The way sunbeams
Pierce the gray
Morning clouds
The way a melody
Sweetly greets
My morning yawn
A quiet breeze
Causing the trees
To gently sway
A blade of grass
Singly illuminated
By the afternoon sun
The way pinks and reds
Grace the horizon
Right before nightfall
The way Grace
Eases the fears that
Arrive with the dark
Each experience
Accepted with
No sense of doubt
Knowing the Source
Is always present
Even though unseen
All it takes
Is one early
Spring shower
And bright
Green smiles
Suddenly appear
Around every corner
The color is so vibrant
So fresh and new
It causes me
To question
Whether or not
It is genuine-
Then, a quiet breeze
Happens to pass
And baby leaves
Begin to wave
Their friendly wave
The smiles growing
Instantly wider
-Theirs and mine-
And I am gently
Reminded to embrace
Each new season
With hope and faith
Oh, and maybe a smile
You are stronger
Than you know
Holding it together
When you feel
Like falling apart
Not that tears
Are a sign
Of weakness
Not at all
But sometimes
True strength
Is shown in
A moment of
Thankfulness
Realizing the storm
Has calmed and
Tears of relief
Can freely flow
Sometimes, we don’t realize our strength until the need for it lessens. Our family has experienced that truth this week with our sweet Emi. It was hard to see her so sick. Especially hard for her precious parents.
We are relieved that she is home from the hospital. We are thankful she is eating, crawling, laughing, and playing. ❤️
Miles in front
Miles behind
Yet, it feels like
I'm standing still
Stuck in a loop
Remembering the past
Looking toward the future-
Past and future
Each holds
An importance
Of its own
One influences the other
The other reflects the one
Perhaps the secret
Lies in the stillness
Of a single breath
When they are
Momentarily the same
I drove from Tulsa to Dallas yesterday. Our nine-month-old granddaughter is in the hospital with pneumonia. I checked the remaining miles on my map at least one hundred times.
Even when I knew I’d traveled a distance, it felt like I would never arrive. Those last ten miles were the slowest.
But I made it. Held my sleeping granddaughter. Sat still, watched and listened to her breathe. Silently breathed a prayer.
Unaware
I was searching
Looking up
To the wild sky
Surrounded
By towering pines
Unaware
I was searching
Listening intently
To the bird’s morning song
Carried on the afternoon breeze
Unaware
I was searching
Until a stillness
Within the motion
Caught my breath-
There you are!
Aware
I was both
Finder and found
The Earth groaned
Waking me from
A deep sleep
Is that thunder?
Growing stronger
And louder with
Each passing minute
Until windowpanes
Began to rattle
And floors shook-
Yet, we were
Motionless
Waiting for the ground
To stop moving
Listening
For the rumbling
To fade away
Realizing there was
Nothing else to do
As is often the case-
Life’s unexpected circumstances–
Sometimes
The best solution
Is to be still…
We know all about tornadoes in Oklahoma. There are sirens and weather reports. But earthquakes? They provide no warning.
Friday evening, we experienced a 5.1 earthquake. No physical damage, just a little jarring.
A reminder that grasping for control does no good. A life lesson I continue to learn.
”Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed…”
Isaiah 54:10 NIV
I don’t know how
To prepare myself
I’m not sure
It is even possible
Some things are like that
…most things are like that
But this is…different
A certain stopover
On this fresh journey
Known as grief-
So much can change
In the blink of a year
Starting a new job
Becoming a Gigi
Or, in Mom’s case
A Great Grandma
So much remains
The love of family
And missing you
I took a step
Into the cold
Where heavy
Shadows held
The quiet morning
In stillness-
One more step
And the motion
Of sunbeams
Began to light
The tiptop
Of the day-
A few more steps
Morning’s shadows
Were left behind
As affectionate
Sunlight reached
The ground below
And I walked
Into the day
Thankful for
The Love that
Creates the shade
While pushing
The darkness away
I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite decorations and carols. Wishing you the joy and peace of Christmas! ❤️
Their pull was strong
Each equally vying
For my attention
Each equally charming
In their schemes
I smiled
A giddy smile
Looked to the right
Looked to the left
Again and again
Unable to choose
The rising of the sun
Or the setting of the moon-
Both displayed
Varying shades
Of similar colors
Both held their purpose
Though one not
So different from the other-
Looking straight ahead
The message quietly
Fell across my heart-
Remember sweetly, without remaining in the past
Look forward without missing the hope in today
Piano Girl 