Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Heart of A Woman

House At Dusk,1935, Edward Hopper


"A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets."  ~Old Rose, Titanic



I am a home with intricate carvings
 inside are many rooms
and lovely windows to the outer walls.

I can see out to many different views,
yet onlookers can never see within my inner halls.

I stand strong on a foundation of love
that in devotion truly abides.

Yet I fall hard with an awkward grace
when I allow someone new to come inside.

I contain a menagerie of glass illusions
a collection of keep sakes of the unsaid.

For I am a fortress with many corridors
that few will ever truly tread.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A Greater Gift



"No person was ever honored for what he recieved.  Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
~Calvin Coolidge


This life is a gift of many luxuries and hardships
that we receive freely like roses from a lover's hand.

We reach out and accept each package
until one day a little boy turns into a bigger man.

Soon the choices that lay before him
have a heavier price to pay.

What has been handed to him in the past
becomes a greater gift to give away.

All the blessings we take for granted
he gives up when he accepts a soldier's creed.

He fights a bigger battle for the many
beyond one man's hopes and one man's dreams.

This life is a gift of many joys and adversities
that we receive freely like stars on a cloudless night.

Yet the freedoms we hold to enjoy this bounty
is a greater gift that always holds a greater price.





There are many things that we take for granted in this life.  Gifts that we enjoy every day.  From a beautiful sunrise to a starlit sky our eyes are filled with many wonders, like presents in an open hand.  Yet, the busy world we live in has a way of obstructing our view, causing our struggle to keep up the pace to steal away our gratitude.  We forget that the freedoms that we enjoy have given us the rights we so take for granted on a daily basis.  These same freedoms were given to us in the ultimate sacrifice of bravery and that is a greater gift than we could ever repay.  I know that Memorial Day has come and gone again as it does every year, but I hope that we all will consider those brave souls both living and layed to rest and always honor them every day of the year.


Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Homage of Trees

Google Images



"The groves were God's first temples." 
 ~William Cullen Bryant



Like baptist steeples they reach toward the skies
a choir in motion that like spirits they rise

they achieve greatness dwelling in the roots of home
a tribe in ceremony that never sways or falls alone

their lineage is founded on contentment's core
an allegiance of bonding that settles deep yet soars

freedom is held within the winds of thier dance
for their own liberty aspires right where they stand.





Monday, May 14, 2012

Many Beautiful Cooks In The Kitchen

The Meal, 1891, by Paul Gaugquin


"Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother." ~Oprah Winfrey




Nurturing is a delicate yet hardy craft,
 like a strong table with lovely provisions
 for every hunger and every need.

It is a glorious plantation,
a labor of devotion
that turns soil and plants seed.

The sweat of cultivation
makes for fertile land that one day
a plentiful table it will impart.

For one love has a bounty
that with tears and sweat
feeds generations of hungry hearts.



Having lost my Mom at an early age, I understand all too well how important the nurturing relationship of a mother truly is.  She is the foundation where we learn how to love and be loved.  We do not just learn to sew, clean, and cook a wonderful meal to be layed out on a lavish table, we gain so much more from her legacy.  Yet, when a mother is lost all too early, the true nurturing spirit of the other women in that child's life can fill in some of the gaps.  Over the years, there have been many women that have come into my life, that so beautifully did just that.  They taught me, nurtured me, and loved me as only a mother would do.  God always has a way of giving us what we need to survive and thrive in this world, and I am eternally grateful.  Many beautiful cooks have taught me in the kitchen of life, and that is a blessing that shall always feed my soul.












Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Change Is Like A River

image: River Irwell by R.A.D. Stainforth


Nothing that is can pause or stay;
The moon will wax, the moon will wane,
The mist and cloud will turn to rain,
The rain to mist and cloud again,
Tomorrow be today.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow




Change is like a river where the waters do not remain.
It is not a stagnant pool that reeks in summer rain.

It bears a current that has an everlasting flow.
Its' travels glimpse adventure that no pond can ever know.

The voyage is at times arduous as life can often prove.
The obstacles in motion can certainly leave a lasting bruise

Yes change is like a river where the waters never cease,
for this life is an endless journey of lessons to be seen.




Change is a word that we rarely are happy to hear.  It could mean we will receive some coins in our pocket, but all too often it may be our comfort zone is about to be swept away, like a fallen hat in a raging river.  It is something we can avoid, and we do despise at times, but without it we would never experience growth in our lives.  We can resist it like a branch in an opening of a small canal, but the more we fight it the more painfull the process becomes.  If we could learn to go with the flow, like a boat in a river, we might just find that the journey of diversity can have a beautiful view on the horizon.