mornings

(inspired by bob)

mornings are slow.
no longer the feast of competent productivity,
the rushing here and there from appointments, to jobs to tasks.
a class and conversations in between. attempting to manage many lists.

the morning starts with tea and my husband reading the Psalms.
it takes longer to get going.
held back by the natural order of things,
there has been loss--
priorities change whether i want them to or not.

misplaced identities stripped away.
a humbling time, this slowing down.
a time to carry very small things,
to live in between.
and to receive.

to take quiet walks hand in hand,
slivers of yellow leaves flying
on the warm autumn air.

praying with hands outstretched:
only You can supply what i need.
only You could have guided toward this very small
joy.

a few thoughts.

"I ask you right here to please agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived." Chris Cleave, Little Bee

Lauren, it must be said, is one of my favorite writers: "Everything seems deliberate when it could seem so aimless. The delicate fury in our desire to emerge from the most ordinary sorrows."

I need to thank her for sharing this song. Yes please. That lovely trail led me nicely to this one. I didn't know I could like a version as much as Neil Young's, but the strummy guitar, the harmonies of favorite voices, the beer bottles clattering on the floor in the background noise. It is just so on this fall night when outside it smells like woodfires burning, and inside the warm lights glow.

Coming soon: Saturday, October 16!

These branches are part of my contribution to Artists for Pakistan, a community wide fundraiser being organized by my friend Dassler. To find out more details about the event, go here. I also have a couple of mobiles that I will be contributing as well, but have not yet found a good way to photograph them.

I appreciated the invitation to be a part of this, and the opportunity it fostered for slowing down, taking time to create and taking the time to pray for those who have been and will be affected by the flooding in Pakistan.