Daring to do differently As she has desired for decades damaged but not decayed She develops ... and decides to desire growth and divine interaction as a way of life.
Decrepit death tries to devour her delight but no demon in the depths of hell can derail God as God determines to deliver her.
As she differentiates delight from darkness deceit, deception, duplicity all drop off her diet is determined by the choices and decisions made in light of the Dayspring. She of God's love disdains the deadly darkness digesting His desire for her Donna diagnosed her deviations and depression.
With depth of insight she demonstrates the degree of deep love the Deity has for her.
She decorates her decorum with daily doses of love and light her dimensions decrease. She learns to declare the glory decry the falsehoods and decrease the lies in her life
Her life is a dual effort her push dwarfed by Diety's pull the dynamic of duality with Deity demonstrates dominance in Donna's duel with darkness.
Diety's diamond begins to shine as she disperses holy light. The drumbeat of time discloses a detainer. The decree of God declares "the truth continues to set free {even Donna}.
From dementia and death into delirious joy and deluxe diversity of durable daily dozen steps to wholeness.
Divinity she doth don as she disentangles from the darkness Detested dormouse role does a duet with duty in the dustpan disavowing her of dowdy and destructive ways destined for the dump of determinations unfit for disbursement in the light of life.
This year to celebrate Mother’s Day my daughter decided we should visit the butterfly show at our local Krohn Conservatory. We had not attended for several years. It was a warm and humid day. Just what the butterfly’s love. The title was Monarchs, but I was disappointed that there were not more Monarch butterflies present. In fact, I saw none, even in the hatching cages. The children however never disappoint me at such a display. They are always in wonder and delighted when a butterfly lands on someone and they can see it up close! I just love when a child declares, “He likes me!”
closedsame subject opened
The above is the Morpho, largest in the display. The butterflies suffer damaged wings mostly from being caught in the covers of the circulating fans. They are still lovely and majestic though.
One subject, moving around for another sip and another. I believe this is a Julia. We grew these “Mexican Sunflowers” once at the edge of our compost pile. They were very tall and draw hundreds of butterflies!
A child pointed out this transparent winged specimen. How lovely!
It was a hard angle to capture this beauty. Called a Glasswing from Central America !
They loved feeding on the dishes of cut fruit.
It was fun to put another butterfly memory in the books. Thanks, Em!
How many butterflies can you spot this week around your home?
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 NRSVUE For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:2 NRSVUE
I am trying to write this morning and the long awaited landscapers are here mowing. The huge riding mower is so loud it is drowning out sounds about the room. The windows are rattling and I wonder how I can write about the necessity of quiet when my very teeth are on edge.
And then I remember to breathe. This too shall pass. Each moment is like a bell curve. There is a beginning, a peak, and a subsequent lessening. Okay, now I hear them in the backyard, but that too will lessen as they move to the next yard and the next down the street.
Cannot even show you a photo of the man standing behind the mower as all the photos online are pristine mowers with absolutely NO grass cuttings upon them.
The point for me is how can I return to the quiet once the quiet is disrupted? Do you have a trick to do that?
I decided to step outside and try to photograph the first bachelor’s button of the season. They seeded themselves from last year and are now starting to bloom. (May 11) I might have practiced the method I wrote about in the following poem right then, but the mower was back to shear the verge so I came inside to check the photos and write the poem out for your perusal.
Page 5 in the new book Poems.
"This poem took me into the deeper silence of meditation. For me, the center down silence of being with God is a wonderful place to be. Thus, Down repeats in the poem.
Bachelor’s Buttons
Going inward with the deep blue of the bachelor’s buttons I sink down. I take the encompassing blue with me. Down. I drop my shoulders Down I breathe the blue petals. Knowing the blue from the petals will fade. Down. For now they wrap me in stillness. Down. Wash me in the blue brightness I pray. Down. Not Mrs. Stewart’s bluing agent. Down. But the true blue of fresh flower. Down. Peculiar petals. Down To where I am nestled inside the flower. Down. Beyond pollen gathering bees. Down. Sitting still in the Blues. I am restored.
Just contacted WordPress and learned a new skill! Hope you liked this layout 🙂
Typing it and editing the photos, I stop. And drop. And roll in the restoration.
Down. Help me to stay with You, Lord. “Continuously renewed Immediacy,” wrote Thomas R. Kelly in A Testament of Devotion.
Dana and I read the proof copy. I listed edits that I found in the text. I changed the publication date so that we would have plenty of time to make said changes. She went to a Dulcimer convention out of town. One night, right before bed, I checked my email to be certain there was not something there concerning Prayer Team that I might need to tend to. I was shocked to see that Kindle had sent me a message that I only had a little over 24 hours to make changes.
After the dust settled I had to write it all down to decompress. The following is what I wrote. Seems funny now. At the time it was NOT funny. Bob said I should post this.
They say that having a book published is like giving birth. Tonight I felt as if the Kindle machine was starting Pitocin and the father was not present. It was too soon. The edits were not yet submitted. I panicked. (Where was my faith?)
I went from the iPad mini to the desktop to try to change the publication date again so that the edits could be made next week. Nothing was working right.
I finally hit the place where you talk with a bot. That was not real effective so I chose chat with live person.
Helan assured me I could change the date. Then I had to submit the change, keep approving until I got to pricing page and then hit Publish. I really froze up then. IT IS NOT READY. She basically said trust me. I did what she said. The Kindle Direct machine then said it would review my manuscript and that could take up to 72 hours. Until then the account would lock. I took screen shots of the texts. I wanted proof if this thing got printed without the final edits.
I realized there was nothing more I could do until Monday. Except I could pray. I left Grogu in my desk chair to watch over the book.
Physical therapist had pointed out that I need to smash down my new pillow closer to the thickness of my old worn out one. I got the new foam pillow out of the closet and literally knelt down on the floor on the pillow in prayer. This is God’s book, not mine. I prayed for the prayer teams who will be serving this Sunday. I prayed for forgiveness that I did not trust the Amazon tech more. I prayed for forgiveness that I do not trust my Father more. I prayed Dana has a great time at her dulcimer convention.
I got up from my knees and went to get a clean pillow case. I realized then I feel like an imposter. I understand imposter syndrome. Someone said to me this week, “You really are an author!” Not so certain about that but I am dizzy with anticipation and steroids and neck pops. Praying I actually get sleep tonight. Lord, Your lamb needs You.
The contractions have subsided now. The panic is receding. Hoping sleep is just around the corner. This woman is beat!
Guess I better tackle this imposter attitude before it makes trouble. “The original imposter syndrome study in the 1970s revolved around high-achieving women who had trouble attributing their own success to themselves”, one on-line source said. Perhaps I am guilty of that?
“Imposter syndrome is the voice inside your head telling you that you don’t belong, while discrimination is the voice of others telling you the same thing,” explains Dr. Albers. “The distinction is crucial because it highlights that imposter syndrome is a personal struggle that can be addressed through self-reflection and cognitive reframing whereas discrimination requires societal change and advocacy.” https://wockr.org/a-psychologist-explains-how-to-deal-with-imposter-syndrome/
So, this is just a bump in road at 10:45 PM after a long day and a chaotic week. Things are not awful and perhaps locking the account is good. No worries about it over the weekend.
I found the copyright information the next morning and updated the Proof Changes for Dana’s use. I sent it along to her. The new final date for changes came through email. I likely missed some errors, but that is done for now.
So my friends, the new book ought to be available to you on May 1, 2026 through Amazon. (I already found an error in the Table of Contents. Will be amazed if that is the ONLY error!) If you can’t find the title Poems, just type in my name. That ought to bring it up!
I will not be posting this week. The proof for my next book, “Poems, My Faith Journey Through Prayerful Observations” has arrived. That means I need to read it cover to cover and find any corrections, additions, or errors before we submit it for publication and public consumption. It should be available by April 30. Throw in two Zoom meetings, (one of which I have notes to type up), starting a steroid pack and physical therapy – well writing will have to wait this week.
You may have seen the hymn that posted instead of being saved as a draft. Things that make me go “DRATS!” It is a great hymn that I cannot stop singing.
So sing along and praise our risen King and He continues His resurrection life in and through each of us.
I like this sort of scoop, too!
Looks like peanut butter chip, MY UDF FAVORITE!! 🙂
I have various stones and shells near my prayer chair. I often am drawn to them as I enter prayer. One shell is a called a shark eye or moon shell or various other names. Most common seems to be shark eye.
I was looking at the sections delineated on this shell by the ridges and colors. One morning that led me to wonder if all the shells go in the same clockwise direction?
Well there you have it. The shells have a direction. My prayer time can provide a direction that makes time not reverse as much as stop. A prayer can be outside of time as we know it.
I often use the image of the nautilus shell when I am trying to center down into the silence of God’s heart. You might remember the glass artwork I purchased.
For me I focus upon each section of the shell individually. Beginning at the outermost edge, I am aware and surrounded by all the noises, fragrances, sensations of the world around me…. all the distractions provided to me. As I choose to move to the next section, my surroundings grow smaller, fewer things to draw me from God. As each section (where the nautilus used to live) grows smaller, I try to draw closer to the Lord. Reaching for more of the essence that gives me life. Just as a monk throws a hood over his head I want to close out the world and be with my God.
The cowl (sometimes known as a capuche, especially for friars) is the hood worn by the Carmelite monks. The monk wears a monastic cowl that hangs over his upper back and is used to cover his head during the winter months. Although the cowl serves a practical purpose in keeping the monk’s shaven head warm, the cowl is more importantly a sign of mourning. The word “monk” is derived from Greek words meaning “one who mourns in solitude.” So what does a monk mourn? The Carmelite monks mourn for their own sins and the sins of others, begging for God’s mercy and justice. The cowl is a reminder of Christ’s Dolorous Passion on Calvary for sinners, a death that He would have endured had there been but one poor sinner.
The Holy Rule exhorts the Carmelite to “place the helmet of salvation on [his] head,” and this is what the Carmelite does every time he covers his head with the cowl. His head being covered in the brown wool and his face hidden unless you look directly at him, the monastic cowl also serves to hide the monk so that God alone might know his countenance. https://www.carmelitemonks.org/HolyHabit.php
When I emerge from the meditative prayer I bring with me a renewed sense of God’s presence even amidst the myriad distractions of the world.
I want to live from the inside out, always within the center-down silence. Having to struggle to get back is not the direction I choose.
Teach me, Lord, and help me know how to grow from the peaceful sanctuary within.
Show me please where to refresh our love. Give me attitudes that will unravel me from the sin which so easily entangles.
Make me one with You, Lord, so I will know how to be close to all that is around me.
Help me, Father, and be glorified in my life.
Whatever way you choose to pray and draw close to God, I hope it is with a sincere heart giving plenty of time for God to speak and for you to listen for that still, small, holy voice.
Next time you get to visit the beach I hope you find gems to bring home!
I am always amazed at how a quote can become a jumping off place, a diving board if you will, to other thoughts and truths.
Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent. Rumi
One centering exercise this morning asked that I become aware of life around me. For that I usually look out the window at my prayer chair and marvel at the unfolding season. Wasn’t it just snowing as in the opening photo? As Rumi implies, I have absolutely no claim upon those wonders, but I am privileged to observe them. There is an artistry in God’s creation and the tough part is for me to be silent.
Hush my soul. Like a child quieted at its mother’s breast, be still.
{You will see below that because I chose a quote box the program made everything below that to appear in italics. I tried and tried to change it. For this post we will just live with it and I will stop using quote boxes. GRR}
I picked up a booklet at church regarding the Way of the Cross, prayers from Jerusalem. I have not entered the practice of praying the stations of the cross. This first prayer made me be still.
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ out Lord. Amen.
I kept returning to that prayer through Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I picked it up again this morning. Eastertide proclaims and rejoices again and again the powerful works of Lord God Almighty through the resurrection of Jesus our Lord.
This Lent and Easter were the most meaningful I have ever experienced. Maybe it is that I am aging or perhaps I keep turning my conscious over to the presence of Christ with us, in every season? I am glad Eastertide lasts for 50 days. I do not want it to end.
The mowers finally shaved our neighborhood. The grass was so high we were beginning to wonder if we should hire goats to chomp it down. As it is there are huge clumps of cut grass in many yards. Wonder! that just a few weeks ago these yards were brown and scraggly and not showing much hope. Now they are lush and thick and thriving, even though marked with tire tracks throughout.
Being still in prayer I realized I was looking at huge trees in the distance (I am not much for numbers, but I want to say 25-30 feet tall?) My feet are touching the earth and their roots are drinking up the moisture from the same earth, feeding and nurturing the new leaves and flower buds. Tiny me who is shrinking a little more each year and towering trees growing taller than I could ever climb. There is artistry moving through the trees and through me. I am stilled to holy silence.
What has been occurring around you? Have you noted the changes and given pause to the wonder?
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing 18 as on a day of festival.” Zephaniah 3:16-18 NRSVUE
Look about you. Be renewed in his love. Listen for your God singing over you as on a day of festival! And be silent.
Years ago I read so many books by this wonderful writer! She created novels and poetry and my she was prolific! She died in 2007 and we still miss her influence and insights.
For Lent, 1966 by Madeleine L’Engle
It is my Lent to break my Lent,
To eat when I would fast,
To know when slender strength is spent,
Take shelter from the blast
When I would run with wind and rain,
To sleep when I would watch.
It is my Lent to smile at pain
But not ignore its touch.
It is my Lent to listen well
When I would be alone,
To talk when I would rather dwell
In silence, turn from none
Who call on me, to try to see
That what is truly meant
Is not my choice. If Christ’s I’d be
It’s thus I’ll keep my Lent.
This poem was published in our church bulletin a week or so ago. Some complicated ideas and some simple. How have you been doing keeping Lent? Some write that it is like a few days after January 1 when they abandon their ideas of New Year resolutions. Have you been enabled to keep a holy Lent? Were you able to stop gossiping? Forego dessert? Do anything that drew you closer to God?
Have you given yourself to Christ in such a way that that you abandon your choices and do what the Spirit shows you to do?
I wrote this in 2018. Now we live in a different neighborhood and a mockingbird comes occasionally. I hope it does not take residence here and stays 3 blocks over!
A mockingbird has moved into the neighborhood More specifically our lot When I awoke this morning he was using Everyone else’s songs from our rooftop Mostly a good imitation Yet, when I hear the actual individual birds I realized it was just imitation Not the rich variations that the actual singers give
The woods are full of spring songs Bird after bird seeking a mate Singing and flitting through the branches (Or racing) each other To impress the perfect mate
Mocking bird is like the enemy in my ear Repeating phrases of accusation Condemnation and insult No fresh life-giving inspiration Such as the Holy Spirit brings
I’d like to shoot at this bird to scare it off our property As a child there was one who attacked whenever We tried to hang up the laundry or take it down Now it is just annoying and incessant Yet there are likely lessons to learn here
Listen carefully Do not assume every repeated phrase is from God Just like the Sheriff will never call and ask you for money over the phone God speaks in that still, small voice Not the raucous jack-hammer of a mockingbird Try to be still in the cacophony of that chorus Quiet your soul and rest in the peace of His Presence
“And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down-he who accuses them day and night before our God.’” Revelation 12:10
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19: 11 b-12
I can just hear the humor of my husband churning up at that title! I’m thinking atmospheric, not the other kind that you pass. The wind chimes have been playing for what seems like months on end, both in the backyard and the front yard. I love the wind chimes. A nice warm breeze refreshes me. Perhaps this noticing has to do with the images in Scripture?
In Acts 2: 1-4 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. NRSVUE
The King James version describes the phenomenon as “a mighty rushing wind.” the image of the Spirit of God as wind began in Genesis and is carried right through to the time the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.
November of 2025 I wrote the following poem. Looking back, I realize it flowed out of me like prayer. Here is the wonder of it. At an unexpected Zoom meeting I picked up a piece of paper and began taking notes. When I turned it over yesterday I was reading this poem. I was so uncertain that I wrote it that I actually tried to looked it up online.
oh goodness me
Then I checked my document files. Sure enough, 25-11-26, it was right there. So I hope this encourages you and strengthens you in your faith as to what the Spirit can do within you if you simply yield and work with the Trinity.
Mighty rushing wind* blow over us Blow away every useless branch Carry off the finished leaves and twigs Refresh us with your presence Lower the temperature of our grasping Help us stand naked before your power No shame, just honest awareness
Mighty rushing wind You come with power and your promises Promise that we have more potential than we know Promise that we can be made anew Promise that in our weakness can be great power Tempest from God move us over Help us live more like the unity of the Trinity
Mighty rushing wind Help us yield to your shaping Rejoice in your remaking Agree heartily to the changes you bring We want to take deep inhalations from your source Being indwelt by the very breath from on high We stand still and ask that you permeate our being
Mighty rushing wind We cannot control you This day come to us and we will be changed Your power and promise overflow us Presence and transparency pervade you Shine the light of your word upon us And we shall be known for how we became like you
Mighty rushing wind, We bow the knee of our heart to you Touch us and we shall be made clean Surround us and we shall be shielded From darkness, debris of soul Detritus of overgrowth Unkempt garden of laziness
Mighty rushing wind Scour the ruin around our feet Cleanse us from all unrighteousness Set our feet firmly upon your path Put your shoes of the gospel of peace upon our feet And help us walk with your propulsion
Mighty rushing wind We welcome you Come and have your own way In and through us That praise may continuously ascend To the Holy Trinity you belong within As you declare we are in you and you are in us
*Acts 2:2.4a 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8 NIV
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