
Droplets of hope
Rising in solidarity

Simply Sunday

Reaching For Me

I saw a hand
in the sky today
Powerful and strong
Open and inviting

Formed from clouds
while holding clouds
Its blue-gray edges
Lined in bright sunlight

I imagine sitting
safe in its palm
Reclining, at least
for a moment

No worries of
Hatred or war
Sickness or death-
Not ignoring

Only briefly resting
Cradled in the hand
I cannot fully understand
Believing it is there, reaching

Morning Minute

Yesterday morning’s fog
held a tinge of pale pink
A slight relief from
recent grays

There was something
varied in its lifting as well

No intention of completely
disappearing into emerging
sunbeams – only hiding
for a bit – waiting for

an opportunity to once
again share its surprising tint

Patience – let the soft hues
permeate your dreams-
And who knows, your
soul may be soothed by

an appearance of peaceful
pink in tomorrow’s sunrise-
If you remember to look

Simply Sunday

Imprints

The essence of its spirit,
elegant and strong,
left an imprint in the
afternoon clouds

I must have missed
Its graceful flight

Even the breeze was
unable to diminish the
wondrous wingspan or
stifle the sense of awe
captured by the clouds

Only as my journey ended
and I turned toward home,
did the image dissipate,
leaving delicate feathers
to float above the horizon

One enduring message-
Though no longer visible,
my spirit remains nearby-
Only close your eyes
and open your heart

“…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Dispersed

A battle between
light and dark
waged across the
morning sky.

Clouds shifted in
the swirling wind,
tilting the earth,
causing me to wobble.

I felt confused.

For a moment, darkness
appeared victorious,
blocking the light,
lessening its powerful pull.

But light remained,
rays now dispersed.
An influence
so far-reaching, the
horizon glowed a
reassuring golden hue.

Just then, I remembered
yesterday’s rainbow, and
how the sky glowed
following its fading.

Fingerprints

From our very first reach,
we leave lasting imprints
Tiny fingers, tiny toes
unaware of the enduring
impact engraved on
all who hold us close

Choice eventually becomes
part of the equation-
Deciding if what we leave behind
is positive, helpful, encouraging,
or cynical, hurtful, disheartening

Each imprint is personal
an identifying set of
lines and ridges
creating a pattern-
Sacred responsibility
held in every touch

I saw such a fingerprint
in the afternoon clouds-
Lines and ridges
creating a pattern
belonging to the one
who holds the sky

Unfolding

Logic would say today is gray
Tell me to move on
I take a second look, then a third
Subtle color variations appear
Lines of demarcation between
Heaven and Earth seem to ripple
within the rhythm of the wind

I keep looking until a tiny
semblance of light appears
from behind wispy layers
It doesn’t last long
Only a few seconds and a smile

Darkness covers the faded colors
Now, the sky is gray
Rain begins to fall
I smile again, grateful for those
subtle variations gracing
the morning sky-Preparing me
for the slow unfolding of today