Tag Archives: hope

Wet Snow

As I made my way around town this morning, I marveled with the kids at the spectacle of the winter wonderland we passed through. The limbs all around us, bending low, to display their burden in beautiful form. Trees bowed to the Creator, silent and still, in reverence to the One that giveth and taketh away. The fresh coat of white, wet snow, with barely a hint of breeze, made for a postcard setting around every turn. Yesterday’s imperfections redeemed, covered anew, with barely a trace. And isn’t it fitting that we sit to enjoy, to ponder, and to draw parallels, from this place. Nature has it’s darkness as do we all, still there are moments, when perfection draws near. If you listen in silence and look past the obstacles we all erect over time, I am refreshed and can see hope from right here.

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. ~ Psalm 118:24

And if the Lord sees fit to make the rest of the week, then too will I continue my thanks for the blessing and the promise in it.

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Someday, From This Debt, I Hope I’m Never Free

Are you a parent? Did you have parents? Did someone ever give of themselves toward your betterment in such a way as to change your life? Do you owe anyone for the piece of them they gave, just for you? Have you even thought about this? Should you do something about it? Do you need a push in the right direction?

Well this is what I have come up with, so far.

As time rolls on, the memories start to fade, with their edges frayed, the vibrant colors wash out some, and the family unit bends but doesn’t break. Time removes me from the places where we once went about our daily life knowing only what was there, sheltered in our little world. Distance puts time in between us, even if we want otherwise. What was once just down the hall, now requires a plan, accounting for all. The sweet, trusted security only separated by a flight of stairs, is somewhere in the past, or at least not so easily found, or fast. The supported now strain to support, and one longs for it all, again to be the other way around. Examples ran across our view whether we watched or not, and it seems so many times now, the lesson I forgot. I recall the good, and the things I suppose I want to see, and how much love did it take for it, that way, to be. Then the age added up but the character never changed, just the love and lessons somehow rearranged. No one kept track, as it should be, but from this debt, I hope I never feel free.

We live. Hopefully we love. We wander but never lose center. We look back, I hope, more than we look down. We look ahead, I hope, never disconnected from the past. We help, I hope, remembering from where we came. We make time, I hope, because minutes are fleeting. We linger, I hope, how much has been vested in us. We leave, better than we found, I hope, for that’s how we were taught.

I think on this matter a lot. I wonder at times how much is left in the well. When I take stock I am always astounded at how much more there is to give. It is then that I know how it once felt for those who have come before me. Then if there’s a push I need, a shove I crave; I play this song (Kayla Reeves, TSO) and listen to the emotion that is impossible to keep from spilling over all within earshot. I stir in the message shared amid the words that roll into my own personal movie playing just behind the portals I use to see. And I am reminded that, from this debt, I hope never to be free.

SOMEDAY

He won the war, in a foreign land
That was no hero, that was my old man
And he came back home, where he met his wife
And he raised his kids, while he made a life
Now he never preached, though he always knew
And we watched him close, just to pick up clues
And sometimes late, in the dead of night
I can see him there, in the pale moon light
I am trying
And I don’t know how
And I don’t know when
But I’ll have to tell him someday

And as for this woman, my father wed
We knew we were loved, with the words unsaid
And when we were young she taught us all to read
And then one by one, she would watch us leave
Never saw her cry, for she hid her tears
As one by one, we would disappear
But of course we’d write, and of course we’d call
Just to hear her voice, whenever we would fall

I am trying
And I don’t know how
And I don’t know when
But I’ll have to tell her someday

So I wrote these words, and I hope they last
For the years have come, and the years have passed
Think of all they gave, think of all the debt
But can’t find a way, to repay them yet
For the days still come, and the debt still mount
And do words unsaid, ever really count
But sometimes still, in the dead of night
I can see them there, in the pale moon light

I am trying
And I don’t know how
And I don’t know when
But I’ll have to tell them someday

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Kayla Reeves with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Boston 2015

What Did You Do Today?

It was you I came to see, I chose this to do with my day
In tears, I left, just how much do these troubles weigh

Tone, I can handle some, but I tripped over the string,
The slim grasp of matter from where the words you sling

Love is hard sometimes, but it’s always better than the dark
Where the evil dwell, taking aim to hit their mark

I can’t put myself in your skin, in kindness I visit each time
Are we that close to the end, there’s no telling what we’ll find

Looking for a sliver in the shredded mound left of hope
Measured, I smile, looking for my way along the tightrope

My eyes peer down, lit with love, and warmth inherited
Objective, careful, and with respect, I thought, words merited

Maybe God’s will and the plan in that mind are the same
I know for sure there’s no one across from you to blame

So, wearily I’ll lay my head to rest long after the sun has set
Thinking on you, my last thoughts long for your rest, you can bet

God’s Plan – A Tribute to Marjorie Leech (Peterson)

Somewhere around the world today there was another selfless soul born, of that I am pretty sure. And even with all the newborns today, there’ll never another Marjorie be.

I ended the phone call with …”my thoughts and prayers are with all of you.” As I promised I would, I dialed the number to my parents house and waited for Mom to answer. Usually, it’s been her making those dreaded calls to me, but tonight I had a message to pass on and an inkling that she already knew what I had just confirmed. She answered the phone and both of us seemed a bit scared to say the first words, knowing why each of us was on the line. I passed on the message I had promised to share and we talked about what we feared to be the case. Our dear, sweet Marjorie had passed, no more than an hour before.

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Thanks #7 (New Day)

I’m thankful for each and every new day. The promise and hope held in each new day should not be under estimated. This morning, I pray that our elected officials all across this great land will embrace each and every new day and represent the people of this great country to the best of their abilities, in constant pursuit of what is fair, just, and right. What is it that we can get done before the next new day? I give thanks for today, a new day.