Sabbath

Oklahoma Rosebud, October 2021

Tomorrow begins a few days of Sabbath. Time to rest and listen deeply among those who are heart of my heart.  Time to step away from hurry and distraction. May you find your own Sabbath in the days to come. I'll be posting again in early November. 

Daybreak

Canna Lily, October 2021

 O canna lily,

sunrise before the sunrise,

day begins with you

Each Bud

Wildflower, October 2021

 Each bud a promise

of buttery sunshine and

good days on the way

Before

Giant Swallowtail on Shrimp Plant, October 2021

 

What you never see

is the waiting and watching

before they arrive

* This year I have learned that the best time to see butterflies in the garden is when the air is heavy and very still. I stand on the back porch and watch for movement. They usually come floating over the back fence and make a looping flight pattern over all the nectar plants, selecting where they might begin. They visit and sip from several flowers, sometimes resting for a few seconds in a tree. Today I saw a cloudless sulphur, a monarch, gulf fritillary, a small skipper and this beauty. They are captivating! 

Joy

Red-bellied Woodpeckers, October 2021

Send me the fresh air

of an October morning

so I might breathe joy

Both

Buffalo Vector Border Crossing by Merritt Johnson
Birmingham Museum of Art, October 2021

 

Does your eye follow

the birds or the boundary?

my heart holds them both

Do you hear it too?

Shiva (Lord of the Dance)
Birmingham Museum of Art, October 2021

Ochre leaves fall as

if your music called them to

join the sacred dance

When Purple Calls Out

Wild Heliotrope and Poppies by John Marshall Gamble
Birmingham Museum of Art, October 2021

 

When purple calls out

out across the gallery,

I'm just like the bees

Time to Dream

Reclining Woman (Gladys) by John N. Robinson
Birmingham Museum of Art, October 2021

 

We need time to dream

to know ourselves apart from

clock and calendar

Go On

Louis Comfort Tiffany Lamp, October 2021
Birmingham Museum of Art

Some might say, "too bright,"

but if you're lighting a lamp,

go on, make it shine

 

Beloved

Mother and Child, Jacques Lipchitz
Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama

 

Inseparable

from the great love that holds us

and never lets go

* Jesus in John 10:28, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."

And in Me

Tree Bark, October 2021

 The old and the new

 coexist beautifully

in trees and in me

Everything

Hornworm on Penta
(future sphinx moth)

Encircled by grace

you'll discover everything

needed within reach

Blessing

Hummingbird, October 2021

May dappled delight fill every corner of your heart.

Hello Red

Magnolia Seed Pods, October 2021

My favorite shade of red greeted me on this morning's walk. 

I love the gloss of the pure red seeds. 

And they way they are perfectly encased in the cells of their pod.

I consider and count the promise of trees to come - 

    a grove of magnolias who will someday fill the air with their sweet scent 

        and shelter the birds and give shade to someone else's morning walk.

The Gracious Table

Lusterware Serving Bowl, October 2021

There's a place for you

set at the gracious table

where we all belong

October Air

Sweet Pea and Bee, October 2021

Sweet pea, honey bee

blessed reciprocity

fills October air

Riddle of the Sphinx

White -Lined Sphinx Moth, October 2021
Bryan, Texas

 

Effortless and bold

your demarcation makes for 

porch light elegance

* My daughter sent this photo when she spotted a sphinx moth on her porch yesterday. I'm thrilled that she shared it with me. 

Held Together

Spider's Web, October 2021

 

We're held together

in a silver netted nest

laced with silken threads

So Quiet

Hummingbird, October 2021

Let me wait with you

in a quiet so quiet 

I can hear my heart

Beauty

Long-Tailed Skipper, October 2021

 

May beauty arrive

on azure and inky wings

across emerald leaves

Early Fall

Question Mark Butterfly, October 2021

 

Early fall's bright guest

greeted me in the garden

and stayed for awhile

October

Pawpaw Sphinx Moth, October 2021

Welcome October

may each day bring a marvel

and a mystery

Mother to Mother

A Kiss for Mom (mule deer family), September 2021
Colorado Springs

 

Mother to mother,

we will always lift our cheek

hoping for a kiss

* We were driving away from the weekend rental and spotted this family of deer walking through the neighborhood and grazing from the front gardens. I got out of the car to catch a few photos. They did not seem alarmed. 

In one breath

Young Yellow Finch, September 2021
Colorado Springs

In the next moment

I’ll scoop you up in my hands

in one breath - you’ll fly

* On the morning we left Colorado Springs, I went out to the car to load my suitcase and found this baby bird on the ground. I sat on the curb with my camera for a few photos, then set my camera down. I scooped her up and she nested in my hands for a few seconds. I think we were both surprised when she took a short flight into a nearby tree. I’ll never forget that encounter.   

In Memory

Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial, September 2021
Colorado Springs

Find honor and peace

with brothers and sisters who

made the climb with you

Click here to learn more about the memorial. My husbands father's name is engraved on the wall, along with thousands of firefighters who have died in the line of duty. It is a hallowed place to remember and meet other fire fighters and their families. 

 

Found

Western Tent Moth (probably), September 2021
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

 

What you seek finds you

on powdery morning wings

welcome gracious one