Loving God

So many days
an empty space
lingers in the place
marked "love for You."

Where do they go,
these fickle aches
of longing, love
and need of you?

"Choose," you said,
to give to me
your love
in actions real.

Do not rely
on feelings, fading --
waiting for Everests
to appear.

DO love,
consciously,
attentive and active,
regardless.

It can not be passive--
"Love the Lord
your God
with all your heart."

But asks,
demands:
I must ACT
when I don't feel.

Endless Gifts

His gifts go on, even though I am not recording them.

Today I am thankful for:

69.  salt
70.  a teacher who is helping me so much
71.  cool water
72.  the delicious sound of pasta boiling on the stove.

For Memorial Day

The bugle echoes shrill and sweet,
But not of war it sings to-day.
The road is rhythmic with the feet
Of men-at-arms who come to pray.

The roses blossom white and red
On tombs where weary soldiers lie;
Flags wave above the honored dead
And martial music cleaves the sky.

Above their wreath-strewn graves we kneel,
They kept the faith and fought the fight.
Through flying lead and crimson steel
They plunged for Freedom and the Right.

May we, their grateful children, learn
Their strength, who lie beneath this sod,
Who went through fire and death to earn
At last the accolade of God.

In shining rank on rank arrayed
They march, the legions of the Lord;
He is their Captain unafraid,
The Prince of Peace...Who brought a sword.

- Joyce Kilmer, 1917

Sights, sounds, smells

66. A well-traveled boy safely returned - a glad sight for this mother's eyes.

67. The sound of a spoon digging into a piece of watermelon.

68. The heavy fragrance of the gardenia bush in bloom -

perfuming the evening air.

69. Small sister's arm around the shoulders of the returning brother.

Evidence of His Love

The brilliant reds and greens of fresh cherry tomatoes.

Beauty in an ugly corner.

Translucent beauty.

Fractals - in a vegetable (Romanesco cabbage)!

For more information about the math in this vegetable, try this very educational site from the UK.

Snapshots on Sunday

More reasons to be thankful:




60. A tray of empty cocoa mugs - evidence of family story time.





61. Crooked candles on a simple cake.

Giving Thanks

It has been a long while since I wrote of things for which I am thankful. God's gifts are so many, yet I have found it far harder than I expected to cultivate the attitude of thanksgiving I had envisioned. Today is Ash Wednesday and though my background is not liturgical, I feel led to attend to the season of Lent this year, much as we spend December in increased attentiveness through Advent.

As I focus on the life and death of Jesus in the next 40 days, I hope also to focus more on thankfulness, including these:

55. The scent of tomato plants in the garden

56. The sour-sweetness of the first ripe tomato

57. Little girl arms wrapped around daddy's neck - welcoming home

58. A favorite salad - enjoyed only once a year here

59. Small hands gathering beans

Unreliable internet in our remote place prevented me from posting this yesterday, and from adding the photos I would like to share.