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 80

My to do list

(and that’s not todo)

hasn’t turned its page

in over two weeks

Eek!

but today…!

I checked off all

but the easier stuff

Yay!!

two days left

before the big trip

to see my granddaughters

cleaning and packing tomorrow

and tomorrow

and into the car

the next tomorrow

maybe by then I’ll sleep…

’cause I was premature

haven’t finished the Bible study

not yet

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 79 Chinese for Lunch

I love my neighborhood restaurant

the food is great

the prices low

time-out from worry today I said

(it’s been a week for bad news)

curling on the padded bench

where they’re not surprised

to see me

hot tea and dipping sauce

crunchy wontons

soup

and then of course the entrée

today it’s broccoli beef

what made it super special

was opening the letter

just delivered

with all the catch-up news

from a dear friend

of bygone years

was it the tea

or her two cats

Thena and Mr Baker

that made me smile

stretch

and yawn

relaxed?

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 78 The Break

Today I took a break

from the universal headache

that is the national news

normally I stay in bed

long enough to stretch

surveying thoughts inside my head

inviting the nation in

today I ran a test

on the water main outside

the dripping irrigation line

that makes the meter spin

so no computer buzz

nor coffee for the brain

a walk outside

around the block

in the fresh and drizzled rain

then pulling the rake

to clean awhile

an extension of my chore

I’m tired of the news

that brings me down

it’s nice outside I said

an open sky

my humming joy

I know the world will wait

Democracy is the freedom

to forget the news awhile

no big surprises

if I take a newsy break

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 77 Beauty for a Sunday Morning

I’ve lived in this house

with the cross on the wall

for five years or more

never until this morning

have I given a glance

nor considered its beauty at all

–not the shells pasted in

not the flower in the middle

nor the natural look

it’s meant to have

not this cross

but the cross behind this cross

the real cross

a thing of beauty–why?

it’s the cross on which my Savior died

God’s gift of love multiplied

by every soul who takes its light

and finds eternal life

it’s Jesus who died

and rose again

who pardons all

who come to him

for sins which he

had nothing to do with

all that power

he laid down

emptied himself

became a man

carried his cross

died upon it

that he might rise again

that cross a symbol

of all he did

of life everlasting

to all he gives

who come to him

in simple belief

that yes

he’s the One

and he did it

he really did it

I want it

eternal life

eternal pardon

for me

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 76 Aesthetics or Poverty?

My neighbor paints her fences white

they stand out in morning light

mine are peeling chips of gray

on rocky fields they fade away

I’ve never really had to say

if I prefer my fences gray

with things like these so out of hand

I feel a guest here on my land

a guest of nature in a way

who’s never very sparse with gray

like candles on a cake hers stand

around her neat and tidy land

if I could have some other way

would I choose to leave mine gray?

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 75 Quiet Day Indoors

Taxes! I did the taxes

had to get them done

my March/April schedule

doesn’t allow for taxes

so what should have been

a wonderful exciting day

out in the rain

turned into

sitting at home distracted

jumping up every half hour

to look out the window

hearing the wind the falling rain

the only thing

that salvaged my day

with beauty

is this photo

I took on my silly cell phone

early in the morning

I really like it

such a picture makes me glad

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 74 Forecast: Rain

waiting

for the rain to fall

some are sad

some are glad

all are apprehensive

Southern California

does not like rain

centuries of dry

have drawn a folk

who don’t mind drinking

the resource of other places

…

no matter how you slice the cake

that’s a lot of water

mostly running off

surfaces too steep

denuded

others mostly clay

although I don’t delight

in misfortune born to others

I’m anticipating this rain

with hope

joy

excitement

for to me

rain is a beautiful thing

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 73 The Flower’s Song

the way the light catches

stamens and pistil

causes me to see

a harp

with strings lifted to heaven

riffing out for all its worth

the lines of this flower’s life

may my heart precious Lord

be lifted always to you

as you strum softly

the tune you want to hear

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 72

Happy Valentine’s Day!

to the wonderful WordPress staff

and to every single one

who has ever viewed or liked

a post of mine

and to all those

who also post

to all readers everywhere

as a former pastor loved to say

“We’re in this together!”

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 71 Blood Pressure

I’m paranoid about blood pressure

my mom was on a million pills before she died

I watched her sleep her life away

blood pressure pills among them

not me…

I’ll die of cause wide awake

but they scare you with the blood pressure thing

stroke

silent killer

and they pursue you

and make you get a double check

again

and again

every time you go for a simple office visit

my own machine shows wide variations

in an upward-leaning graph

so I bit the bullet

convinced I needed medication

it’s for the kids I said

so they wouldn’t have to deal with

my stroke

this resignation must have calmed my nerves

’cause when I had it checked today–

fully normal!

Woo-Hoo!

a jig a song and a wild Hallelujia!

right there in the parking lot

free of meddlesome pills

for at least another day