2022.08.30: reprieve

conglomerate, Aug ‘22

We often pass this corner on our morning walks. This was an interesting garden arrangement in its prime. One can still make out the juniper, the box wood, and the ground cover plant which has taken over. What is hard to see is the forsythia in between which turns bright yellow in early spring. The original owner must have moved away and the new owners or tenant doesn’t have the time or interest to care for the plot. It’s sad to think that was us in our younger days trying to raise two children, climb the corporate ladder, and live the American dream. It’s even sadder to think that this pitiable corner paints an apt metaphor for our beloved country. Where is law and order? Where is the middle class? Why are some allowed to die and other climb rampant over everything else? Where’s the Gardener?

late summer rainstorm  
bringing blooms of gratitude 
precious is all life

2022.08.10: fawning

These photos were taken on a walk at a nature center not too far from home. This series was snapped in less than a minute from about 30 feet back along the path. Please excuse the poetic license with the captions.

“Is Mom looking yet?”

“I got her this time!”

“Going back to other side”

“That’s far enough”

“Is she not looking?”

“Someone’s coming”

to be young again 
playing hide and seek with mom 
innocent as babes

2021.03.06: sundial

If you live in one place long enough, if some things occur regularly, and if you’re halfway paying attention, you will recognize the patterns. And, the more patterns you recognize, the more you marvel at the grand scale of the universe and the smallness of your self. And, you’re thankful for being awake, even if just for a moment…

March sunset

the glow on her face
the sunset through the glass door
spring’s around the bend

2020.10.16: ineffable

There’s not too much good news these days, but yesterday I received some great news. A dear friend and sister to my heart found out that “there’s no evidence of disease” in her body. This is obviously the answer to to our prayers and the fulfillment of our hopes. Who can say why some prayers are answered and others are not? Or, why some hopes are fulfilled while others are dashed? It is as they say – a mystery. What is not a mystery but not that widely understood is that: life is precious. Each day is a gift to be treasured and celebrated. Be happy and live well, my friends.

the Cause of our joy
while can’t be seen by others
manifests in us

2020.08.24: community

The pandemic has been a trying time for everyone, especially for those of us who find community in their churches. Living with comorbidity, my wife and I chose to stay away from our church even when services resumed. The only times we have returned were for funerals.

Once it was a funeral for a relative in the church in which my wife and I were married. It was a surreal experience to listen to a foreign priest in the church that I had served many times in my younger days. My glasses fogging up due to an ill fitting mask didn’t lessen the illusion. The second funeral was at our church for the son of a friend of my wife. The music was welcoming, the homily was uplifting, but the dead man was completely unfamiliar. Again it was surreal.

The following day we went to a park with a walking trail through the native habitat. This is our treat to ourselves as we normally only have time to walk the streets of our neighborhood during the week for exercise. There’s something breathtaking when a breeze tiptoes across the native grasses and the lungs just fill up among the trees. Everyone we came across were respectful and friendly. There were glimmers of acknowledgements as we recognized ourselves as kindred spirits. We had all found refuge in a cathedral beneath the canopies. We were no longer strangers in a strange land.

communal spirit
walking unmasked in the park
naked in Eden