Tiny Crystal

Featured image: Rainbow Windows

Tiny crystal
of light
Glistens
Suns light
Brings hope.

Zebra Stripe

 Featured image: Our Connections

zebra stripe across back
black white crown
and mask
red tuft

Rescue

 Featured image: Big Pine and Chickadee

Today, pine tree covered
in snow,
Queen Tree,
sheltering many birds
in winter.
Glistens in
The sun.

We rescued that little
pine along the road,
Over 15 years ago.
We were walking home,
along a dirt road
that led home.
We stopped.
We knew,
that little pine
was doomed to be
vanished by spring.
The snowplow has no
Mercy.

So we scooped her up
with our hands and took
her home.
Planted her in our backyard.
Today she is our Queen Tree
so filled with beauty.

Her Hand

 Featured image: Mom's Yellow Iris

Holding her hand,
watching her sleep
I gently imprinted my
Mom’s hand
into a piece of clay.

She passed later that day.
She is always with me as I
place my hand exactly
on hers in that clay.
Today my hand fits
hers exactly.

Freckles

Featured image: Circus Lions and Acrobats

Another memory of my grandfather Emil was the story he told me about my freckles. He told me that for every good thing I did I got another freckle, and that I had so many freckles that they were running together.

I personally knew I hadn’t been that good, but I sure liked that story of his.

Cookie Duster

 Featured image: Grandmother's Shawl

“Grandfather,” I asked, “Why do you have a mustache?”

Secretly, I didn’t like his mustache because it scratched when he kissed me on the cheek.

“My dear child, if I didn’t have one what would I dust off my cookies with?” I couldn’t answer that one. As I knew cookies didn’t need dusting because I didn’t have a mustache and I ate cookies all the time.

Shortly after that conversation with my grandfather I went off to camp. When I returned a month later my grandfather had passed away.

I never knew my grandparents very well, but have snatches of memories of them that have stayed with me my entire life like the cookie duster.

Memories are how we live forever, and the life cycle continues into infinity.

A Tree

 Featured image: Tree of Life

A tree

Touches the blue sky

heaven

can be

a link between

heaven and earth,

and the

never-ending

cycle of life.

A tree

all things natural

all things yes yes yes

Frost on the branches

Glitter on her

Crown against

blue blue

Sun emerges

 

 

Peek A Boo

 Featured image: Dove

I saw her

broad white

under wing

band

and now her

beautiful

red crown

peeks above

a

silver pine.

Living Like A River

 Featured image: Fields Along the Edge of the River

Living like a river

Flowing crystal clear

Carried by current

Wind and surprise

Unfolding

Wind Song II

 

Featured image: As The Wind Blows

Perfect scoops of breeze

And

Wings

Pines Silver green

Dance with

Wind song

Fragments

 

Featured image: Green Trees on the Mountain

Woods gathering

Fragments of sound

Filled with silver white

A temple for listening

Shy-ly

 Featured image: Black Bird

Above shy-ly

She waits

Taking her moment

Squirrels gone

Blackbird

Lands in the

White white snow

Sitting Still

 Featured image: At Peace

Sitting still
Delighted to be where
I am
Sensing the
Woods.
These woods
Hold all the
Yes, yes, yes-es
Of the natural,
Including a
Gentle footprint
And hopeful
Prayers that
Happen in
Solitude.

Integrity

 Featured image: Fences

I learned a long time ago that I need to live with integrity and my integrity should be guided by my principles.

While the word integrity is loaded down with many philosophical discussions and debate, I find it suits me so I describe myself that way.
I found this definition of the work integrity:
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Wikipedia

Recently, in the local newspaper John Bates in his column ended with this quote and I thought I would share it with you in case you don’t get the paper or may have missed it. “Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” Stephen Covey.

Our Soul's Reality

 Featured image: Balance

My sense of the real, the nature of things, is the same as my sense of the natural.  And my sense of the natural is linked to my sense of our/my spirit and soul, beauty.  That is the beauty within us that shines throughout our spirit and our soul.

Ever So Sweet

 Featured image: Orange Finch

Soft cheep cheep cheep
Of the finch
Their chorus
Their melody
Ever so sweet