The Unexpected
I end each year looking at
my goals
I had made at the
beginning,
feeling some dismay
at some projects I didn’t
even touch
or that I made a tiny dent
in.
Then I look at those
experiences,
accomplishments, joys and
sorrows
that hadn’t even crossed
my mind
when I set my goals. Thank
You.
I make my plans, You direct
my steps.
Winding Down and Winding Up
Yesterday began my life
after vacation,
feeling the need for a
vacation from my vacation.
Setting up for a new month
at home
and then a new year.
Running to the post
office.
Buying groceries.
Gassing up the car.
Attempting to get back
into exercise
and eating right.
Giving myself a pep talk
after a five-pound gain.
Making my long to-do list.
I even have a list of
lists.
Today’s a doc appointment,
a writing deadline
and the finishing up the
November Challenge
with regret that I didn’t
read and comment more.
Thank You, Lord, for the
PAD Challenge,
for Robert, the poets, and
the comments
and encouragement I
received
and the well-crafted,
intriguing poems
that are in abundance on
this site.
A Way In
When we arrived home from
vacation
the front door dead-bolt
key wouldn’t work
and the landscapers locked
the side gate.
They didn’t put the back
gate up yet, though,
and I had a key to the
patio door.
Thank You that we weren’t
locked out in the cold
and for my beautiful
fenced-in back yard,
except for the gate. That’s
next.
Safe Trip
Thank You, Lord, for a
safe trip
despite running through a
red light
when we were setting out.
But next came a pleasant
eight-hour drive
in sunny weather through
mild traffic
and listening to Christmas
songs.
Post Vacation Disorientation
Coming back from vacation
I always feel a bit
disoriented
like waking up from a
dream.
What was I doing when I
left
that seemed so important
at the time? A look back,
shows caregiving, writing,
housekeeping, church
involvement
walking, errands and such.
What’s next?
More of the same and
Christmas!
Thank You, Lord, for all
the Christmas
ornaments I collected from
my travels
and I have two more to
add,
a Carpinteria Christmas
ball
made by high school
students,
containing sand and sea
shells
and a ceramic mama and
baby seal.
When I see it I’ll think
of the harbor seals
we watched laying on the
beach as if dead,
except the little ones who
liked to play
and the adults who’d scoot
to the ocean
to go fishing or come back
in slowly
waiting for waves to give
them a little push.
I feel like a lazy seal
waiting for a push
of inspiration and
motivation.
As I type my poems,
it’s a bit chilly in the morning air.
I took the time to slow down,
pray, journal and give You thanks,
but now it’s time to start the day
and drive from Arizona to Colorado.
Wouldn’t You Know It
I brought four coats on
this trip
from Colorado, to Arizona
and Carpinteria,
California.
I used all four: my gray sweater,
my husband’s black hoodie,
my brown leather jacket
and
my blue wool blazer.
I could use one now
because I’m a bit cold
this morning,
but they’re all out in the
car.
I need to get in gear
and speed up to get warm.
Thank You for four coats,
now I need wisdom
to keep them accessible.
Going Home
As I drive today,
remind me to slow down.
Thanks for the warm
weather in Phoenix,
but now I must return
to cold Colorado.
Help me stay on the road
physically and
spiritually.
Mistaken Identity
Thank You for Veterans Day,
to honor our living veterans
who served or are serving
in the armed forces.
Please bless them!
May the freedom they fight for
not be taken away by the pen
of misguided politicians.
May our
freedom
never become a
distant memory.
Thank You, Lord,
for my dad surviving WWII
and coming home with a Purple Heart
and a piece of shrapnel
they took out of his head.
Thank you for the way he lovingly
talked about his brother
who was killed in France.
Thank You, that I have
Uncle Bill’s Purple Heart.
When Dad had Alzheimer's
I was driving him home one dark night
and when he started
asking me strange questions,
I realized he thought I was Uncle Bill.
It was kind of creepy.
He’d cite some memories
of him and his brother
and asked, kind of shocked,
“Don’t you remember that?”
But it was a compliment
to be linked to his beloved brother.
When I imagine
Heaven
I picture
being greeted
by Dad and
Uncle Bill.
Sweet Potato Pie
November 7th, we’re having sweet potato pie
with lots of whip cream, the way Hubby likes it.
It may be unhealthy, but like most people,
we celebrate with food. We’re celebrating four years
of my husband surviving his second stroke.
They affected the pons region of the brain
in the upper part of the brain stem.
The doctor said he had a 20% chance of survival,
but didn’t tell us until after he had survived.
I miss his singing voice, my favorite,
second only to Neil Diamond.
Now, he sounds more like the godfather,
but even that’s becoming dear to me.
I still jump when I hear his sneezes,
which sound like a snarling bobcat.
Thank you for his laughter and tears,
(also a new thing since the strokes).
The doctor described it
as a broken emotional thermostat.
But it sounds like music to me
when he comes down the hallway
pushing his walker, giggling.
Now, I know when he's touched by a good movie
or a sermon because he cries,
not just a tear or two, full-on weeping.
Thank you that though his body is broken,
he can still do finances on his computer.
Though he can't unclog a drain,
splice an electrical cord,
or put a bolt in a chair,
he can tell me how to do it.
He still memorizes scripture better than I can.
Thank You that he can walk with a walker,
bathe himself in the walk-in tub,
and talk, though still somewhat garbled.
I love it when he stands and hugs me,
though I have to prop him up a bit.
Thank You for the gift of four years.
And sweet potato pie.
Not Luck
Today, as I drive for seven
hours,
I don’t put my trust in
luck.
That could be dangerous.
Driving through barren
deserts,
over steep mountain
passes,
going 80 miles an hour on
I40
among the
eighteen-wheelers,
feeling like a puppy in a
cattle herd.
Rolling down Beeline
highway
like marbles in a long,
curvy tube
as the sun turns the sky
pink
and long-armed saguaro
cactus
stand guard at Mesa’s
entrance.
Thank You for being
my traveling companion,
whether I’m home or on the
road.
I trust You, not luck.
Watching the Thanksgiving parade
I feel a nudge at my elbow.
It’s Boo the cat who’s shaped
somewhat like a coffee table.
She pushes her way under my arm,
lifts her chin up to be scratched.
This is the one of three orange and white cats
my daughter owns that runs and hides when we come.
Sometimes it takes days before we even spot her.
But here she is getting cozy.
Thank You, Lord, for a skittish cat
making me feel accepted.
Well, Hello There
Well, hello there, God!
Thanks for being with me
Through thick and thin
Through good times and bad
Through ups and downs
When things are even keel
or cattywampus.
Thank You that I’m never
alone.
Well, Thank You
For this visit with my
children
For the good food we’ve
been eating
For Canasta that we’ve
played
Though I’ve taken quite a
beating
For my son and daughter
both working
For weather seventy plus
degrees
For three orange and white
cats
Though they make me sneeze
For Jeopardy that keeps us
guessing
For the laughter that we
share
For our health and friends
And thank You for Your
care
Don’t Laugh
Don’t laugh at my tie-dyed
pants,
maroon, gold, blue and cream.
They might be the funniest
pants
you’ve ever seen.
They’re my “happy pants.”
I look at them and smile.
Okay, go ahead and laugh.
I’ll laugh with you for a
while.
Things I’m Thankful for Today
The helpfulness of my
daughter and son
Mesa’s weather, sunny,
windy and warm
We can relax and not be on
the run
Wonderful poetry,
free-verse or form
For delicious food and
family fun
Electronic gadgets to keep
us in touch
Playing Canasta and
sometimes I won
For three purring kitties that
I like much
Texts of well-wishes on
Thanksgiving Day
Fellowship we have in Your
precious Son
The way that You hear me
each time I pray
Thanksgiving dinner and
naps when we’re done
Thank You
T hank You, Abba Father,
for
H ow You sent Your Son,
A dopting us in to Your
family
N urturing us as Your own
K eeping us in Your loving
care.
Y ou are awesome, God,
O pen my eyes and grant me
wisdom and
U nderstanding to always
maintain a grateful attitude.
From Disaster to Delight
Whoever would have thought
that my son’s bedroom
ceiling
crashing in on all his
stuff
would lead to such a
blessing?
The restaurant chain
he works for
gave away Thanksgiving
meals
to a person in each store.
Because of the mess
he had with the ceiling,
everything ruined,
he was given the meal.
So as we give thanks
we’ll be eating ham, bread
rolls,
cornbread stuffing, and
other yummies
without having to cook a
thing.
That’s just like You,
though,
turning our messes into
something good.
Thank You for being You.
Welcome
The islanders
showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it
was raining and cold. Acts 28:2
Like the islanders greeted the Apostle Paul
after his shipwreck
my son and daughter
showed us great kindness
after a stressful drive
from California.
Hugging us.
Carrying our stuff in.
Making us chimichangas.
Thank You that they made me feel welcome.
Driven Along
The ship was caught by the storm and could not
head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. Acts 27:15
After driving all day from California,
through busy Thanksgiving traffic,
tired, achy, hungry, looking forward
to being with my kids in Mesa, Arizona,
we entered Phoenix during rush hour—
not only rush hour but holiday rush hour.
It was dark, rainy part of the way,
my car smelled like oil which worried me
and gave me a headache.
It was bumper to bumper, stop and go
and then thousands of cars going 70 mph
eight to twelve lanes with glaring lights.
And I felt like Paul must have felt in the storm
caught in the flow and the rush.
Driven along.
But like You spoke to Paul,
You calmed my spirit as I focused
on staying in my lane and keeping up the pace.
Thank You that we made it to Mesa
sound in body and mind (mostly).
And then I slept for nine hours.
Rooted, Built Up, Strengthened
and Overflowing
So then, just as you
received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up
in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with
thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7
Thank You, Jesus,
that when I was
fourteen
I received You as
Lord,
continuing to
live my life in You.
Rooted in You
like those elms
in my yard, which
are hard to get rid of.
Built up in You,
like one of the
old castles
I saw in Scotland
established for
generations.
Strengthened in
my faith
like Brian Shaw
lifted 975 pounds.
Help me remember
all the things
You taught me
through sermons,
the Bible,
prayer, and my
daily living.
May thankfulness
pour out of me
like water flows
over the Niagara Falls.
Lingering
Walking along the beach
with my two sisters
unplugged from the internet.
Sky in muted blues, grays,
purples
Then glowing orange and
pink as the sun set.
Gentle waves rolling in,
People playing.
Peaceful beauty.
Thank You.
Lord, thank You for
reminding me to pray.
So I don’t feel like an
unplugged toaster
wondering why I’m cold and
powerless.
Mesaward
Time to unplug
The computer
The cell phone
The bipap
Pack up
And head to
my son and daughter
in Mesa
for Thanksgiving.
Thank You
For the wonderful time
In California
