My Friend And I

At Christmas time, it is good to remember that the most precious gifts are the ones that we share with family and dear friends - the gifts of priceless memories:

My Friend And I

We built a fort,

My friend and I,

With leaves and twigs,

Branches and moss;

The rain came down,

But not on us,

Save for a tiny drop or two

That found a hole in our friendly nest.

We shared a snack,

My friend and I,

Discovered apples,

Tart and sweet;

We ate them up,

Our banquet neat,

Save for a tiny bite or two,

And those we shared with a chipmunk guest!

We headed home,

My friend and I,

And gathered treasures

On our way,

The sun went down,

The sky went dark,

Save for a brilliant star or two,

That shone on two friends, richly blessed.

Now, thoughts of forts

Have come to rest,

And pleasant dreams

Are what is left;

The secret joys,

Of two small boys,

And, save for a memory lapse or two,

That world still fills my treasure chest!

Stepping Into Peace

It's December, and the Christmas rush is upon us; There are wonderful celebrations to plan and attend, a tree to put up and decorate, a house to clean and decorate, and cookies to bake and decorate!  Sometimes it is hard to find the peace that is supposed to be the main focus of the season.  When I find myself starting to go under in the waves of too much stress, I try to remember to take a step back and find the quiet.

To let go of stress and step into peace is like stepping into a sturdy canoe in the wee hours of the morning and letting yourself  follow the shoreline of a river; not in any rush to reach a destination, but just enjoying the quiet conversation of your surroundings, and being grateful to the river for allowing you to ride along in its sparkling currents.

For a brief time, you and your thoughts are taking an intimate journey together, leaving all of your baggage, including your shoes, behind on the shore.

Finding My Smile

The gentle movements of a Tai Chi session this morning had me

Watching the flow of my hands,

And once again, I felt there the wooden caress of a paddle;

I was stepping into my mental canoe,

Slipping away on daydreams

Of early morning escapes

Beside a gentle river bank,

Feeling the solitude as I float downstream across flat water,

Free of man-made sounds in their various forms;

I close my eyes,

Enjoying the rocking of the canoe,

trusting the gentle movement of the river

 to carry me along wherever it is going;

I feel again the water washing around my toes as I invite some of it aboard with every stroke of my paddle;

My memory took a deep breath and there it was: the wonderful atmosphere;

Smells of algae, fish, flowers,

And the sounds of nature; frogs, birds, and various forms of flying tag-a-longs who found it amusing to play tag on my hat and hide-and-seek around my ankles - taking the occasional nibble;

I grabbed hold of that spiritual oar of freedom,

Gave it a mental pull,

-  And I smiled.

My hands, now resting,

Palms up,  in peace.

Whether your 'peace escape' is in a mental canoe, a quiet chapel, or laying in the arms of a frosty but all-accepting snow angel, may you find your own way to step into peace, find your smile, and leave your heavy baggage behind on the shore.

Wishing you all peace this Christmas and far beyond.

Passing The Torch

This Remembrance Day is especially poignant, as it celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the 1st World War.  In reflecting on the sacrifices made for the freedoms that we enjoy, I am reminded that the hands of those brave men still reach out today, passing the torch to all of us, to hold  high and spread its light:

Passing The Torch

When day falls down

With setting sun,

Look back, look back,

What have we done?

The torch was passed

To you and I;

"Don't falter now!"

We hear their cry,

"Be not afraid,

Stand straight and tall,

And do not heed

The  tempter's  call

To turn your back,

To walk away,

Or put off for

Another day,

The work that waits,

That pulls your heart,

And hopes that you

Will do your part";

To each of us

A bit of light

Is  given as a seed,

It glows and grows

With every gift

We give to one in need;                 "

The torch is ours

To hold on high,

Let's  spread its light

Across the sky!

Inspiration, Respiration, Whatever - Just Breathe!

In today's world of increasing tensions, we have forgotten how to breathe - to breathe deeply of life's beauty, and to truly comprehend what that beauty means.   We are constantly shallow breathing, gulping at the problems and troubles that surround us, until our poor lungs give up waiting for the healthy air they need in order to open up, and we lose consciousness or awareness.

There is beauty to inhale everywhere we look, if we are focused on seeing it; those beautiful coloured leaves flying through the air, a little bird sitting on a branch singing with all its might;  I am looking down now at the crocheted throw on my lap - each stitch the work of our niece's loving hands;  I let myself breathe in the sound of her infectious laugh.  The act of sorting out the negatives to leave room for those pieces of positive is an essential breathing exercise.   I am even deep breathing the sight of that squirrel who is now running off with our last tomato!

Each season brings its own unique gifts, as do we all; Note to self:  breath in all of their beauty before they move on - at least that's the advice a little violet gave me:

Miss Violet's Wisdom

One bright Spring day,  while gardening,

Amidst my flowering throng,

Pulling weeds,

Planting seeds,

I sang a cheery song;

A bumble bee said, "Pardon Me,

You're picking from my row!   

Move on, move on,

Just get along,

And don't forget your hoe!"

A tiny violet touched my hand,

And said, "For goodness sake!

That bee was rude,

 Such attitude -

He always wants to take;

I love your song,

 I'll nod along;

Why not put down the rake?"

And since the sun was very hot,

I sat down for a break;

"Why all the fuss?", Miss Violet said,

"And why your worried brow?

Don't you see the beauty

That's all around you now?

And, don't you know how lovely

Are the smiles you strew about,

Those cheerful flowers from deep inside,

Are the prettiest, no doubt.

When you think your garden's messy,

That your efforts are in vain,

Remember why you planted it,

What you hoped to gain,

You're a part of life's great chorus,

So smile, and sing again!"

Michaelangelo and A Little Girl

Inspired by the image and sound bite of the Gatineau man hanging tightly to the hand of his daughter who was being swept up in last Friday's tornado - refusing to let go of her, I was reminded of Michelangelo's famous painting, The Creation of Adam.  It depicts the finger of God reaching to give life to Adam - Not quite touching - imparting the spark of life.  So many messages can and have been interpreted in this  powerful image;  I chose to see in it the creation of God's great love for man - His never letting go of us.   We have a Father who is constantly reaching out for us, and when we happen to lose our grip at times, He reaches even further and bridges the gap when we call out to Him.

We build our bridges,

Strong and wide

To take us to

The other side

Of the space between

The here and there,

An abyss unknown

And fraught with care;

Don't look down!  I cried;

Please don't let go,

I am so small,

So afraid that

I will fall;

I need some help

To cross this path

My faltering pace,

Guide with your grace,

The strongest bridge of all;

I'm reaching for

Your hand, Father,

As you reach out

For mine;

You calm the waters,

Cruel and wild,

You bridge the gap

And guide your child,

Across a bridge divine.

Nan Is Going Crazy!

I don't always have the answers to our grandchildren's  questions, or the energy to join in their requests of  'Let's play!', but the little child in me is still delighted when I am invited;  It's a beautiful thing to be included in their world, to be looked up to and believed in.   We could all benefit from putting their gift of total acceptance to work, believing in ourselves.   They will pick up on our positive attitude and build on that example of self-confidence, a valuable gift that keeps on giving.

Nan Is Going Crazy!

"Paint my fingers,

Paint my toes,

Wrap me up

In whacky clothes!"

I'm not sure,

You don't suppose

Nan might be going crazy?!

She's on the floor,

She's off the wall,

I hope she knows

That she could fall?

She doesn't act adult at all,

She's certainly not lazy!

Pop was laughing,

Now, he's not,

He's heading for

A safer spot,

Too much energy

She's got,

She's going oopsy-daisy!

He doesn't know

It's just in fun -

Pop is dialling

911!

Hold on  Pop,

Our Nan is back,

Safely on the adult track,

No danger of a heart attack -

Our playmate isn't crazy!

Someone once said, "It's the start that stops most of us."    That has certainly been the case for me lately; I find that my great intentions at the start of each day end up somewhere between full-stop and the back of the distraction line.   Focus Edie focus!  For all of you trying to share your own artistic or writing gifts with others, I encourage you to just start with one word, one line, one doodle at a time.   In my case, I worked out my frustrations by writing a literary doodle, a little poem that you can probably relate to:

A Literary Lull

Hello page -

It's me again,

I've had another coffee;

But all it did was make me shake,

No inspiration in its wake,

No powerful ripples for me;

So, I'm back

To think and sigh,

Heavy head and heavy heart,

Filled with words that won't leave home,

Hanging on, afraid to roam,

Lest faults they might impart;

For words have power

To hurt or heal,

And that is no small matter,

And so, in matters literary,

Some re-write is necessary,

But first -  I need to start!