Reflections

The reflection in the water
Obscures the moon's true face
And yet the fractured image there
Is perfect in its grace
For while it’s not a faultless match
To that transcendent light
Its marred perfection still reflects
Its maker just as bright

Winter Games

The winter mist fills up the Sound,
It whispers at my eaves,
It rustles limbs on winter trees
In search of their lost leaves.

It glitters in the spider webs,
Twines in winter brambles;
It tickles grapevines where they snooze
Amid the garden’s shambles. It plays a game of hide and seek
With winter's pale, weak sun
Until old Sol finally burns through
And then the game is done!!

Peering over My Shoulder

I saw him peering in my room,
My hair stood up on end,
But when he laughed at me I knew,
He was my long lost friend!

A Servant's Heart

Oh Lord, give me a servant’s heart,
The one I have’s too small;
And half the time, the cranky thing,
It just won’t serve at all!

It suffers from self-righteousness
And fails to follow through;
Oh Lord, give me a servant’s heart
The one I have won’t do.

I think if you could change it out
For a new Servant’s Heart,
I’d have a stronger joy to serve
And better fill my part.

But failing that please take this heart,
That troubles my life so,
And lay a loving hand on it
So maybe it will grow!

The Path

I cannot see the way ahead.
It lies just out of sight
Around the curving of the road
Where darkness eats the light

I’m not sure that I want to walk
The road that lies ahead
But all is tangled wood and brush
If I step off instead.

I could just sit beside the path
Refuse to move along
It’s harder, if you just sit down,
To make a turn that’s wrong

If I could see beyond the bend
I’d face it without fear
But I can only see the part
That lies before me here

I know that you can see the road
That lies ahead of me
I know that I should trust the way
And follow faithfully
But I am weak and full of dread
I fear what I can’t see
So I will walk around that bend
If you’ll just walk with me.

Perspective

Patience seems to be too thin
The path is just too rough
I’m overwhelmed and too fatigued
It’s time to cry enough
I’ve done my share, taken the hits
It’s someone else’s turn
I’m fed up with the short end of
This bridge that I can’t burn.

And then I think of Golgotha,
The path that lead to hell,
That wound up through an angry mob
Who mocked him as he fell?
The beatings and the brutal death
He faced on Calvary.
I won’t complain about my pain
When He did that for me.

Broken

I dwell in silence half the night
The chaos of the day
Has overwhelmed me and I run
And try to hide-away

But in the silence where I dwell
I find good company
For you are always waiting there
And you always love me

I’m not your finest creation
My faith is often frail
But you have always stood by me
Through every new travail

It’s not your faithfulness that’s weak
But mine that fails the test
Yet every time I quit or fall
You hold me to your breast

And let me know that I am loved
In spite of all my shame
You lift me up and dust me off
You call me by my name

All of the heavenly voices
And all the songs they’ve sung
Cannot be sweeter than the sound
Of my name on your tongue

I am not worthy of your love
And yet you still love me
Each day I chain myself with fear,
Each day you set me free.

So meet me in my silent room
Where I am on my knees
I’m not as strong as I should be
But let me serve you, please.

Two Cranky Monsters

Two cranky monsters living by the sea
Two cranky monsters, who can they be?

Two cranky monsters living in a box
Oh No, cranky monsters, don’t throw those rocks!

Two cranky monsters living in a barn
Oh No, cranky monsters, don’t knot the yarn!

Two cranky monsters living in a house
Oh No, cranky monsters, don’t chase the mouse!

Two cranky monsters living in a tree
Oh No, cranky monsters, don't spill the tea!

Two cranky monsters living in a hat
Oh No, cranky monsters, don’t swing the bat!

Two cranky monsters living in a zoo
Oh No, cranky monsters, don’t throw that shoe!

Two cranky monsters ate each other’s pie
Poor cranky monsters both began to cry!

Two cranky monsters sent up to their room
Both cranky monsters settled in to fume!

Two cranky monsters finally went to bed
Hush cranky monsters! I have an aching head!

Clouds and Color

You know... You can't have a brilliant sunrise in a cloudless sky, and you can't have a brilliant sunrise in an overcast sky. You need just enough clouds in your sky to reflect the light and color back into the world. How boring life would be if there were no clouds in the sky. I'm thankful for the clouds in my sky, and for the fact that there aren't too many clouds in my sky to obscure the colors. Mostly, I'm thankful that I sleep with my windows open so that the colors wake me in the morning when they are brightest and richest. I love my sky!

Oh Heart, Lift Up!!!

Oh heart lift up a song to Him
Lift up a song of joy
Let not the darkness hold you fast,
All God’s good grace employ

Oh heart lift up a song to Him
Lift up a song of praise
Let all the world hear of the song
That my heart now will raise

Oh heart lift up a song to Him
Lift up a song of light
And let the whole world hear you sing
With absolute delight

Oh heart your song will lift me up
From all of life’s travails
For His love is eternal love
And His love never fails!

Oops!!! I Forgot to Mention...

For Lent this year I took up a task. I have committed to creating a praise each day for Lent. It can be prose, it can be poetry, it can be photography, but there must be a praise in it. I can do other things, too, and will, but there will be a daily note of praise each day, so please bear with me.

Woodard Bay Overlook Trail

Bikes and Joy

I wandered through the warm, green wood,

I sought my daily praise

But nothing came to me at all

It’s been a rough few days.

The cool green shade, the sunlit fern,

The smell of winter’s wood,

The alder sheathed in bright green moss,

But none of it seemed good.

And then I heard a shrieking laugh

A bold triumphant cheer,

‘I did it daddy, did you see?

I rode from there to here!”

A little girl on her first bike

Without a training wheel

Was wobbling as she peddled hard

Up on her daddy’s heel

And all the while her mom and dad

Offered advice and cheers

While hovering right by her side

As if to calm her fears.

I stood there watching all of this

And whooped a cheer or two

When suddenly I realized

That’s just what God would do.

He watches over each of us

To catch us when we fall,

And when we need Him, He’s right there

He answers when we call.

I’m glad I got to watch her play,

To hear her laugh with glee;

I’m glad she learned to ride that bike

And shared a praise with me.

The Lighted Path

The winter mists wrapped deep and still
Around my weary heart
I sought a path out of the chill,
But knew not where to start.
And then I saw before me there
A path, lit dim, but true,
That led beyond my fear and care,
And there, Lord, I found you.
For, like the filtered morning sun,
Your light burns through the haze
And I will follow you, my Lord,
Through all my misty days.

Morning, Mist and Promise

The Girl with the Rainbow Smile

The world was bearing down on me,
Relentless and hostile,
Til she walked in and brought the sun
The girl with the rainbow smile
The fears of what had not yet come
Were added to the pile
Of frustrations for things not done
While angst rose up like bile.
But all the pain fell fast away
Her laughter can beguile
She lightens up my broken world
The girl with the rainbow smile. A day that seemed without value
Became much more worthwhile
Through the miracle of love and
The girl with a rainbow smile.

Starlight and Sunlight

Starlight foam on the night black sea
Glittering cold and bright
Cast to earth by the morning sun
To an ocean of light
Bright is the laughter of the night
Bright is the starlit dome
Bright is the starlight of the dawn
Trapped in the ocean’s foam

You cast the stars across the sky
You lit the winter sea
You found the joy that I had lost
And gave it back to me.

The Unexpected Miracle

The little miracles of life,

Those most unexpected,

The ones that come out of the blue,

Those must be God directed.

The mist that slips out of the bay,

Silent, undetected;

Wild geese winging through the dawn,

In glass-like waves reflected;

The dying spark, its flame near quenched,

Redeemed and resurrected.

We almost lost Popsi today, but he’s fighting back and holding his own. It’s brutal and excruciating, but he's not one to give up.