Kind words
I didn’t know
I needed to hear
You look so pretty
So grounded
From someone
Who has not seen me
In almost a year-
Heartfelt words
Offering
Reassurance
That time
Paired with
Effort and grace
Carries restoration
Twice this week, I ran into friends who are former colleagues. Smiles, hugs, and kind words filled the space we occupied. The visits were brief but left me feeling encouraged.
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24
Playing hide-n-seek
Among the trees
Leaves of Paintbrush Red
And Sunflower Yellow
Wave at purple grasses
Standing strong
In the red clay dirt-
Steady evergreens
Hold tight to
Their needles, while
At the same time
Coaxing those
Approaching
A season of
Visible change
To boldly share
Their transformation-
Oh, they, too
Know change
Roots grown deeper
Branches broken
And re-grown
Changes that
Bring wisdom
Wisdom that
Inspires gratitude
For each new season
When the view ahead
Seems gloomy
Look closer!
Light lives just
On the other side
Hints shine through
As silky strands
Of pale pink
Do you see them?
Playfully hiding
Among the grays
And the whites
Like a child
Secretly wishing
To be found
Sending subtle hints
Hushed giggles
And sneak peeks
Anxiously waiting
To say the words-
Here I am!
You found me!
Internal eye rolls
Awkward silences
Short-lived
Moments
Remaining
In Memories
Holding
Potential
For regrets
That is, until…
I find myself
On the other side
And any possible
Regret instantly
Transforms into
Appreciation
Understanding-
Now, the parent
Then, the child
Now, the one
Wide Awake
Late at night
Praying
As each name
Each face
Each concern
Crosses my heart
The one hoping
To offer reassurance
One may
Cause me
To cry
Another
To laugh
Maybe both
At the same time
But I cannot
Travel
Back in time or
Remain endlessly
Engrossed
In a single
Snapshot
Even when it
Has the power
To wrap me up
In a cocoon
Turning my heart
Inside out
As it mixes
The broken
With the upheld
Before releasing
This time
It snuck in
With a dream
One of those
Chaotic
Makes-no-sense
Dreams
Ending suddenly
In a moment
Of clarity-
A familiar photo
From the past
One I have seen
Many times-
And I woke up
Remembering
How much I miss you
After a great first week at my new job, I wasn’t expecting a visit from grief. But that’s how it goes. My capacity to hold this grief will continue to grow. That acceptance that death is part of life. It does not make me miss my dad any less. But it does allow me to both cry and smile over sweet memories. ❤️
Brushstrokes
Warm oranges
Soft pinks
Painting me
Into the day
Not pushing
Encouraging
With a graceful
Good Morning
No hint of
Hurry Up or
You’re late
One glance
Over my shoulder
Yes, still there
And though
Colors may fade
Their message is clear-
Today rolls out
In front of you
Dip your toes
Into each tint
Watch as the
Canvas
Changes
With each ripple
I am excited to announce the upcoming release of my second poetry collection! Grateful to River Dixon of Potter’s Grove Press and https://thestoriesinbetween.com/. He is a pleasure to work with, and I appreciate his encouragement and professionalism. Also, a big thank you to my son, Ryan, for the beautiful cover art.
Hope you will check it out! 💜
It is not an
Exaggeration to say
Some moments
It feels like
My heart
Might explode
Several chapters
Lived over time
Love, joy, grief
Converge at once
Holding hands
Across my story
One sweet sentence
From a paragraph
That I never
Want to forget
Though impossible
To clearly express
Lately, emotions seem to well up, catching me by surprise.
A sweet conversation with Mom. A moment of missing Dad. Crying on my husband’s shoulder. Chats with my adult children. Watching my son and daughter-in-law care for my granddaughter.
Both the enormity and the smallness of life collide. And I feel every single moment right in the center of my chest. ❤️
There’s nothing quite so humbling as a drug test. I understand the necessity. And the one I took this week was not my first rodeo. This time, I just paid more attention to the details.
Leave your purse here.
Use that hand sanitizer.
Fill this cup to the 2-line.
You have four minutes.
Do not flush the toilet.
No difficulty following the directions. But then I discovered the sink was disabled…I couldn’t wash my hands. Walking out the door, I immediately reached for that original hand sanitizer.
You can wash your hands in the sink over there if you’d like.
Yes, I’d like. Do some people choose not to wash their hands? Decided not to dwell on that.
Leaving the testing facility, I realized everyone was being tested for a different reason. Some, like me, for a new job. Others, for not-so-fun reasons. Each had their own story. One worth telling, even if they hadn’t realized it yet.
The same day, I began listening to this week’s episode of This American Life, The Call. The subject was an unusual hotline set up for drug users. What are the odds? This is not your typical hotline. The purpose is to encourage people not to do drugs alone. Talk about a paradigm shift.
This story allowed personal looks through different lenses. The operator, the caller preparing to use drugs, and the paramedic. The point wasn’t to change the person using drugs. It was to keep them from using, and possibly dying, alone. To give them another day of life.
Sometimes the endings were happy, sometimes not. But in each story, there was dignity instead of judgment. Caring instead of disregard.
I will never forget this conversation between mother and daughter.
Daughter-What do you want from me?
Mother-It would be good if you didn’t die today.
Here’s the link, if you’d like to listen. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/809/the-call
Piano Girl 