I wonder why
The hero is
Most often pictured
Riding into the sunset
Embraced
By the warmth
Of the deepest orange
Another day done
Ready for well-deserved rest…
Instead of riding
Toward the sunrise
Layered with colors
Bright and muted
Light calling
Through shadows
To the possibilities
Of a new day, imagined
But, not yet seen
I don’t have an answer.
I only wonder if
Perhaps the sunrise
Might shift focus
To the journey
Instead of the reward
Watching you hold her
I remember
Holding you
No thought of
How I would feel
From this vantage
No thought of
The excitement born
From watching you
Know the joy and laughter
The lessons and messes -
Watching you hold her
Worried because she is sick
I remember
Holding you the same
Praying away the struggles
All the while knowing
They are part of our world
But only a part
One superseded by the joy
Found in the memory
Of holding you
While watching you hold her
One last sit
On the couch
Walk around the
Neighborhood
Swing on the swing
Slide down the slide-
Cleaning out
Packing up
Off on a new
Adventure-
Life’s changes
Don’t always
Provide opportunity
To savor the lasts
But when it does
May I suggest
Sitting on that
Old couch
Just a little bit longer-
Our daughter moved this weekend. Not far away, thankfully. 😉 As we talked about the specifics of loading and unloading, she reminded me of an earlier move.
The kids were young. We were preparing for a big move, and had a moving sale. Our things displayed in the front yard. I will never forget one request from the kids. Can we please have one last sit on the couch?
After all these years, I think I’m beginning to understand the wisdom in their request. ❤️
I wish I could see it
All at once
North, South, East, West
But I can’t, the expanse
Is too great
Plus, I’ve always
Been a bit challenged
Where directions
Are concerned-
One minute
The bright orange
Of a new day
Is waving at me
In the rearview
The next, it’s in
My periphery
As I speed past-
Of course, it’s not
Moving-I am
Right along
With this Sphere
We call home-
If only there
Was a place
I could stand
Spin around
And around
Lay down on the ground
Taking it all in
Not for understanding
Simply for the awe
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
Started unpacking today
After twenty-plus years
Guess it’s about time-
Not that this suitcase
Was hidden
No, it has floated
In my periphery
Until a flashback
Would open the latch
Spilling its contents
In a jumbled mess
All over my heart-
A quick nod
Possible sharing
Then once again
Packed away-
Not this time
This time I am
Choosing to
Open the latch
Hold each piece close-
Fear
Anger
Gratitude
Release-
Acknowledging
Their impact
Before gently folding
Placing them in my
Chest of Memories
Not to be forgotten
But remembered
With clarity
Within the journey
Feet firmly planted
I look up
You seem
So far away
Your curious smile
Offering shelter
As well as fuel
For my imagination
Yesterday
Your appearance
Was somber
Unable to hold
The weight
Of your tears
Tossed around
By life’s storms
Cautiously standing
On the edge of
The highest height
You are closer
But different
A fluffy blanket
Calling to me
Stretch out your arms
Trust me, as you
Freefall into
This softness-
An illusion
To be sure
But, oh,
What a sweet
Consideration
Yesterday
I smiled
Watching you
Flit and flutter
All around
So small
Compared to
Your surroundings
So small
Yet, able to
Captivate the
Hearts and
Imagination
Of those
Both inside
And outside
Your world-
Realms to which
You offer a
Playful grin
In your daily
Flitting and
Fluttering
Of living
On our trip, I often noticed the tiny things around us. In the water, on the sand, in the rainforest-the massive made up of the minuscule. If only I’d had a microscope!
Of course, the big picture was also captivating. Even a panoramic taken through a telescope would not do it justice. Maybe just that recognition is enough. I’m not sure. I suppose there is room for interpretation. 😉
My bare feet squished in the sand as we walked along the shore. I smiled as my husband’s footprints disappeared within seconds. It occurred to me that not getting a pedicure before our trip was not a big deal after all.
I picked up a tiny piece of coral, obviously aged by the sand and waves. We talked about how it once was alive. I left it there to wash back out to its home. This one little thing represents an entire way of life? Now that is a big deal! 💙
White foam
Rolls in
Rolls out
As tides shift
And sandy shores
Silently wait-
Motion on the
Surface is
Endless-
One quick
Glance below
Reveals
Surprising
Stillness
Colorful
Creatures
Gracefully
Traversing
Their home
A peaceful
Contrast with
The waves
Overhead-
My heart could
Learn a lesson
From the wisdom
Below the waters
Silhouetted trees
Of blackest ink
Unwavering
Against
A radiant orange
Horizon
The Earth
Continuing
On its orbit
No slower
Or faster than
The day before
I am moving, too
Yet, somehow
Frozen
In this one
Instant of time
Unchanging
Giving me pause
Time to marvel
Until the
Moment
Fades away
Piano Girl 