compassion

sometimes the best
we can do
is give

a tender
touch

november pastel

between the warm hues
of autumn
and the cool blues
of winter

if find you

sweet quiet
november

raindrops on my window pane

it's raining this morning
the first november rain

actually, the first autumn rain

the ground dry
the gavel road so very dusty

quiet and calm the land, Lord
through it's receiving
of this amazing thing
called rain



* "Let the rain kiss you, let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.   ~Langston Hughes

gift

my friend gave me a gift
the other day

she didn't even know

it was in the form
of a
question

"can that amazing red in the maples
be captured by a camera?"
she asked

well, i thought to myself,
we shall see

of course that "amazing red"
changes
with each shift of the light
but i knew what she meant

so i set out this morning
to do my best
and at least take a nice
 photo for her

i didn't expect all the miracles
along the way

and she never could have known when she asked
that i would be made so much richer
by her simple question

she never could have forseen the shaft of light
through the golden river birch
the duck sunning himself
or the shimmering reflection on the lake

she couldn't have heard my feet shuffling
through the piles and piles of
oak leaves
or felt the autumn breeze
across my face

she couldn't have smelled
the subtle scent of the
distant rain

she couldn't have
wouldn't have
guessed



*Besides an amazing day out in nature, i came home with some lovely imgaes as a result of my friend's question.  We should all voice our "wonder" every chance we get.....and perhaps we should voice it often in the form of a question.  Who knows where a simple question might take someone. :)

**"Sometimes questions are more important than answers."  ~Nancy Willard

ready

he's been preparing for
winter
quite some time now

the planting
mowing
baling done
it won't be long

till he meets
snowy frigid mornings
and the herd

pitchfork in hand

birthday wish

if i should die
before early morning's light
please know

that i have lived

i will have not left this place
in regret
for i have smelled autumn leaves
and felt the spray of saltwater seas

i have walked in rain
and snow
sat silent in a deer stand and listened
while animals of the night
came to life

i've been to dreamed of places
seen Ireland's rocky face
the Cliffs of Mohr

marveled at a peasant woman
in a rice paddy
and hundreds of waterfalls
pouring down New Zealand's coastal mountains

at home
on winter nights
i've read tales of courage
warmed by the fires of hearth
and valor

i have watched my boys grow into men
into themselves
they'll be fine
when i am gone

i made mistakes
i have struggled to forget
though now i don't regret
how could i have learned
(if i were perfect)
the sweet repose of
grace

i've known love
the joy
and pain of it

laughed loudly in the light
giggled quietly in the dark

i've cried till there were no more tears
saying goodbye to friends
and family
too young to die
why
shoud they have gone
before me?

i have questioned my God
not held back fears
doubts, disappointment

and in my loneliness and rage
i have not found him
wanting



*If you are reading this today, thank you for indulging a more "personal" post. Today is my 59th birthday. It seems rather strange to be staring at 60 from such close range! I have found myself a bit more contemplative today than on most birthdays. However, you must know that i do indeed still feel 35 inside! :) I wrote this poem over 10 years ago. Not a great (or even good) literary work ( a bit too sentimental perhaps), it came to me rather quickly and was from the heart. I made a few small changes to it this morning and wonder what changes i will make in 10 years if i am still walking the planet. For now though, i head most gratefully into another day to see what beauty the Good and Mighty Lord will put into my path. My, what a creative "giver" He is! Again, if you are reading this, thank you. You  are contributing to my life by sharing in it. We are all "so connected". I don't think we begin to realize to what degree. Have a marvelous November 9th.

**As to the picture ....i thought it captured the mystery of November. I love that i get to celebrate my birthday during my favorite month.

in flight

oh let your soul
take to the sky

fly high
as you draw nigh

to home