pretty swamp roses
opened wide in morning cool
buttons up too soon
2024.07.12: twinsies
Category: haibun
2014.01.20: come out
the fences we build
can't keep sun and snow away
free the hidden child
2020.10.26: breakaway
This past weekend we had the opportunity to drive five hours by car to see our youngest child. The last time we went was in January, but it seems like ages ago before the pandemic hit. There was a certain joy in the freedom of the open road and miles and miles of pavement ahead. At least we were not stuck in quarantine.
taking turn leading
leapfrogging one another
sustaining the pace
2020.10.16: ineffable
There’s not too much good news these days, but yesterday I received some great news. A dear friend and sister to my heart found out that “there’s no evidence of disease” in her body. This is obviously the answer to to our prayers and the fulfillment of our hopes. Who can say why some prayers are answered and others are not? Or, why some hopes are fulfilled while others are dashed? It is as they say – a mystery. What is not a mystery but not that widely understood is that: life is precious. Each day is a gift to be treasured and celebrated. Be happy and live well, my friends.
the Cause of our joy
while can’t be seen by others
manifests in us
2020.08.24: community
The pandemic has been a trying time for everyone, especially for those of us who find community in their churches. Living with comorbidity, my wife and I chose to stay away from our church even when services resumed. The only times we have returned were for funerals.
Once it was a funeral for a relative in the church in which my wife and I were married. It was a surreal experience to listen to a foreign priest in the church that I had served many times in my younger days. My glasses fogging up due to an ill fitting mask didn’t lessen the illusion. The second funeral was at our church for the son of a friend of my wife. The music was welcoming, the homily was uplifting, but the dead man was completely unfamiliar. Again it was surreal.
The following day we went to a park with a walking trail through the native habitat. This is our treat to ourselves as we normally only have time to walk the streets of our neighborhood during the week for exercise. There’s something breathtaking when a breeze tiptoes across the native grasses and the lungs just fill up among the trees. Everyone we came across were respectful and friendly. There were glimmers of acknowledgements as we recognized ourselves as kindred spirits. We had all found refuge in a cathedral beneath the canopies. We were no longer strangers in a strange land.
communal spirit
walking unmasked in the park
naked in Eden
Longing For Water 