notes to Mom

four months, or days

or years my tears have fallen 

hard and fast this week

small seeds of ache

sprouting and swollen

fill me with memories

hard and sweet

so much of you lives on in me

the sharp impatience, the need to be

right at any cost

the stiff and painful joints

but also the curiosity, playfullness

and the love, above all

the heart filled with love

and the need to care for

life is picking up speed

down here, where you no longer

have your being

so much I would share

and wonder if you know

somehow

and if you miss me too

walking with Emily, broken, redeemed and thankful
 

clinging upward

I watch her heart

reaching to grasp

what it cannot hold

clinging backward

as forward doors

begin the swing shut

 

and the aching rips raw

for her to know

there is a gate

waiting for her knock

 

there is peace

I have known

as I cling upward

so deep, so wide

it can not be imagined

 

but my tongue is still

words do not come

just tears

joining the rest of the broken redeemed at Emily's

On assignment

I am on assignment

my time is not my own

I have come to serve

humbled, weary and distracted

I lean hard into the arms 

of the One Who sent me

and the prayers 

of those who lift me

thanks offered for you

praises raised in my sighs to Him

 

Blessed among mothers

Thinking of Mary, the mother of our Lord and honoring my Mom and all mothers today!

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,

that the babe leaped in her womb;

and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

 Luke 1:41-42 NKJV

 

Joining Deidra on this Mother's Day Sunday

 

A gift from Father for Mother's Day

The years after
rebellious teens
in my growing up
my eyes opened
to see a woman
who might just be
"cool" after all.
She had always been
my mother
but somehow
in the blink of an eye
she became my friend
or perhaps
I became
a friend to her.
We chose to spend
our Saturdays
doing anything
or nothing
just taking in the day
as women
enjoying the presence
one of the other.

When I chose to walk with Jesus
she did not understand
or follow
and I grieve
the inability to share
that great love
that sustains me.

Mother's Day approaches
and as a gift
from my Father
in a dream this morning
I saw my mother at my side
in a church
to worship the King of Kings
as if He was reminding me
there is yet time, only believe
for is anything impossible with Me?

Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”  He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”  Luke 18:26-27 NLT


Jamming with Bonnie as she asks how we experience God in Mother's Day

Mom's china

Floral on ivory
crafted in Bohemia
edged in gold
plates, salad dishes
cups and saucers
serving platters
bowls large for soup
small for fruit
stashed unused for years
on shelves
in my mother's kitchen
cherished because
they belonged
to her mother
before her
these find a way
to my table
to honour both
where hearts gather
to find their joy
in the love and provision
of the Lord
here, where I feel
almost as fragile
as the fine china
moving my past
into my future.

for Random Acts of Poetry - Mother's Day

Changing view

What has become familiar and dear, even in the bleak days of winter shall once again be left behind for a brief time as we swap country acres for urban sprawl.

Much of our time will be taken with the opportunity to commune with my mother.  We will share food, laughter, memories and tears, taking what we have to create what we need.

I will find my way here when I can, to pour forth the words He gives me and to catch up on those you share.

The blessing of a life lived online is that connections hold no matter where our bodies may abide!

If you feel so led, your prayers will be cherished.