My Prayer for our Country

Dear Heavenly Father,

When you made our world, we know there was enough for everyone. Somehow we have corrupted all that and created conditions that could destroy us. Wars between people that do not want to share with each other, have strangled our air with pollution and death.

Our modern creations of phones and computers have divided our attention away from you.

Help us to come back to center. Where we can truly care for one another, love one another despite our differences. Help us to be the light in all our days. And to concentrate our thoughts on listening to you. Learning how to be in the silence. Spending time each day to connect with you. We know you are the only one that can solve the world’s problems.

Help the gentle among us to just love, without condition. Help the activists among us to stand up for the rights of those that have been trampled. Help the believers among us to still see the good in their fellow man despite how much greed and killing and indifference we have created in our world.

We know that in each cell of our body, is your imprint. You are our connector, our shield, our conscience, our hope for the future. Help us to connect with our neighbors, visiting those that are alone, drying the tears of those in despair, brushing the hair of someone who can’t. Be with us everyday. Help us to seek you out every morning so we can tune in to the real news that you are telling us to do.

You have instilled in all of us a yearning to know you. It makes us understand how much we need you Father. Help us to never forget that. Be with us always.

There is always light

There is so much to be concerned about in the news today. There are certainly not a lot of good stories out there. But every once in a while you get reminded that kindness and decency exist anyway. A couple weekends ago, when I was in Wisconsin with a good friend, I left my camera behind in West Bend, where we had lunch! Didn’t realize it until we got home. I called the restaurant and they still had my camera and said they would keep it safe for me until I picked it up. Wow! I was so floored, so relieved and so grateful all at the same time.

So here’s a picture I took the next day around West Bend, after retrieving the camera. There is always light, just remember that, there is always light shining through.

The winds of change

I watched a seed travelling with the wind. It saw it land on a blooming flower. It nestled firmly in its crevices, blowing sweetly back and forth. I smiled fondly. It seemed to say ‘Look at me. Here I am. I found a lovely home.’

And from this vantage point it could feel all the other flowers nearby, beaming their fragrances, their petals gently blowing, turning towards the sun.

Two of God’s creations were united by the wind. Just a sweet moment in time. Soon another breeze will lift it away and change the landscape. But for now, its beauty soothes my soul. And I am reminded of how everything is possible with the winds of change on a sweet summer day.

Tattered and Torn

Tattered and torn
But none the worse for his wear
Holding on to every minute of his life

Christmas is still here

You’re probably thinking, is that your xmas tree? Still in your yard? And you’d be right. We kept our xmas tree so long this year, that it was shedding needles like a waterfall. My husband took it the shortest route outside of the house by dumping it over our deck into 2 feet of snow! There it sat. Nobody was motivated to wade into that much snow and bring it to the curb.

At one point he even straightened it and stood it up! And he said, amazingly, it still smelled so good. We had noticed that this xmas tree just wouldn’t give up it’s piney smell. Was it because it was a Canaan fir? We’d never had one. In fact there wasn’t much choice when we waited til 2 weeks before xmas. So, even though it wasn’t as tall or as full as we’ve had in the past, we took it! A small xmas miracle. Helping us feel as if we were in the forest filled with pines and that awesome smell.

And it still smells that way. I’m not sure why. I’m guessing there’s a scientific reason. But we’ve never held on to a xmas tree this long, so how long does your xmas tree smell like xmas has never been tested!

This past year has been a year of firsts. That’s for sure! Spending xmas with family for a few hours, just to visit and exchange gifts, with our masks on. There was enough love to fill the room. Just like this xmas tree. I could feel how happy people were to see us and we were so happy to be there.

When we missed Thanksgiving due to covid, we took a walk at St. Mary’s and saw an eagle there. It really felt like a blessing. And when I went home it was so nice to have a zoom call with my cousins and sister. that was our day. That eagle never returned to St. Mary’s although we tried finding it. He was only there for 1 day. Like a talisman.

Every little bit of warmth and kindness, stood out as pungent as this xmas tree. I have to say, it’s the small things we take for granted. Maybe that’s why it’s still so hard to take this tree to the curb. Should we wait for May? I’m not worried if anyone thinks we’re strange. I’m holding on to this piece of xmas magic as long as I feel like it.

Little Worlds

As politics and hate in the outer world make me chafed and raw, I seek refuge in the small little worlds I find out in nature. Like this bee with irridescent wings, getting nourishment out of this shriveled up flower. It looks like it’s no use to anyone, but the bee finds sustenance, and it helps him survive one more day.

Though he’s unaware, his beautiful wings capture the light and give us a rainbow of color.

The wispy grasses around him glow like gold in the summer sun. One little world in the midst of a field that otherwise might not have caught my eye, but for a few gleams of sunlight that forever changed this landscape.

May we hold on to the slightest love & encouragement in our hearts so we can make our day better, & lend a little of our own sun to someone who needs it.

Change of heart

A sound bitten moment
Went by unnoticed
There were no hashtags
No pictures, no press.

But a heart was changed.

You could hear the whisper
As her soul released
An angry hurting burden.
And in that void
A heart was free to feel
To cry, to laugh
To love, to be.

Safely cradled by her angel
She beamed love and meaning
Through her bloodstream
Hope and tenderness
caressed her.
Grace and strength
Shone from her eyes.

Now she could be in the world
Fulfilling her true nature.

Tribute to Helen

Sun kissed dewdrops

Dancing on the petals
Glistening in the morning warmth
Evaporating into air
As the day gets long
And the heat is set.
Fading and disappearing
From our view.
Like a life that once was solid
And now is floating all around,
In, and through us.

Three Views

Every once in a while, a magical moment pops into our life. A synchronicity, stars are aligned moment. Where we couldn’t have imagined how wonderful 15 minutes could really become. Or how kind someone might be towards us.

Yesterday my husband and I were lost in Wisconsin. Just driving around, and took a wrong turn. Somehow, I sensed this was no accident. We wound up at Church Rd. Aptly named because there is an old church on this road, with a cemetery around it. And it looks like nobody’s attended there for quite some time. And yet, it’s still in good enough shape to have a service there. The church and cemetery are surrounded by a big fence. The gate is open! It doesn’t look like it would be, but it is. We went in and peeked through the windows, took some pictures with our camera, just like we’d done the last time we were there, 2 year ago.

Nothing had really changed. But we were thrilled to see this again. It had been a good experience before. Suddenly, to our surprise, a man came up to us and asked if we wanted to see the church inside. We didn’t even know anyone was around. We said sure! We got a tour of the church and found out that there is a service held there, once a year. Apparently, the people in the community keep the church up well enough so that this can still happen. I’m guessing there’s no pastor, but people still want to use the church. Obviously at one point this was a vital church community, you can tell by the cemetery.

The man reminisced with us and said, “When you sit in these pews, can you imagine a stagecoach with horses letting people off here, and having them walk through these doors in their old fashioned clothing, with snow outside, as they celebrate xmas.” I said yes! I could totally see that. And the place suddenly felt alive.

When we walked out the door, I heard a whistling sound. I looked to my right and saw 2 hummingbirds sip nectar from the lilac bush right outside the church! I felt so blessed in that moment. I told the man, “what a wonderful day! How cool was that. Thank you so much for the tour.” He smiled big, and for a minute, any cares I had, were gone. And I felt the kindness of a stranger seep into my bones and comfort me. It was a reminder that you can still feel kindness and trust in a small town, and that an ordinary day can turn into a treasure.

Godbeads

The dew glistens sweetly.
It feeds my eyes with wonder
And holds body and soul together
Until I feel at one
With all that is.