The Road to Tshimakain Creek

Choral susurration of the brook

            antiphony of songbirds

The lingering green of summer’s end

            turning to autumnal vestments of gold, russet and brown

                        woven of nature’s homespun

The cathedral vault stretches overhead in unblemished blue

            no doves, but snow white butterflies

The fierce glory of the sun upon my shoulders

            I lift my face for His holy kiss

The old tree raises crooked, silvered arms in praise

            stripped of all finery

                        leaves and bark, a fine interlacing of new growth

Its long perished abundance reduced

            except in its many-fingered expression of adoration to the sun above

Alone of its kind, like the humble sinner among the saints

            The pine spires rise above him in unassuming dignity

They too remain when the worshipper – and the oblivious – pass on

The road through the cloistered hills

            that leads me back into the world

Pathfinder

My road into spring and summer weaves through hills and valleys, sometimes cresting ridge tops, encountering a mountain lake, or resting in a secluded clearing. I am finding my way out of the past, not forgetting the road behind me, but looking to the horizon...and lingering over the lupine and larkspur along the way.

I am creative, empathic, procrastinating, thoughtful and curious. I am mother, wife, storyteller, Christ-follower, cook and explorer. My life is evidence of God's breathtaking grace, patience and love.

I am a daughter, who would not be the woman I am were it not for my mother.

I am a mother, who recognizes that children see with the eyes of Eden.

I am a wife, who knows herself best through her husband's eyes.

I am a survivor of depression, who has lived twice as long as expected.

I am a lover of the written word, who loves to hear it read out loud.

I am an enjoyer of good food, who worships God in the act of making and consuming it.

I am a storyteller, who knows how important it is to be a good listener.

I am a child of God, who is learning what it means to be a daughter of the Father.

The future holds immeasurable promise. Not an absence of challenge or pain or loss, but opportunities for God to show Himself good once more. I am learning not to dread difficulty and the unknown, learning to trust the Creator who holds all the threads of the tapestry.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."   Jeremiah 29:11