It is a merging…

So intense,

I disappear,

burn in its fire

and remember who I am: boundary-less,

temporary, yet

infinite.

From this place, I can’t deny the value

of a single breath

or a sip of water,

a moment on this Earth.

Precious time.

Where death meets life…

Just a glimpse of this soul-light

is enough to sustain me,

enough for me to remember in forgotten moments

that I am just a bundle of longing and love

washing dishes with God.

                  – Dominique Youkhehpaz 

– Opening poem read by Nancy L.

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What will you choose?  To be grumbly hateful, or humbly grateful?

– Shared by Amy W. who read this on a roadside marquee

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At the Edge of Wonder

 

If I were to stand with these

at water’s edge

would I choose

to give sound to the wind as spartina,

gift rubies to songbirds as holly,

hold myself open as dollar weed

poised to catch the light?

Or would I be a cedar sentinel, taller than the rest, 

branches knowing the duty and promise of reach?

Maybe a spiny vine hugging circles around 

anything giving it room.

An acorn pops me hard on the shoulder, 

here at the edge, reminding me 

that just being me

wondering

is enough to choose today.

– Original poem by Amy Webb, Nov. 30, 2018

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Gratitude

 

Glorious, wonder-filled morn,

Gentle roar of the hidden ocean amidst the stillness of the woods,

The waves rhythmically breathing,

Alive.  

Oh, the stillness was palpable,

Washing over me in joy and gratitude.

 

The gentle breeze danced a waltz with the treetops,

And felt like honey on my face,

Not too warm, not too cool,

Enlivening.

Kissing my skin

With a tender touch.

 

“…Just a glimpse of this soul-light

is enough to sustain me…” 

As I left the forest path and walked on the beach the air was considerably cooler, the breeze stronger. It felt like a cleansing. I saw numerous shells in the high tide line and thought that each and every one is unique on this earth. Each sea shell, each snowflake, each eagle, each star, each turtle, each butterfly, each birch tree, each human being… each individual creation unique, yet totally interconnected in God’s incredible universe.

– Photos, poem and reflection by Nancy L.