Love needs to have no endMy love needs to have no end
it needs to be shared So many people are hurting inside So many just want to be heard My love can show by listening with no judgement affirming their feelings are real My love requires me to put aside my own wants my own needs to seek to understand Love is strong powerful bold Love is patient Love waits quietly Love needs to be seen and not necessarily heard Love has been given to me freely Love needs given away freely
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PermissionI give you permission
You can cry You can sob Feel your emotions I give you permission You can laugh You can joke Feel your emotions I give you permission Please yell and scream Feel all your emotions It is healing, you'll see I give you permission to sulk to be lazy Feel your emotions I give you permission Wear pajamas in bed all day long Feel your emotions I give you permission to relax talk calmly Feel your emotions I give you permission to search for the joy but if you don't find it Feel your emotions Feel Feel them all The uncomfortable is good The uncomfortable makes it easier to eventually feel the calm feel the good feel the joy in the trials Feel them all ExtraExtra, extra
What will I do? Food bank or shelter Charity in the news? Churches need money So does the family down the street Families around town Are struggling to eat No shopping allowed No milling about No movies or coffee No reason to go out Businesses struggling to pay their employees Now heavy shoulders Bent over with worry Not spending on date night Not spending on games Not spending on baseball Nor taming my mane Extra, extra money in the bank. to serve many others, I have God to thank. TimeTook time to relax
and not think of work Read Took time for sabbath for my brain to rest Puzzle Took time to be mindless and not watch the news Solitaire Took time to look forward preparing to move Pack Took time for myself to keep myself healthy Raindrops fall from the roof line
drops fall from the porch drops fall from the feeder where little birds perch drops drench the ground where the grass spreads its runners drops run together down hills to the gutters drops on the blooms of Indian paintbrush drops on the buds of the knockout rose drops on the beards of bright yellow iris drops on the petals of small purple flowers drops cling to the web of the spider so busy drops hang to the leaf of the budding tree drops washout the anthill once piled high drops hurry the beetles to scurry for cover drops water the world sprouting fresh spring growth drops wash me clean refreshing my spirit ZoomTwelve little boxes
Lighting up my screen Twelve shining faces Smiling up at me "Tell me one good thing?" I built a lego spa! I have a snake! I built a lego dragon! I jumped on the trampoline! I got a new book! I sold a comic! I knitted a hat! I caught a fish! I am painting! I have a hamster! My dog is soft! My cat is hairless! Twelve little boxes Missing 12 more Hoping next week to have 24. April foolsToday has hit me
The world has knocked me down I know it is temporary Grades start soon Start videos too Schoology nightmares Too much to learn Screencastify Nearpod Too Many phone calls 504's and logins and How are you doing? "Hey mom, flight schedules are sparse I'm flying home tonight." Don't go It's not safe You can wait Do you have wipes? mask? sanitizer? gloves? Wash, Wash, Wash, Wash! "Hey mom, April fools!" Grrrrr That's not funny Up and DownUp and down
Down and up My mood swings Like a grandfather clock Life is great Time to relax Read some books Put on a podcast Uuugh too much After another meeting Lots more unknowns Learning curve growing bigger Planning is smooth Only one subject Collaboration is powerful Just a snap and it's done Zoom, a meeting And then another Bombarded with info A lot to take in Take a walk Dance in the kitchen Dinner outside Survivor on the tele Bored Lonely Tired of devices I just want a Coke Up and down down and up My brain is full It's turned to mush Eyes Wide OpenEyes wide open
To the world around me Bees on bluebonnets Butterflies on snapdragons Ants busily moving their mounds Hawk resting on the fence Birds building a nest Earthworms unearthed squirming for cover Seeds sprouting flowers Honeysuckle blooming Weeds endlessly growing Trees budding and leafing out Wind blowing gently Kids riding bikes Chalk on the sidewalks Toddlers in strollers Adults taking walks Dogs on leashes Families in the driveway What a wonderful world Front Yard Living I've been thinking a lot about front yard living. When my husband and I bought our first house 25 years ago, it was in a brand new neighborhood. It was also in a suburb which was newly growing. In our new neighborhood, we were all in the same boat, none of us knew anyone on the street, but it was to far to hangout with existing friends, therefore came front yard living.
Whoever got home from work first set up their lawn chairs in the driveway. Then as others who lived on our street returned home, we each brought our folding chair and joined them in their driveway. Sometimes we would just sit and talk. Other times we would bring a drink and a snack to share. And on the weekends we might pull out the grill. I only lived there a year before my husband got a promotion that moved us out of state. But that was a hard goodbye. I don't keep in touch with them anymore, but still know all their names. I thought all neighborhoods were like this. But our next stop in life was an established neighborhood in the city. It was much harder to get to know the neighbors, but I did take cookies to each of the neighbors and we knew each other by name. All the front yards in this neighborhood were steep hills, so there really was no place to set a lawn chair. We lived there for two years and we did get to know 2 neighbors really well, but shortly there after my husband had another work opportunity that moved us long distance again. Currently, I live in a neighborhood that has a ton of turnover. We have lived here 9 years and I know the names of 6 families on our street (16 houses on our cul de sac). Out of those 6 houses, I know one woman well because we go to the same church. I have been reading The Turquoise Table by Kristin Shell. She is a proponent of front yard living. She put a picnic table in her front yard under a shade tree and spends time out front. With this approach she has gotten to know so many of her neighbors, many who stop and talk when out walking the dog. Others who will sit and stay awhile. Since I am preparing to move again, I am considering a turquoise table. Our new home has a flat yard and a large tree in the front. It is a corner lot with a lot of drive by traffic. It is a small established neighborhood in a small East Texas town. I'm hoping to find some joy sitting with nature while I read a book, grade papers, surf the internet, or write letters (Yes, snail mail). I hope that my front yard can become a gathering place for the neighborhood. That my table can be a place of card games, conversation, support, and friendship. I don't expect all of these things to happen immediately, but I do hope I will slowly make connections with the people in my neighborhood. And if not, at least I will have created a habit for myself to relax and slow down from the busy pace I create throughout the work day. |
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April 2020
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