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Why Wake Early
Hello sun in my face: One of my favorite poets has a wonderful poem and collection titled: “Why I Wake Early.” Mary Oliver is a lover of nature and she wakes early to enjoy it. At the end of this piece you will hear her read this poem. If you do not live in nature, she will take you there. As we begin a time of increasing darkness and colder weather for some, we are reminded of how we must seek light. Put yourself in places where you can get some sun–inside or outside. The miserable and the crotchety: Several years ago I remember I experienced a lack of sleep…
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Solitary
I am learning each day that I walk alone and I am getting more used to it. But I also know that there is a deep part of me that yearns for companionship. In the midst of the pandemic, I found myself longing to meet a fellow traveler. It seemed an odd time to have that wish, but this is when the longing surfaced. A solitary person I am not. People captivate me and I enjoy the company of all kinds. When I am outside, I enjoy nature and animals that inhabit the area of Asbury Park. The Great Blue Heron always draws my attention. And she is always alone.…
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Keep Your Eye on the Ball
“Keep your eye on the ball” not only applies to sports, but also to life. A few years ago I played a lot of tennis and had a tennis coach to help me play better. She was quite good, not only at playing tennis and teaching it, but also helping with mental strategies which were useful in life. In a way she was my life coach. Perhaps I learned more of life’s lessons than how to improve my tennis game. Marlie would come to the net and say, “Linda, you must keep your eye on the ball. You know what I mean.” Sometimes the best way to explain a concept…
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Prayer
I went to a Lutheran church on Sunday and the minister’s sermon was about prayer. I was raised on prayer. It is the part of my early faith that I keep with me and treasure the most. In my mind’s eye, I can see my father rising early to pray before breakfast followed by work. The door to his room was shut, but I imagined him on his knees for that is the way I believed he prayed. To me prayer is private, profound and very powerful. My father had a love for prayer and I share this. Prayer is also related to communities of worship and can be both…
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Open my heart
The storm is over. I like the sound and feel of “the calm after the storm.” The air is cleaner and the earth is renewed. All the animals have returned. Did you know birds and cats and other animals have fine senses which tell them a storm is coming and to take cover? Cornell Ornithology Department says this about what birds do long before the hurricane or tornado arrives: Different birds use different ways to wait out a storm. Birds that normally roost in a cavity—such as chickadees, small owls, woodpeckers—hide out in their cavity. Birds that roost on branches, such as jays, sparrows, cardinals, crows, etc, tend to perch…
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Gone fishing
It is sunset and I am riding my bike for exercise. I am also on the lookout for birds and other animals. A blue heron flew over my head, legs dragging behind it. Her landing was smooth and she touched down right at the water’s edge. She positioned herself well to search for food. Her eyes were quick and darting. The great blue heron’s eyesight is about 3 times acute as ours. Its binocular vision gives it very good depth perception. Many of us are fishing for something–perhaps a change of scenery or something new by the water’s edge. One of my dear friends who spent many years in the…
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The Farrier
If you have followed my blog, then you know “Rosie” my beloved donkey. She is actually my brother’s friend Sarah’s donkey and she lives on his farm in Western Pennsylvania. My mother took good care of her by giving her treats including lettuce, banana peels, and other vegetables. Donkeys have jobs and her job is to protect the sheep, the lambs and the goats. How does she do that? With a swift kick to the approaching enemy or a stomp which means ” get far away.” She is a beauty at 22 years old and could live to be 40 years old. Recently she was visited by a farrier. Like…
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“Because of the unexpected”
2021 has been a challenging year for me. And yet the more I live into it, the more I realize that nothing in life is certain. We must continually reach for what is good and true and has some meaning to us. Today I am 67 years old, which seems old to me. However, I just finished riding my bike 7 miles beside the sea. The air was refreshing and I felt young– the wind swept over me as the waves crashed all around. The unexpected may not be over. And there is still that hole in my heart which gave breath to me inside my mother. When I was…
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Being Present
I’ve been listening to a wonderful podcast called Art and Faith: A Theology of Making by Makoto Fujimura. It is about creating and painting as a discipline. Even when one is experiencing grief and trauma one can create. Fujimura’s book shows how making art can help us better understand God’s work in our lives. It may even show us how our own creativity can reflect creation itself. I have always been a listener and an observer of the arts. My brief introduction into the world of painting was a disaster. My imagination was willing, but my mastery of the tools was weak. I was also impatient. But I have always…
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My Dear Little Bea
Little Bea In early August of 2014, I returned to New York from cleaning out my mother and father’s house. We were getting ready to sell it. It was a difficult time, but it was also a time of finding “lost” memories and articles of clothing and jewelry that reminded me of their presence and of their physical lives. I found two rings – one of my father’s with gold and a red ruby in it and one of my mother’s with a pale green jade stone. When I wear them, I wear them carefully as I do not want to lose them. In photographs of my father I can…
