For breath, for belonging

Shalom, Abba,  
not just peace,  
but the kind that wraps  
around my weary shoulders  
like morning light.

You are the quiescence
between my questions,  
the stillness 
beneath my striving.

Abba, Father,  
not just parent,  
but the pulse  
that steadies me  
when I forget my name.

You walk with me  
through shadowed rooms,  
through spirals of doubt,  
and still you whisper,  
I am here.

Shalom, Abba,  
in your breath  
I find my own.  
In your silence,  
I remember  
I am not alone.

Until my work is done,  
until my last sigh sings,  
I will walk  
in your peace.

Be a bird even if not heard
Be the light even in the night
Be alone even on your own
Be bright even if not right
Be simple even in the jungle
Be butterfly even when hard to fly

autumn
beauty
sun flowers
bend
and
sway
but
bow
their
crowns
along
the
way
in
the
presence
of
God

and your answer,
as it always
has been,
is
silence

Some say anger and pain are cousins
Always traveling as one.
I’ve felt them both in my days,
Intertwined, solidified,
Almost premeditated,
Enjoying their journey.

But I prefer laughter with my pain.
True partners in survival
A touch of humor in the sorrow
Tempering, if even a shade twisted,
And each glad day
Can carry its drop of pain.

Crows come cawing
As sheep are counting
A days beginning,
Eventually turns to its ending
Morning, afternoon, evening
Arriving, there, then leaving
Spring water trickling down a stream
Runs like it’s trying to escape
the inevitable freezing
Trees losing their leaves
In the autumn breeze
Serve as a reminder that this life is only temporary