Beauty Day 97
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 97 Sleepover
having granddaughter
spend the night
for the first time ever
last time she cried
and daddy had to come
after he had already settled
she cried tonight
I wasn’t impressed
as long as we don’t
talk about lying down
she’s fine building forts
in the middle of
the living room floor
I’m not at all sure
we’ll sleep tonight
beautiful little granddaughter
I’ll stay up all night for you
Beauty Day 96
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 96 A Wooden Fence
there’s something about
a wooden fence
that gets me every time
I’m talking about the see-through kind
not those brick wall jobbies
that are meant to separate
so that not even viewing is allowed
a wooden fence with wooden bars
like a ladder, easy to climb over
such a style boasts the grain of wood
and permits a person to compare
which side really looks the greenest
this side or that
though winter wet deciduous leaves
aren’t green at all
mainly I like a fence
because it’s like a young child dancing
in wild and crazy polka dots
expressing vibrancy
that costs nothing
and leads to nowhere
that’s why I love to look at wooden fences
I think the adult word is
aesthetics–kind of dead sounding–
yet fences are alive
Beauty Day 95
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 95 Ready, Begin
spring crouches in the wings
wound tightly as a nearly pouncing cat
like a Broadway musical
at the moment the curtains lift
props set
the stage arranged
actors’ lungs filled
first syllable on countdown
score practised
choreography complete
instruments tuned
musicians in posture
ready
for the sudden rise
and strong descent
of the conductor’s magic wand
The show begins!
greens and pinks
purples, yellow
I see it all
in these living buds
silently screaming
all over town–
spring has almost sprung
we only need that one sunny
warm day
for all to be transformed
from winter’s muted tones
of deafening gray
to spring’s essential touch
bright cacophony
of bursting sound
a healthful baby’s
chubby flush
Beauty Day 94
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 94 Raising a Standard Against the Gray
Gray is a permanent fixture
no one’s fault
that’s just the way it is
brightness can be fleeting
a moving, temporary thing
gray needs no help in being gray
while brightness must be fed
encouraged
because brightness is alive
and gray is dead
brightness will succeed
brightness overcomes darkness
turns everything around it
into day
Beauty Day 93
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 93 Strings of Things
Walking in a rain
that doesn’t end
one rain after another
day after day
I encounter
strings of things
nice things
things that don’t matter
a string of days
a string of birds
perched
high and dry
on strings of wires
a string of pussy willow buds
and a string of pearl drops
formed by rain
a perfect circle
stitched together
by strings of straight things
Beauty Day 92
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 92 Dragon Fruit
Hylocereus undatus
exotic fruit
from an exotic land
surely it must be exotic
because I am a tourist here
and I don’t see this fruit back home…
riding the bus
to see where it goes
riding back again
hopping off to visit awhile
not knowing what we’ll find
maybe the best decaf
I’ve ever tasted
maybe an out of this world
whole wheat
blueberry muffin
juicy not too sweet
or perhaps the flakiest
baklava
I’ve ever laid eyes on
(we gave it as a gift)
maybe this exotic fruit
called dragon
Believing the Promise
It seems there’s enough going down in the world and among Christians that good words are in order. It’s all I can do to keep my sea legs steady and try to love those around me constantly and selflessly (oxymoron). Anything that passes beyond that in terms of perfecting my spirituality is out of reach for me now.
This verse struck me the other day:
Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
Elizabeth, while pregnant with John the Baptist, spoke these words to Mary, pregnant with baby Jesus. Elizabeth was Mary’s older relative. Both of these women had believed the promise of the Lord, and we see them here rejoicing and fellowshipping with each other.
Zechariah had received the same promise as his wife Elizabeth but had not believed. At this moment, he was struggling with being mute, a condition inflicted on him by the angel Gabriel, God’s messenger to Zechariah, for having questioned the promise by demanding proof, or a sign, as though the vision of the mighty Gabriel were not sign enough! He missed the joy of belief.
Another example of one whose disbelief led to misery was Thomas, who refused to believe that Christ had indeed risen from the dead, just as he had promised he would. (See John 20:19-31)
Zechariah the doubter RECEIVED what was promised, and Thomas the doubter RECEIVED what was promised. What they lost was the peace, comfort, and joy of anticipating the promise’s fulfillment, because they didn’t believe.
When God promises, the promise’s fulfillment is not based upon our belief–it’s based upon the nature and character of God.
God had promised a Savior to Abraham. As a whole, the nation did not believe, neither prior to the coming of Christ, nor when he came. God kept his word. The disbelief of the majority did not stop God from keeping his word. What did happen is that the nation as a whole rejected the fulfillment of the promise. Those who believed received. Had not even one single person believed, God would still have kept his word. His promise is a promise. It’s our joy that gets shortchanged when we doubt.
So the point? Hang on to your blessing! Don’t let it slip through your fingers by doubting. The promise will be fulfilled. There’s great joy and hope in that. God will accomplish in our lives what he has said he would. In these rough times, hang on to your promise. God is bigger and stronger than all our fear, than all that surrounds us in these days.
Blessings!
Beauty Day 91
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 91 My Daughter
Happy Birthday dear daughter
who cooked her own
birthday brunch
to share
with all of us
for yours is the talent
servant’s heart
so easily pleased
by pleasing others
you smoothe the way
for all of us
to enjoy
and find delight
I appreciate you
I love you very much
♦
Beauty Day 90
Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
♦
Beauty Day 90 Family Outing
Family outing for Big N
today is her birthday
Big N big in heart
never insisting
on her own way
pack up Little One
Active One rides
daddy’s shoulders
pairing off
for the others
switching
from time to time
two buses
and a ferry
take us to the island
where we eat
in celebration
then over to
the art museum and
the kid museum
ferry back and two buses
Part 2 comes tomorrow
when we meet for breakfast
sing Happy Birthday
and blow out candles
on her cake
this is what family does
for someone they love
Unless a grain of wheat…
Jesus is the only place where you can find yourself and lose yourself, all at the same time.
One Small Voice 