Mushrooms accomplish much
in our Brenden Woods while seemingly
doing little but being low and open
Mushrooms teach me that by not considering
anything beneath me, I can gain everything, availing myself to vast wealth available to me
Like mushrooms, I belong to a vast community
rich in growth potential and lasting worth
able to give and receive beyond all I can imagine
Giving thanks today for those whose lives
have left me clear markings to follow
for life and a future with hope
And so I pray what I leave behind
will help mark the way
for others who will follow
Like Whidbey Island bridged to solid ground
across turbulent waters, I give thanks today for the marvelous way friendship saves me from loneliness
Space has its place in human evolution yet
there are millions of secret, down to earth places
readily in reach
So much to see, so many unwrapped gifts,
wonderful surprises within and without
all absolutely free!
Mother Earth is strewn with treasures
a moon rocket might miss, riches from the same
generous hand who connects us with the stars
What power and grace
fully present in the moment!
Giving and receiving surprisingly alive!
A stone to my windshield
rocked me for a while
and in a fit of anger I cried out,
“How often is this going to happen to me?”
Like the daily news
this single stone reminded me
how frail life can seem
and how vulnerable we are to tragedy
Pausing to breathe, I released my vain attempts
to gain defense against the unpredictable
and through the crack in my window came
the light of my life and confidence to journey on
Walking in Brenden Woods
with grandson Ro and his little dog Waffles
we chose to saunter and stop a bit
We placed our hands on an old cedar tree
and imagined how Waffles, with paw,
might do the same
From this sauntering in the woods I was enlivened
by terra firma, the cry of a bird, the feel of a tree,
and a boy with his dog as happy as can be
More and more the day is coming
when less will be my usefulness
And best the rest and shade I’ll be
for those in the heat of productivity
-Image by Crayon Productions
In quiet space of morning
with fresh coffee for the day
I taste goodness in sacred word
I’m glad to give away
I’ll speak life spoken
in word and in deed
I’ll sing songs with Spirit
that sets hearts free
I have a choice on how I voice
the many changes
that come with growing older
Will I sound the alarm
that youth is now gone
or speak of life and the beauties of aging?
And what in my older years am I to make
of my precious life now at stake
with signs of death at every corner?
I pray to stay strong in that endless song
graced me before birth to sing along
of goodness and mercy onto death and beyond
““See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall certainly perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him, for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.””
Deuteronomy 30:15-20