days go by and by gone days

And as the days slipping from one into the next and summer is in full swing and the daisies are in bloom and the lettuce gets snipped out of the garden and family goes back home and other family comes to visit and time is spent reconnecting and together my cousin and I take a short break and find a place to stay from days gone by. And as we step into the home axed into existence 160 years ago I feel somewhat panicky wondering if I will have enough time to absorb the wonder of it in 2 short days and nights and I marvel at the enormous logs and the smell of wood smoke and the light quietly reflecting off a well worn floor and the thought of the original family lying buried in the nearby woods

and we slow down and relax

and make a cup of coffee

and we drink it while we talk on the porch

and watch the red winged blackbirds on the grasses

and we enjoy.

We drive by those who live the life of the early days that we teach the children about and wonder about their choices and think of the simplicity of life but also the difficulty of such an existance.

the gift of love

Recollections of the last few days swirl through my mind.

Family, the people I am most comfortable with, within hugging reach.

Early morning coffee with a sister on the front porch.

Dad, smiling and thankful. Mom, absorbing the moments.

And then, just like that it is over,

and the people that I love are gone again. Home.

Out of reach, and I regret

that the time was so busy and so soon gone-

because this is my family

and I miss them already.

And then, just like that,

the firstborn grandchild's car spins out of control

and the car is damaged and the spirit is bruised

but our child is okay

and I am scared, and thankful, and angry

and Thankful again-

because the gift of love and

the gift of those we love

can be taken away.

It is one of those mornings when you wake up tired and it is raining and wet and somewhat muggy and it all makes you rather grumpy and then suddenly the sun breaks through and the world becomes altogether glorious and millions of diamonds hang suspended from the branches and your frustrations evaporate as do the vapors that float upwards from the spruce trunks.

And I think about my dad's birthday today, that he turns 75, that he is alive and well, and that my siblings are coming and that it is a wonderful day.

simplicity

It is probably one of my most favourite flowers, the simple daisy.

It graces gardens and it graces the roadsides.

Tommy came running into the house to tell me that "those pink flowers are blooming! Mom, come quick, grab your camera and take a picture!".

colour green

The colour of envy or the colour of peace?

Envy being the beginning of greed and a multitude of other sins

and at the opposite end of the spectrum of contentment.

Green the colour of envy and yet

when I see the colours of the foliage in the sun's first light

I feel contentment.

When I contemplate the blessings around me in light of the Son

I feel thankful.

summer solstice

Light filters early through the web between the lilies on this the longest day of the year.

Beautiful prisms of colors move in the minutest breezes.

I am a seeker of the light as it reflects and illuminates,

and brokenly aim to be a seeker of the Light

whom I need to reflect and as He illuminates me.

pondside

Icecream sundaes and a stroll around the pond at sunset.

How very blessed we are.

Healthy and happy children running back and forth. We are not sick. We are not hungry.

The people we meet smile and nod and are friendly. We are not threatened and not oppressed.

We take notice of creation and are free to talk about the Creator.

When we leave we go back to our very own comfortable home.

Blessed a hundred thousand times over.