From Freeland one sunny Wednesday morning
basking in the light & love of Maple Ridge elders
I went a different way and was not disappointed
In surprise and wonder I wound my way through
fresh green, sunlit Whidbey Island wetlands
alive In God’s promise to safely lead us home
The Christmas story reflects a powerful belief in the direction of human kind and the grace to complete the journey though difficult and uncertain
Like the ferry to Whidbey Island, the birth of Jesus
carries me home, to a place of belonging, conveying to me the blessed assurance I’ll never be turned away
While no less alive in short days and long nights
a Christmas tree lit all waking hours
Is such a lovely reminder of the fullness of life
We could not return to the O’Neill family Christmas
of my childhood, the five of us siblings now grown with homes of our own all across the country
But in the spirit of Christmas, no matter what form it takes, we can create a space of belonging,
connect, laugh, tell stories, and make new ones
Christmas doesn’t look the same year to year, but what never changes is the light of Love that shines though us and the sacred thread that makes us one
I had a conversation with Luci Shaw on the phone sometime shortly after my first wife, Denise died. I told her I was thinking about writing my way through loss and grief with letters and poems. She encouraged me to embark on the journey assuring me through patience and grit and intense attention to the realities of living and dying the words would come and my heart would heal.
Luci died on December 1, 2025 at the age of 96. Just a few days before I had listened to her read in an audiobook her last collection of poems “Angels Everywhere”. Like Sarah of old she laughed at times with childlike wonder as she read poems pregnant with revelatory messages from somewhere beyond, still surprised by life and the power of a poem.
In this season of anticipation
I pray not to run ahead on my own
but wisely wait on God’s plan & purpose for my life
Awakened to the present moment
I take a deep breath
and choose to simply look around
Between the present moment
and eternity
I find myself in community
Wonderfully enlivening, you River of the West
particularly in early mornings with pen in hand
how you have helped me write!
Soon nestled among the trees on Whidbey Island
I will fondly remember these years
drinking from the river of grace, drunk on joy
Band members of Strong in Song got a lovin’ spoonful of magic reuniting to offer music for residents & staff at Clatsop County Memory Care
In the middle of our set a resident who seldem ventures far from his room came in dancing and singing along! Yes, the magic of music is amazing!
In the quiet of my writing space
heart-felt poems, songs, and FaceBook posts
unearth for the soul what’s life-giving and eternal
