First Day of Advent

Tulip in the kitchen window, December 2024

                    Who says tulips can't bloom in December?

                    My son says otherwise

                    and brings them in with the groceries

                    This one is almost spent

                    another day of translucent beauty

                    one more afternoon in the window

                    If my heart can learn to open

                    with her gentleness and ease

                    the glorious impossible becomes possible again

* The Glorious Impossible is a children's book by Madeleine L'Engle 

"The birth of Jesus was a Glorious Impossible. Like love, it cannot be explained, it can only be rejoiced in."

The Wisdom of Redwoods: Reflections from a Silent Retreat

Watercolor Trees, August 2024

                     Oh Lord, 
                    

                    You are the dreaming tree

                          I have fixed my hopes 

                          and prayers to branches 

                          who shelter birds 

                          and barefoot children

                    You are the scent of 

                        magnolia and orange

                        You are the taste of crushed mulberries

                        that tell my mother 

                        where I've been

                    You are bright 

                        with the yellow 

                        of paloverde and huisache 

                        the pink of rosebud, 

                        tulip and rain tree

                    You are fixed with a rope swing

                        we dare each other to climb 

                        and catch hold

                        taking a freefall of delight 

                        under your blessed canopy

* Last Saturday, I attended a silent retreat gathered around the redwoods and trees as images for the spiritual journey. I recalled particular trees that had been part of my childhood, especially at my home and the homes of my grandparents. The prayer poem comes out of my reflections. 

Our December

Advent Parament, Magnolia UMC

Light the quiet way

of real hope, peace, joy and love

through our December 

* A couple of things: I love that Magnolia UMC has kept the old paraments - the materials and craftsmanship are beautiful - you can tell they have been around for many years.  In some churches, these kinds of paraments are stacked away in a closet somewhere because they are considered too old fashioned. Seeing this beautiful cloth connects me to a previous generation and long tradition of faithfulness. The second note: As the year comes to an end, December seems to mark the end of a chapter, not just a calendar - I am feeling the culmination of the year. 

Visitation

Eastern Bluebird in the Oak, December 2023

Eastern Bluebird, December 2023

Will you be home when

the joyful migration comes

to visit awhile?

*Yesterday a flock of several Eastern Bluebirds landed in the oak tree just outside of the dining room window while we were eating lunch. They stayed on our street for just a bit and moved on. Their bright blue was welcome on an overcast day. 

Closer

Variegated Fritillary, November 2023
  

Our wide sweeping world

keeps drawing us in, drawing

us ever closer

(and out again)

Autumn Blue

Spiderwort, November 2023

 

Not in your greenhouse

not in my ceramic pot 

Autumn blue in bloom

Only

Sunrise Reflected, November 2023

Only make the turn

and catch the sun rising in

the place where you live

* I was in the backyard early to feed the birds and take photos of a dazzling sunrise. When I turned to go back in the house, I caught the reflection framed by the bedroom window and the bright blue sky above. 

 

Faithfully

Mockingbirds, November 2023

 

Faithfully guarding

a nearby nest of young ones

just learning to fly

* It's not really the season for young mockingbirds to be leaving the nest and learning to fly, but as the parent of young adults, it's what this season feels like. How I love to see them fly. 

Charmed

Fuchsia Bougainvillea, October 2023

On this silver day

a crowded fuchsia bower

charms me with her song

Lilac Tumble

Morning Glories, October 2023

 

Cascading glory,

a lilac tumble befriends

the well rooted oak

Planting in Faith

Red Spider Lilies, October 2023

 

Let me plant in faith

even when I've no idea

about the harvest

* I've had an affection for the red spider lily (sometimes called hurricane lilies) for many years. I first saw them in East Texas on youth retreats in the fall. I would slip away in the afternoons with my camera and roam the path around the lake to find them. Since then, I've planted a few at home and they always brighten up the garden after a long, hot summer. 

Compassion

Crown of Thorns in Bloom, September 2023

 

Count them if you can

the many ways compassion

shows herself each day

Around the corner

Morning Glory, September 2023

Soft purple tidings

announce the beginning of 

 the great letting go

Breathe in the Beauty

Wedding Flowers in Antique Printer's Drawer, August 2023

 

Breathe in the beauty

of promises made and kept

in your heart of hearts

What brightness

Orange Zinnia in Purple Pentas, August 2023

 

What stands out today?

In your coming and going,

what brightness thrilled you?

d you really liv

e

In One Day

Snow in Summer Jasmine, August 2023

 

 I'm sure you have read,

there are five stages of grief - 

sometimes in one day

Sabbath Invitation

The Courtyard, August 2023
Chapelwood UMC, Houston

 

An invitation

for rest and restoration

wherever you are

An Afternoon Walk

Peacock Feathers, August 2023

 

An afternoon walk

leads to exquisite beauty

strewn along the path

* Our neighborhood peacock is dropping feathers. These will eventually become fishing flies, but I'll admire them on the table for now. 

All of us

Guardian Angel Raphael, August 2023
Made in Mexico

Guardian angels

ever tending those of us

in need of healing

(all of us)

* The angel Raphael is often depicted with a fish a sign of healing from the Book of Tobit. To read more about the angel Raphael, click here.

 

Right at Home

Green Anole, August 2023

 

Curled into the curve 

of a shaded emerald leaf

you seem right at home