Courage to Open

Texas Star Hibiscus, June 2021

 

She doesn't know fear,

only courage to open

on this summer day

* The first Texas Star hibiscus of the season. 

Living Water

Birdbath, June 2021

 

We gather around

living water, offering

sips to each other

*Over the last 4 weeks, I have gathered with contemplative friends for an online summer book study. Today's haiku is a reflection of our gatherings. It paired well with my overflowing bird bath - thanks to recent rainy days. 

Morning Prayer

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar on Penta, June 2021

As I bend towards

what my heart most desires,

grant me agile grace

* Want to see what this caterpillar will become? Click here.

I Spy

Evening Walk, June 2021

Search the emerald grass

you might spy a dragonfly

waiting there for you

* True, there is a golden dragonfly at the center. At first, I cropped in the photo, but missed all the beautiful green layers surrounding him.

Flash

Question Mark Butterfly, June 2021

Thoroughly charming

fluttering wildly with

flash of orange black wings

* The first Question Mark butterfly in the back yard this summer. Their flight is fast and erratic, hardly landing. I was happy to get a quick snapshot - even in soft focus, it captures the blur of his quick  movement. 

Good Morning

Plumeria, June 2021

Greet this brand new day

gather her into your arms

call her beloved

Sideways

 

Sideways (from the car window), June 2021
Dallas, Texas

            When the world tilts sideways

            I hope you remember 

            how it feels to stand on the shoreline 

            with waves washing over your feet

            and your eyes gazing to the distance 

            where sea meets the sky. 

            When the world tilts sideways

            I hope you remember

            how it feels to stand on the hillside

            with rock firmly under your feet

            and your eyes gazing to the distance

            where treetops brush the sky.

            When the world tilts sideways 

            I hope you remember 

            how it feels to be held by love

            endless as the ocean, sure as the boulder

            and your eyes rest from their gazing

            because what you need most is right here

Rest Here

 

Lantana Berry, June 2021

Rest here weary friend

watch the ripening berry

grow rounded and full

Teach me

Daisy, June 2021

Innocent daisy,

will you teach me how to hold 

sunshine in my heart?

Flight Path

Dragonfly, June 2021

Summer companion

I follow your darting dance

across the meadow

 

Don't Bother Me

Shoo Fly, June 2021

 

Take care my shoo fly,

your throne is only one stem

in a great, great field

Shadow Clouds

Summer Storm, June 2021

Late summer evening

quickening shadow clouds swirl

in the farewell sky

Love

Hydrangea, June 2021

 May love fill every corner of my heart.

Simplicity

Hydrangea, June 2021

O Simplicity,

you grace my summer table

as we gather 'round

 

Comfort

Woven Blanket, June 2021

Waiting for comfort

to unlock the door and walk

softly up the stairs

*Today I drove to sit with my daughter after her second dose of the COVID vaccination. Grateful for the bond we share. 

Enchanting

Luna Moth

June 2021

Magnolia, Texas

 

Nighttime traveler

resting her luminous wings

in dappled sunlight

*Spotting this luna moth in Magnolia last Friday was enchanting. The details of her body and wings are exquisite - and the her powder green color is unique to luna moths alone. It was a special moment to see her and to get so close. As she shifted, I was able to capture a few different backgrounds, revealing nuances of her color and texture. When she had enough of me, she took flight into a nearby tree and I thanked her staying a moment - and for the photos. 

Even for a day

Always Afternoon Daylily, June 2021

 

What must it be like

to live with heart wide open

even for a day?

My new favorite word

African Iris, June 2021

 IGUALMENTE

Igualmente is my new favorite word. I first heard it at a local food pantry where I volunteer to help clients get registered and signed up for the day. Many of them are Spanish speaking, so we communicate as best we can with my poco espanol and their poco ingles (little bit of Spanish and little bit of English). 

Once a week, I greet an average of a hundred people as they come to pick up a box of produce and pantry items for their family. They pull up in their car and roll down their window. I use my phone to look up their registration number in a city-wide database and record their visit. Before they drive away, I usually say some combination of "Thank you, take care, have a good day, God bless you." In response, I sometimes hear, "Igualmente." 

        From an online Spanish dictionary, Igualmente is a response given when one person says                        something positive to another person and the other reciprocates by saying igualmente.
        For example:
        person 1 : ;Mucho gusto'' (pleased to meet you)
        person 2 ''Igualmente'' (ie I feel the same way too)

There is something about this word. It seems to communicate - "The thing you want or wish for me, I also want or wish for you." The blessing or good word that I offer is returned back to me with a warm generosity of spirit. We smile with our eyes, and speak blessing. Beyond my immediate family, these have been my closest in-person interactions through the COVID pandemic. The brief exchanges are short, often less than a minute, but they are moments of connection and grace. 

*Learn more about the Fair Haven Food Pantry here.

All That Summer Brings

Green Anole, June 2021

Grateful for a day

reading on the back porch with

all that summer brings 

* Currently revisiting Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak

 

I Bow

Crown of Thorns, June 2021

 

Something beautiful

opens before me today

I bow and give thanks

Welcoming Wonder

Sunflower with Monarch, June 2021

Said the sunflower,

"I wish life for you and you're

wishing life for me"

* I love the mutuality that exists between flowers and the butterflies and bugs in the backyard and beyond. I would not feel the same if it were a bug on my tomatoes or peaches, but I'm willing to share the flowers. 

Seeing You

Sunflower, June 2021

 

Upon seeing you

Georgia and Vincent would reach

for brush and palette 

** Georgia O'Keefe's "Sunflower (A Sunflower from Maggie) 

*Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers"

Invitation

Sunflower, June 2021

When I feel halfway,

halfway here or halfway there,

halfway in my heart

Let me remember 

the opening sunflower

and her becoming

 

As it is

Sunflower, June 2021

 

Forming quietly

a pale hint towards the bloom

we're all waiting for

Summer Rain

Water droplets run

past the drenched green leaves, moving

to the rock below

Before I pull this weed, June 2021

 

Welcome

Mushroom collection, June 2021

Rainfall and moonlight

bring mysterious guests who

appear overnight

Drink your fill

Snail on Coneflower, June 2021

Welcome small wonder

stay and drink your fill of the

graceful summer rain

When I was child

Evening Sky, June 2021

 

I'm remembering 

how I used to spin and drop

dizzy to the ground

* On my evening walk, the light in the clouds shifted every few seconds, so I kept turning around because I didn't want to miss the view.  I confess it made me a little dizzy. It reminded me of the childhood pleasure of looking up at the sky and spinning until I fell down into the grass. 

Something Good

Ink Heart Lily, June 2021

"I want to be part of something good."

This was both a single thought and a prayer early this morning. I began to craft a list of everything good I am a part of. I tried to name what makes each thing good. As the list grew, I marveled at all the goodness that has come my way. Relationships, communities, opportunities, practices and places of belonging that I have welcomed and given myself to. All because I want to be part of something good.

As I named the goodness, gratitude began to gather and rise. What would make your list? What are the good things you are a part of? 

Devotion

Watchful Nala, June 2021

 

Waiting for her boy

listening for the sound of 

his truck on the street