For Beverly

Evening Walk. July 2022

 

I call, you answer

now I'm not walking alone

and neither are you

Look

Sweet Pea, July 2022

Look and keep looking

past the waving violet bloom

to the pink blue sky

 

Keeping Company

Texas Star Hibiscus, July 2022

 

My friend is keeping 

company with fireflies and

bears - and I have you

* In this moment, I'm receiving messages from a friend who is on retreat. I've seen a photo of the bear she saw today and this evening she saw fireflies. As for me, I'm keeping company with a bold red hibiscus from my garden, illuminated by the setting sun. The wonder of the world connects us all.  

Stirred

Plumeria, July 2022

 

Hundred degree heat

stirs your fragrance into the

mid-afternoon air

Who is there

Double Zinnia, July 2022

Your heart blooms at last,

who is there to witness the

miraculous burst? 

Wind your way

Navy Sweet Pea, July 2022

 Wind your way into

a solitary venture

where delight awaits

for Josh

Plumeria, July 2022

We walk hand in hand

through the sweetness of summer

ever more in love

*My husband Josh is often with me on evening walks. The breeze carried the smell of this plumeria to us - a lovely moment. I'm grateful for his good company.  

Beauty

Neighborhood Peacock, July 2022

 

May beauty fill every corner of my heart.

May beauty fill every corner of your heart.

May beauty fill every corner of __________'s heart.

The Wind is Speaking

Evening Walk, July 2022

The wind is speaking

fresh compassion and mercy

into Eventide

 

I'll tell you something

Pink Zinnia, July 2022

 I'll tell you something

my friend opened up her heart,

then mine opened too

The Road to College

View from my window, July 2022

 The road to college isn’t always straightforward. You can do everything right - follow the advice of the experts, create your timeline and check the boxes, but you can’t control the process, the timing, or the outcome. Unexpected things come up and summon you to listen and act from a deeper place, with trust that your son or daughter is in greater hands than your own. I’m sharing a bit of our college application story as encouragement should you find yourself on a winding road through senior year. 

A year ago my son was writing college essays and getting ready to start the tedious process of the ApplyTexas application for college. He focused on the school he wanted to attend most, which has an automatic admission for the top 10%. He was in the top 12%. So close. 

We calculated service hours and checked dates for his summer jobs. We deliberated majors, made our selection, and pressed “send” on August 1. We did our part - there was only the wait. Even if we didn’t get in the traditional way, the university of choice had several pathways that would eventually get us there. 

By January we were still checking the college’s portal to see his application was in review. Meanwhile, friends were beginning to post about their after-graduation plans. Baseball season was starting and one night my son came to his Dad and me to say, “I think I might want to see if I can play ball somewhere. I’m not sure I want to be done with baseball after this season.” 

But the application was in, and we had already done all the work. The essays were written, the transcript was sent. I had mentally moved on from the application process. I didn’t know anything about being a college athlete and even less about the road to get there. Everything felt up in the air when it seemed like we should be settled and moving on.  

I didn’t say anything right away, but got quiet and listened. I listened to my son and as a person of faith, I listened in prayer. That still small voice said, “You need to let him chase the dream.” And we did. I took charge of the academic part and my son and husband were in charge of the baseball part. We put in a new application, we requested an updated transcript, and we wrote new essays on the fly - and we received an acceptance letter. The baseball situation seemed promising. We went to an orientation and registered for classes. He got his housing assignment. He met the coach in person and was motivated to earn a spot on the team - it was a reach, but the best thing we had going by the time graduation arrived. 

Even as I was creating his graduation announcements, I had the thought, “wouldn’t it be something if we send out these announcements and this isn't his school after all?” Mother’s intuition. 

Over the summer, my son continued to dedicate himself to baseball and on July 1st, a coach contacted him from a school that wasn’t on our radar. A friend at his baseball training facility recognized that my son would be a good fit for his college team and made the connection. Another application, another essay and a quick trip to the campus sealed the deal. The coach offered him a spot and my son accepted with enthusiasm. 

Looking back over the last year, we have all learned many life lessons. We have learned to allow life to unfold in the way and in the timing that it happens - that posture has yielded a better and more beautiful outcome than we could have imagined a year ago. Family & friends who pray and care about our son sustained all of us in mysterious and loving ways. We have learned that now is the time to chase dreams. 

Wisdom

Plumbago in Antique Printer's Drawer, July 2022

 

Take your garden shears

for even beautiful things 

need pruning sometimes

Listen

Seashell, July 2022

Listen for the song

from a distant blue ocean 

someone else's sea 

Already and Still

Rain Puddle, July 2022

 

Already the rain

soaks the school down the street - still

dripping from the trees

* Evening walks are beginning later and later to wait for the heat of the day to lift. A breeze usually picks up around 9 pm. 

Summer's joyful song

Plumbago on a Printer's Drawer, July 2022

Summer's joyful song

floats to fill the vacancies 

in my waiting heart

The Way of Grace

Spider Lily, July 2022

Every which way

is the way of living grace

reaching out to you

 

The Paper Angel

 

Paper Angel, July 2022
Made in Germany

Evening Prayers take flight 

by way of your paper wings

and golden slippers

*The angel was made in Germany and gifted to me by a praying friend. I love her red garment - the color associated with the Holy Spirit. 

A hopeful prayer

Fourth of July, 2022

May we know freedom

and the peace of living as

good friends and neighbors

 

Rest here

Dragonfly, July 2022

The wonder of flight

and the gracious ease of a

lightness all your own

Pieces

Puzzle Pieces in the Street, July 2022

       

        For the one who has lost something that was an important piece of their life,

                    Lord, have mercy.

        

        For the one whose heart is broken into pieces by the pain of grief,

                    Lord, have mercy.

        For the one who looks to the future with a handful of pieces, not knowing how they fit together,

                    Lord, have mercy.

        For the one who is learning to gather the pieces they have found along the way,

                    Lord, have mercy.

        For all of us who long for wholeness. 

                    Lord, have mercy.

     

Every morning you'll hear me at it again.

Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar

and watch for fire to descend. 

Psalm 5:3 (The Message)

A Walk in the Rain

A Walk in the Rain, July 2022