Rest PAD 20-2, PB Matters of the Heart

 It is Well with My Soul

 

I often struggle with

T he process of living.

 

I wonder as each day unfolds if

S ociety of the

 

W orld will have its upper hand or if

E ternity will reign in my heart to

L ove the Lord and

L ove others, even the unlovely.

 

W hen I think of the cares of the world

I wonder if I’m doing my part

T o help others turn to You, to

H elp others in their wonderings and wanderings.

 

M y hope isn’t in how well I live my life but in

Y ou. When my eyes are on You I can operate in

 

S imple faith,

O pen to Your wisdom and

U nderstanding. I can then say,

“L ord, it is well with my soul.”

 

 

Rest PA 20-1, Matters of the Heart PB

 

Rest

 

R eassured

E ternally

S afe

T oday and tomorrow

Person PAD 19-3

 My Mom Back Then

 

When I stir milk in my coffee,

I do it with a “Clang! Clang! Clang!”

as the metal spoon hits the mug like a bell.

My five girls never seem to understand

why I stir things so noisily.

It’s to wake them up in the morning.

Persona PAD 19-2

 Singing for My Supper

 

She wonders why

I sit here in the bushes

chirping loudly

by her front door.

I can smell the food

she cooks for supper.

So I chirp and chirp

some more.

But she never lets me in.

persona PAD 19-1

 Abandoned

 

It’s cold in here.

Every time she opens the door

and the light comes on,

my hope rises.

I’ll get out of this cold, dark place

that I’ve been in for months.

I call to her.

I know she hears me.

I niggle at her brain.

You know you want me!

But she takes someone else out.

And here I am.

Abandoned

with the rest

of the Christmas brownies.

Response PAD 18-3

 

Whoever Has Ears to Hear

 

I went to the laity service this morning

and one of my best friends spoke.

And, oh, how I wanted to hear her!

But being almost seven o’clock,

I had rushed out of the house

without my hearing aids.

 

She didn’t seem to get my signal

to hold the mike closer to her mouth.

I could tell what she said was good

from the nodding of many heads.

So when she concluded,

I “Amenned” with the rest of them.

Response PAD 18-2

 He Reached Down

 

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. Psalm 18:16

 

He drew me out of deep waters. I know what this feels like. One summer, my extended family went river rafting. There were three choices: gently floating down a calm tributary, or one with a few mild rapids, or raging white water. The adventurer that I am, I went with my son, daughter, nieces, nephews, some great nieces and nephews and joined the two raft loads on white water. We came to a place of rough waters where we had a choice to get out and walk or ride and take our chances. We all chose to ride it out. Both rafts hit the rapids spilling most of us out. My soon to be niece-in-law floated beside me. As the raft surged ahead, the guide grabbed on to her, she grabbed on to me, and they pulled us both in. They dumped me in face first in about three inches of water. And I thought, I’m going to drown in the raft. But my nephew heard my cries and helped set me upright. And to my embarrassment, he loves to retell the comical version of the story. So I know what it’s like to be pulled out of deep waters physically (and shallow waters that still drown). I’ve been through some hard times and know what it’s like to be rescued spiritually.

 

Jesus reaches out

While we are in deep waters

And He still rescues

 

Response PAD 18-1

 

Misunderstanding

 

Who does he think he is?

God?

They grumbled and complained.

They threatened and protested.

They didn’t understand

that what he did

was the best for all people.

The leaders finally killed him.

But He rose again three days later.

Yay Jesus!

city PAD 17-3

 

Youngstown, Ohio

 

Sitting on my sister’s back porch swing

listening to the gurgle of the fish pond

looking out into her huge sloped yard

huddled in trees where grandkids sled ride

in the winters and swim in the big round pool

in the summers, you wouldn’t think

she lives in the city of Youngstown.

She has her own slice of country living.

And not far away, adding to the illusion,

is Mill Creek Park, over 2500 acres

featuring forested foot trails, a gristmill,

lakes, ponds, creeks and a six-mile gorge.

city PAD 17-2

 Firenze

 

You have to watch your step in Florence, Italy.

The sidewalks aren’t big enough to pass another person.

So you step out in the street, but watch for cars.

The streets are barely big enough for two cars to pass.

But tourists seem to adjust and make it an adventure

as they go in and out of leather shops, fashion boutiques,

ceramic and craft stores, restaurants, bistros and historic cafes

on their way to museums to see the likes of David

standing there in all his glory.

city PAD 17-1

 Kaiserslautern, Germany

 

Kaiserslautern resides on Germany’s chin.

Holds thousands of years of history within.

It’s graced with castles, military bases,

and is a technological oasis.

The forests are old, verdant and inspiring.

Yes, K-town is something to be admiring.

The people are friendly as they say, “Hallo.”

So be sure to greet them whenever you go.

Fantastic PAD 16-3

 The First day in Heaven

 

I can imagine

Colors I’ve never seen

Sounds that delight the ears

Smells that make you want to dance

The sweetness of His smile

The warmth of His hugs

Tangible love

fantastic PAD 16-2

 

Fantastic

 

Just think.

The Creator

Of sky, deserts, oceans

Mountains, forests, critters, people

Loves you.

fantastic PAD 16-1

A Baby’s Giggle

 

Did you ever sit around together,

young and old alike,

and a baby giggles

and giggles and giggles,

and young and old alike giggle too?

It’s fantastic.

Form PAD 15-3

 It is Holy week

But with God

All weeks are holy

Form PAD 15-2

 Road Trip

 

My sis and I started a countdown,

Six weeks until she and I leave.

This time we’ll take a road trip.

I’m in Colorado.

She’s in Nebraska.

Ohio bound.

Visit friends,

Sisters.

Yay!

form PAD 15-1

 

Relaxing After Work

 

Nine-thirty and I’m getting tired.

The Nature Center wears me out.

The children all seemed to be wired.

They find it so hard not to shout.

 

We took a hike to start the day

And painted birds--paper mache.  

They played in forts in the scrub oak.

I’m glad to be home, that’s no joke.

Losing PAD 14-3

 Losing Weight

 

I try to lose weight.

Record what I ate.

And exercise every day.

I gave up most snacks.

Try not to be lax,

Hoping the pounds melt away.

 

I smile and I frown

As I go up and down.

It’s a tough game that I play.

Someday I will win

And I will be thin,

But I hope I’m not dead on that day.

Losing PAD 14-2

 Not Valid

 

To change my pharmacy website,

It said, “simple” in black and white.

I put in my long password then,

It said, “Not valid try again.”

 

I changed the password and some text,  

But before I could go on to “next,”

I put account number in then,

It said, “Not valid try again.”

 

I retried that and then it asked

A value number for next task.

The digits don’t amount to ten.

It said, “Not valid try again.”

 

I felt tense clear to my toes

And I’m sure my blood pressure rose.

I lost my temper next time when,

It said, “Not valid try again.”

Losing PAD 14-1

 Breakfast Conversation

 

“Iss bo to ra ay.”

“What?”

“Hiss bows to raytoay.”

“Try again.”

He has already taken a bite of toast.

He sticks up one finger,

I call his unicorn signal.

I wait.

He takes a breath and annunciates,

“It’s supposed to rain today.”

That’s how our conversations go

with him being a stroke survivor

and me losing my hearing.

Full blank PAD 13-3, if not for PB

 

Full To-do List

 

If it wasn’t for Facebook and TV,

I might cross more to-dos off of my list.

Binging and scrolling are not good for me.

If it wasn’t for Facebook and TV,

I would live my life so excellently.

Wasting my time like this I must resist.

If it wasn’t for Facebook and TV,

I might cross more to-dos off of my list.

Full blank PAD 13-2, if not for PB

 I feel like a frog

Sitting on a log. Glump. Glump.

Without a full sleep

Full Blank PA 13-1, If not for PB

 Full Tilt

 

If not for breaking her hip,

I would think she’s Wonder Woman.

Seventy-something

Working from dawn to dusk

Running two ranches

 

Five months later,

she’s going full tilt.

Maybe she is Wonder Woman.

Risk PAD 12-3

 Mountain Climbing

 

My fourth-grade teacher read a book to us about a mountain climbing expedition. Willing to leave family and the comforts of normal living, braving the elements in extreme conditions, and working every muscle to the max for this grand adventure fascinated me. Ever since, I have loved mountain climbing stories. Touching the Void is a favorite that I read or watch every few years. But the closest I have come to mountain climbing were various steep-graded hikes in Colorado and Arizona, scrambling on the boulders at Vedauwoo in Wyoming, and ziplining in Alaska.

 

Mountain climbing thrills

From the comfort of my chair

I will be content

Risk PAD 12-2

 Risk

 

R eaching out, taking steps

I magining great goals,

S ensational results, but

K nowing a loss may come.

 

 

Risk PAD 12-1

 A Risk to Love

 

Each time I go out on the road,

A risk on me is so bestowed.

But accidents happen at home.

Love’s a commandment from above.

If traveling’s a way to love,

I’ll take the risk to freely roam.

Nature PAD 11-3

 

Drawing a Beach Scene

 

This picture can be drawn with six parallel lines.

Where the lighter sand in front meets the darker sand.

Where the dark sand meets the light blue water.

Where the white line of a wave coming in

separates the light from the dark water.

Where the dark blue water meets the rocky pier.

Where the rocky pier meets more dark blue water.

And finally, the stark line drawn between sea and sky.

Add a man with a dog and the picture is complete.

Nature PAD 11-2

 

On the Porch

 

She raises her hurt booted foot outside

The Gulf just barely two mere blocks away

Observes the flowered yard with wounded pride

Enjoying nature on the porch today

Her broken toe vacation did betray  

Nature PAD 11-1

 

Nature in large bottles,  

the terrariums thrive.

A dozen proud children

like to show them off.

Number PAD 10-3

 

Five Minutes Up Down

 

Set the timer for five minutes

Empty the dishwasher

Five more minutes read

Five more minutes load the dishwasher

Five more minutes journal

Five more minutes exercise

Five more minutes write a poem

Five more minutes do laundry

Five more minutes write some more

Five minutes up, five minutes down

Sometimes this is the way

I get myself going for my day.

number PAD 10-2

 Number Juggling

 

Looking at the numbers on the calendar,

when the last day of work is for the summer.

When I can leave for the two-day drive to Lincoln

with enough time to visit sister three

and then meet up with sister two

in time to drive with her two days

to spend a few days with sister one.

Four more days for the drive back,

stopping to visit my in-laws in Cheyenne.

Then there’s the numbers

of gas costs, hotels, and food.

It seems like I’m always juggling numbers

like these ones.