Time's Tide

TIME’S TIDE
Time flows,
like the waves upon the shore,
teasing the toes of memories
as they try to leave their mark....
Time.
It rubs everything down until the sharp edges are gone.
Time,
ebbing,
has a salty sting.
Never stand still and lament
the nature of the tide.

Christmas Memory

25 years ago...it had snowed a lot the night before, and the world was a glittering palace - quiet and full of peace. My morning chores on the farm included feeding the cows. My boots crunched into the snow, leaving perfect prints on the way to the barn. Clyde, my tabby barn cat, sat on my shoulder as I walked past trees bowing over with the weight of the snow. Gentle moos greeted me as I snapped on the barn light. I filled the old Folgers coffee can with sweet, molasses grain to pour into the feed pans and then I filled the feeding troughs with alfalfa hay. As the cows ate, I thought of the Christmas breakfast waiting. There was the yummy Christmas pull-apart bread with candied fruits baked in, warming in the oven and buttery, and hot tea or hot apple cider with a whole cinnamon stick in each cup before we opened presents. Life has different chapters; this was a sweet and peaceful chapter. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Christmas in Connecticut movie and Emily Dickinson style poem inspiration

Hope is the thing of batter, That bubbles on the stove, And sticks to the ceiling without reserve, And never drops at all

The sea is dark and still - 

a longing in the deep 

for light to pierce within and heal 

the silenced heart. 

Inky shadows

spread

and make the sun so cold and distant.

There is more terror still

in the empty quiet, the buried longing

of dreams

Magic Popcorn

I was at a craft fair stall, lost in the beauty of painted scarves that looked like trapped rainbows. 

The man at the booth said, “You’re a painter, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. 

“How did you know?” I asked, surprised. 

"You have that unassuming look, but you are so intent at what you see.” Then he paused for a moment and said with great assurance, "You should keep painting. I have a feeling you are going to be very successful if you keep at it.” 

I felt like he really was a kindred spirit, like he could tell what this year has been and how lost I’ve felt the last few months. 

I confessed, “It has been hard lately. I feel stuck, but I will keep trying.” 

Then he gave me a big hug and poured some kettlecorn popcorn into my hand and said, “Take this magic popcorn. It will help. Hang in there. You will find your way. Keep painting!” He smiled at me like he really saw me....the inside me. 

I won’t forget that unexpected encouragement, or meeting a friend who is walking through life with gentleness and kindness, pouring out love and magic popcorn.

That is what I want to be to others.

What a journey life is.