Please,
No more Christian phrases
do you understand?
and please don’t be offended
when I tell you I don’t want to hear
I just need a minute
to catch my breath.
Thank you.
What would it be to be a farmer?
to watch the world grow
stretching and bending
to nature’s divine plan
to know that the world
is so much bigger than your tiny bit of earth
but the life that you live
is governed by what you make of it
Do you marvel over the changing of season?
watching newness of life
in every bud or sweet pale leaf
or every opening of a new eye
do you mourn when branches crack
under heavy strain of winter
when mother Earth shows her power
over every living creature
seeking solitude in the shade of a tree
older than all your days
in the heat of a summer dry and bright
taking your breath away
celebrating the harvest of miracles
of golden grains and sweet fruits
of your labor
and sacrifices unimaginable
Do you take time to appreciate
the smells of sweet grass and hay
or soil damp from rain
of the shy sun hiding behind trees
winking goodnight and I’ll miss you?
some days I would like to be a farmer
to feel like my life
is fulfilling a purpose laid
long before my birth
and long after I return to the earth
to have my days
measured in plantings and harvests
in fresh eggs and new births
in quiet sunsets on the prairie
Come, sweet harvest.
Speak?
I cannot.
Wrapped up in a million thoughts
each beckoning to me
saying everything
and nothing
simultaneously.
What are You saying to me?
Am I to be lost here forever
wondering
what is around the corner?
Why?
Why are we bound into heartless corporate strategies
that drain the life
of those around us?
If You are speaking to me-
make it clear
wash me in poetry and prose
that screams from the rooftops
and whispers in my heart.
Let me not forget
the promises
that linger
from conversations long ago.
You will deliver me …
but if not…
but if not.
Sometimes the deepest breaths are the hardest ones to take. Most people prefer the shallow one – a breath that no one thinks about. The natural breath.
It’s not always possible.
Sometimes life forces you to take the deep breaths because the wind has been knocked out of you. Something or someone has come by and stolen the very path you walk on and you fall, hitting your back on a new, hard, cold surface that leaves you feeling disoriented and drained.
How will you find your way now?
It leaves you lost for hours, days, weeks, months, even years. Although you eventually make your way back, those moments never disappear. Your mind still remembers clearly what the night looked like as you drove away. Intermittently, images of him flash in your mind. You remember what she looked like when times were good. Anything. Everything. It all comes back.
And you’re left there, barely breathing.
I always wanted to grow up.
dreaming about it
in my room
with the Beach Boys singing “surfer girl” in the background
talking about it
jumping
on my trampoline
playing like it
in my treehouse
putting curtains on the windows
I was never
fully allowed to grow up
firmly wrapped up in a family
that allowed me to read books
write stories
sing songs
dream … dreams.
I never considered
being quiet about my dreams
or having to put a smile on my face
in the face of meanness
or having to learn what is appropriate or not
that some things
are simply better than others
and you better just go with it.
Thank you Mom
Dad
Grandparents
for letting me make mud pies
and chase pets
and speak my mind
learning more about myself
than I ever realized at that time.
Todd and I are now in a competition to lose weight. After being at home this weekend, I have realized that I am totally fed up with this extra 40 pounds on me. So, my goal is ultimately to lose 40 pounds. Todd’s goal is to lose 20. He and Pop have a bet to get $50.00 for whoever loses the 20 pounds first. My goal is to beat Todd to the 20 pounds. 
I’ve taken pictures, but there’s NO way you’re going to see the “before.” Maybe after I get to the “after.” Then, hopefully, you’ll be shocked.
Every Monday, I will post the number of pounds we have lost this week. Please, encourage me to keep on this path!
I love storms. I love the sky. People who know me well know that I take pictures of the sky whenever I can. When I was driving into work this morning, this was my view. I couldn’t help but grab my camera and start shooting while I’m going down the road. I’m sure people were looking at me quite strangely! I would much rather be out there than here in my stinky, wet, mildewy office.
A bonafide BBQ "store" in Houston, TX
I wanted to show you this little gem we found in Houston this past weekend. I wonder if they take the “store” with them when they deliver. Do you see the smoker attached to the back?
Now, I don’t want you to think that this is just any fast-food joint. It’s high class. Below, a picture of their chandelier, for your enjoyment.
the classy chandelier
Hope that makes your day!
