Tag: Day to Day Life

On Being Present with Fear

“Will I be OK?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the pool.

“Of course! Mommy and Gammy are right here!” To myself I thought, “Even on the bottom step the water would only reach your chest. Why is this such a big deal?”

We were swimming for the first time in a long time. He only came to watch his baby brother swim, but something in him still remembered the exhilaration of moving through the water. So, he consented to wear a swim suit, and then decided to put it on in advance. When we arrived, he put his feet straight in, bottom firmly planted on the side of the pool, kicking and splashing.

But now we were asking him to go all the way in.

“Will I be OK?” he asked again. Continue reading “On Being Present with Fear”

On the Brink

Sometimes in the darkest part of the night
I play my old cassettes to fill the overpowering silence
A familiar cadence of thoughts blares out, ready to lend meaning to any moment

Those tapes remind me of who I am, what the world is like,
How hard to slam the door on the way out of giving a damn –
You know, all the important things

Continue reading “On the Brink”

a moment in early morning

freshly washed pavement shines, unfamiliar depth to its color, as damp earthiness rises from the planters full of bright geraniums, almost red, almost orange – a chill in the air invigorates as I fall in step with the crisp click-clacking of purposeful feet moving down the sidewalk to a breakfast companion’s embrace or to a […]

Repeat the Sounding Joy

There are many beautiful traditions to love at Christmastime: nights alight with dazzling displays, neighbors sharing family favorite treats, music evoking decades gone by, candlelit churches keeping vigil in song, gifts that bring delight and joy.

But every once in a while I wonder… why is it that I love Christmastime so much?

Is it the pumpkin spice lattes and repetitive playlists? Are we really that enamored of turkey that never gets done cooking at the right time or kids hyped up on sugar?

Continue reading “Repeat the Sounding Joy”

Delight

A young child dissolved in giggles at his very first joke,
repeating the punch line in sheer bliss

A red-cheeked adventurer standing high above the town
on a sapphire-blue morning, enraptured in the frosty air Continue reading “Delight”