We hope and dream
Plan and build
Laugh and live-
Until we compare-
Then we search and rethink
Remodel and rebuild
Until our misguided focus
Causes discontentment and
Greed leads us to
Tear down and abandon-
Oh, that we will realize
Before it’s too late
Our emphasis on places and things
Has the power to destroy the heart-
Unless we, the people,
Choose to treat each other
With dignity and respect
Dreaming and planning together
To build a kinder, stronger tomorrow-
At least, that is my hope…
Tag: faith
What Can I Do?
Gray clouds linger
Matching the heaviness
Hovering over my heart-
As deceptions spread
Anger and sadness
Try to sneak in and
Overtake my emotions-
But worry and fear are not
The way forward-
Returning hate for deception
Will not lift this haze-
Love enveloped in grace
Mercy grown from love
Sentiments that begin to
Calm my anxious thoughts-
The gray clouds will lift
Long before this heaviness
Hovering over my heart
But I must believe it, too,
Will eventually clear-
In the meantime,
What can I do?
Love my neighbor as myself
Observations
New every morning
Ready and waiting to greet us-
One day, a gracefully
Blended watercolor
The next, child-like
Sponge-painted clouds
On bright blue
Construction paper-
Certain summer afternoons
Perfectly uniform shapes
Stenciled onto an
Azure backdrop-
And on not-so-happy days
A blank gray slate
Hovering in agreement
With the tears below-
Only a few from
An infinite list-
Simple descriptions
Of the sky above-
Once seen, never
To be seen again
Except in memory
If we remember
It is new every morning
Ready and waiting to greet us
Hoping for a greeting in return
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
Mountaintop
Though the incline is great
My steps must remain small-
Looking too far ahead
Will tempt my feet
To move faster
Hindering any chance
Of reaching the summit-
Yes, the mountaintop calls
Its majestic views providing
Inspiration and opportunity
But it is not the place
For putting down roots-
Besides, the powerful effects
Of a higher altitude
Allow only for short visits-
Time enough to gather
Images and lessons
Meant to carry me
Back down into the valley
Where rich soil waits
And love continues to grow
Muted Colors
If only I could grasp
A corner of the sky
Between my fingertips
And carefully peel it back
Like removing
The protective covering
From a brand-new mirror
So that the fuzzy images
Suddenly become clear-
If only I could grasp
A corner of the sky
Between my fingertips
And carefully peel it back
Perhaps the colors of Fall
Would no longer appear muted
Their transformation revealing
Deep reds and golden yellows-
I cannot peel back
A corner of the sky
But I can remember
This is only a season
And in certain seasons
Peace for an anxious heart
Quietly lingers within
The softly muted colors
Evidence
I’ve held my tears close
Hesitantly accepting
The sun’s warmth
On my face
But the disappointment
And questions with no answers
Will no longer be ignored
Cascading down with today’s rain
I suppose this is where faith steps in
It is, after all, believing
In what I can’t see-
A simple definition, yes
Sometimes those are
The ones to hold close
And I must believe
Love continues to reside
Even in places where evidence
Is not clearly evident-
And if it is lost, to think it can
Once again, be found
It may begin with simple words
I hear you.
I love you.
I see you.
I am sorry.
But its survival requires
Much more than words-
Please don’t give me opinions
Or long-held beliefs
Both are easily skewed
By outward influences
Where truth and lies
Are purposefully blurred
Instead, close your eyes
Open your heart
Focus on the sound
Of your heartbeat
Helping it to grow
More in sync with mine
As we breathe
As we silently pray
Knowing I am afraid, too
The Challenge
No need to hurry
No need to hesitate
Yet, simply being
Is sometimes
The hardest thing to do
I wonder why?
Why are we so often
Afraid to be still
Breathe in
Breathe out
Not thinking about
The next moment
The next day
The next year
Whether they arrive or not
My worry carries no sway
Today I choose
To be still
Breathe in
Breathe out
Accepting that it is okay
To not know
Where my next step may lead
I stood in line to vote this morning. A right and responsibility I do not take lightly. And now, like everyone else, I wait. The challenge is to wait calmly, pushing worry away.
Lesson in the Sunrise
A dark cloud of apathy
Split the morning
Perfectly in half
Left to linger
The damage left behind
Will be impossible to mend-
Strange, love exists
On both sides
Of the darkness
I must believe it does-
Rays of hope
Able to burnish holes
Through the shadows
Of indifference
Affording hope even
In the murkiest of storms-
Light joining hands
Across the darkness
On a recent morning drive, I noticed an unusual sunrise. From my vantage point, a large dark cloud divided the sun’s fiery red glow in half. The clarity of the division was daunting. Yet despite the chasm, beauty existed in each half.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Simply Sunday
Grain of Sand
What kind of footprints
Am I leaving behind
As I walk through each day?
Are they easily erased
By the wind and rain?
When walking alone
That may be the case-
But what if my feet
Are like those of a child
Following the impressions
Left by those walking ahead?
Confident or unsure
It does not matter
They are not mine alone
But instead, a grain of sand
Within one layer of history
Where many who walked
And continue walking
Will faithfully
And gently call me back
When my feet
Step off the path
Cause to Wonder
Present my entire life
All the years prior
And will hold its place
Long after I’m gone
Freely lending itself
To spark a child’s imagination
On a big-sky night
Look! It’s following me!
A peaceful protector
Freely lending itself
To ease a grown-up’s worries
Just be still and breathe
A picture-perfect perspective
And timely reminder
Comfort and joy
Can come from far away
Piano Girl 