frozen

Sometimes even thoughts seem frozen and suspended

and wait for warmth to release them.

Sometimes minds are tired and emotions dulled

and souls wait for peace to invade them.

Sometimes hearts feel afraid and in suspense

and spirits need hope to raise them.

friendships

Flowers speak of love

and blossoms tell tales of friendship

as they stand on a table covered with stitches

crocheted together with care.

And by these we are blessed; the listening ears and the open arms and the praying hearts.

miniscule magic

An above zero day lends itself

to the melting of snow into water

which drops onto evergreen boughs below.

Wee drops freeze while grasping tiny green needles.

New flakes drift earthward

and alight cautiously on these fragile gems.

It does the heart good to step outdoors and admire God's handiwork.

Nature is splendid whether grandiose or miniscule.

january 25th

Somedays there are no words to say or to ponder

but a simple day of routine produces thoughts of thanksgiving

that the minutes and hours that slipped by were good.

another day

another day is another day of blessing

we cling

We cling to the branch of life

when life is a gift

and the tensions inside us

tell us that life is fragile

and our grip on it feeble.

snowflake in morning sun

Yesterday the flakes glistened in the morning sun

as they floated downward

one by one-

millions of miniscule miracles.

Further down and further out.

Each flake a masterpiece

but insignificant in isolation.

And some folks go on adventures

and some stay behind

and some fight disease

and others are anxious

and still others pray for them all.

And none are in isolation

because a great cloud of them

is rising slowly,

onwards and upwards to the heavens,

till one by one they break away

and go Further up and Further in.

And when I am anxious I know that a friend is praying for me

and it gives me peace.

snowy fields

Sometimes the landscapes are in black and white with a smattering of grey.

Snow can simplify and obliterate but snow can also paint a scene dreary and lonesome.

hankering for spring

Never mind the snow blowing outside

and the subzero temperatures

and hungry coyotes wandering our street.

A splash of pink and green

in a bright blue vase

suggests spring isn't far off.

snow that is blown

The wind blows where it wills

and sculpts the fallen snow

much like the relentless waves

sculpt the sandy shores

and time and happenstance

sculpt us body and soul.

The divine breath blows

the divine words stir

and the divine hand leads.

And I try hard to remember

that it is all good.

sunday

On Sundays worship renews and encourages

and walks restore and invigorate

and woods inspire.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

And when we think of daughters still comatose, and sisters taken to glory, and mothers facing an unsure prognosis we pray that our eyes may be eternal eyes. Raised in thankfulness and prayer. We pray that hearts may be lifted and that lips breathe hope: "Be Still and Know that I am God".

Be Still

and know

that

He is God!

snowflakes

morning by morning

"This is Thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see..

great is Thy faithfulness, this is my faithfulness

..morning by morning..."

Tommy and Marten sing variations of the hymn all day long.

At some point the message should sink into my heart....

January 1st 2011

One Step Of Triumph

My feet shall never stand on Everest's peak,

Nor smudge the sands of undiscovered shore.

My ears shall never hear the waters roar

Where jungle rivers fall in Mozambique.

For me, no stratospheric flights; I seek

no depths unchartered to the ocean floor.

These will come to others who explore

The geographic goals of which they speak.

Still, I have known the high discovery,

moments when exultation held my hand,

And these have come in no exotic land,

While just one step from my back porch will show

A world and year unsearched, that beckons me

To cast first print in New Year's printless snow.

Ralph W. Seager

True...

yet sometimes

we do wish to explore distant places

and today the new year's snow is new year's rain.