Aug 5, 2011

Holding On, Letting Go

Every year on vacation with my family
It seems there is one perfect day
Where both my parents are able
To come to the beach and enjoy the day

There is such depth and meaning
For all their children and grandchildren
Knowing this is the place that we've shared
So many amazing memories with them

My mother sits in a chair
At the water's edge
And my father -- at 85 now
Makes his way down the beach

He grabs for my sister's hand and for mine
And I am taken back to the strength
Of feeling my tiny little girl's hand within his
I still feel it -- strong yet gentle in the way he grasps

As we reach the ocean he reaches for my boys
And they anchor him to stand in the waves
I cannot help but realize what an anchor in life he is
To them, and to all of us...the anchor that remains strong

Before you know it a large wave comes and my father lets go
And begins diving into the waves as he has as long as I've known him
How relished the hours of jumping waves with him and how his presence
Has made such a difference in my life...his strong, tender presence

My sisters guide my mother and other grandchildren are around
All of us filled with the joy of the moment--of sharing this together
Of my father's sparkling eyes, of my mother's full smile and laughter
All of us knowing that every moment is precious and this one especially

I think of all we have been through, of all we've been taught about family
About sacrifice, about respect, about dignity, about faith and mostly about love
And I sense how this moment is a jewel in a lifetime of love that will stay with each one
As we recall the holding on and the letting go and everything in between.








Mar 17, 2011

Uncovering Spring

The remnants of winter still are evident--
The leafless or crunchy leaves on the trees
The hard and brittle ground once frozen
The closed doors of homes still hibernating

But the winter gives way to the impending spring
The birds are chirping on this day where sunshine warms
And the sky's sunlight seems so brilliant as I squint to see
And hear children's laughter waft through the air

Such a reminder of this time of Lent--
The preparation that it takes to move
From the winter of our souls to feel spring within
To unleash parts of our hearts held in pain or sin

To walk the journey of the cross of sacrifice
To the freedom of resurrection and new life
This day is my reminder to move, to act, to pray
To prepare all that is inside as outside we look to newness

The brittle, the broken, the torn away, the crumpled up
Is given new bloom, new life, new mending,
New healing and new perspective for living
The old is gone, behold the new has come.

Welcome Spring.

Mar 14, 2011

Seeking You, Finding You

Sometimes I strive so hard to seek you
And other times I fall away so easily
Needing reminders that you are my center
Seeking you in all the ways I can. Let me be open.

To seeking you and finding you in the silent night
In the solitude of the raindrops on my roof
Or a quiet walk with the sun coming up over the lake
Inviting you in again to stay with me. Let me receive.

I must search for the sacred spaces sometimes
And quiet my mind and soul to do the reflective work
So that as I seek you and find you on this Lenten journey
Searching becomes my passion that spills over. Let me explore.

Divine presence, in the holy darkness or the brilliant light
You are the one who draws me to you in a way that is authentic
Creating the rhythm of my soul and allowing me to examine
Finding all the ways that lead me further in love with you. Change my heart.

Empty me of all that does not worship
Fill me with the passionate love
Hungering soul that needs your food
Thirsting in the desert that needs quenching
Satisfying the longing and the yearning
Stretch me, open me, allow me, mold me, use me
All for your glory.

Mar 11, 2011

A Lenten Pondering

Do I look for the signs?
The signs of hope,
The gifts of compassion
Do I uncover and expose as I should?

For Lent is a time of renewing and restoring,
What have I lost and what needs to be found?
How can I be one who is actively seeking and pursuing
As we begin the journey, the path to the Cross.

Is my Spirit open, my heart free?
Am I able to give, as well as ready and open to receive?
Can I look deep enough inside, to release my soul
To do the work that needs to be done to go deeper?

Are there parts of my heart that hardened and need softening?
Are there acts of compassion that require my stepping out from the safe coccoon?
Or are there indifferences I let seep into my soul and sit there awhile?
Or do I choose to grumble and complain instead of being part of the solution and the change?

The questions haunt me and cause me to wonder
As I sit in the holy darkness and move through
I am taken by the stillness and solitude God calls me to
He is breathing Hope into life, into the world

Revealing fresh possibility even in the dimess of this moment
For I need to look truthfully and uncover and undo and unearth
I am held by the deepness of being transformed and moved
Reveal. Restore. Renew. Refresh.

Walk with me Lord, Lead me to the Cross.

Jan 1, 2011

Dawn of a New Day

The longs streaks of sun reach down through the trees
Causing their own shadows but brightening the blue sky
The new day has dawned, and a new year awaits
A sparkling new slate of possibility and wonder

We take stock over what has been
We remember that difficult times
And we recognize our weaknesses
That gave way to strengths

We look at the way we have accomplishes
And we acknowledge mistakes we have made
We strive with obedience moving in the same direction
To be better and more than we were

We long for the fruits of the spirit to be whole within us:
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness
Desiring to listen more, talk less
Bringing light into the dark places of the world

Paying attention to all that is around us:
Not going through our life with blinders on
But opening ourselves to everyday moments
Because everything matters and everything belongs

There are hopes and dreams within us
To be expressed and renewed and realized
And there dreams of our Creator and Redeemer
That will take hold in each Spirit

What hope lies within in us
As we strive to remember what matters
And put the unnecessary, petty thoughts aside
To work together for a greater good

For every moment, may we press forward
With joy, and longing and truth.
To be more than we were, with deeper understanding
Living for the One we belong to.