Friends & Loved Ones

Sometimes, I need to trust God with a friend.
Sometimes, I need to trust God for a friend.

Sometimes, I need to trust God with a loved one.
Sometimes, I need to trust God for a loved one.

But, always, I need to trust.

When I fail to trust like this (always)
I will risk harm - harming them,
Clouding their view of God, obscuring
His presence.

The Lord is near. 

(Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.  The whole earth is filled with His glory.)

Important Things (or, of things holy)

It is important to skip small rocks across a pond, to climb a hill on all four, stand up tall and sing a song.  It is important to plant hydrangeas and pansies, and in a meadow pick daisies.  It is important to drink the sun in a raspberry patch, to scoop into your mouth red or black.  It is important to barefoot tread in cool mud, along laughing, gurgling streams; to climb a tree, rough skinned, it is important to scrape your knee.  It is important to heal the skin, important for the sin.  It is important to take some time, important to be well, important to hear it is okay, and important to believe. It is important to gather a happy toddler into your arms, and important to hold a crying daughter.   It is important to rub the back of a sleeping boy and hug him still when he’s a man.  It is important to bake biscotti and serve iced tea, to care for the elderly; to swab a brow with furrows tilled on aged face and heart. It is important to gently touch her traveled feet, to massage with love, with lightest balm and richest lavender, what toil calloused, to gaze into her face, to watch silent words spill like flickering sunbeams from blue eyes, to know a grandmother at the end.  It is important to dig a grave for your dog when he is done, and it is important to snuggle a kitten who was born. It is important to bow in worship, important to fall in adoration, prone upon the dirt. It is important to let yourself be gathered up like a basket of blossoms and held near, treasured for being, for simply being.  It is important to feel the brush of friendship upon your cheek, it is important to let it touch your heart.  It is important to sit with a friend, for hours immeasurable and meandering talks, until long shadows from a retiring sun gather like piles of quilts, reminding we are snug and warm, and tomorrow’s hope will come again.   It is important to write to live well; it is important to breathe to sing the anthem well, to sing what is worth singing.  It is important to dance with hair unfurled, to twirl amidst the holy.  It is important to embrace the person embracing, to know you touch the image of God, in part.  So many things important, so many things holy, so much to ponder, for which to give thanks. Oh, come with me, we'll pull up a bit of earth and lie down flat and worship a little while longer.

Praise & Prayer

It's been awhile since I've posted here, but Praises and Thanks to God for my wonderful husband; for the trip the kids and I took to the beach for a week while he worked hard; for the hospitality of my cousin and her husband who shared their beach home with us; for safe travels; for an a/c unit gifted to us by husband's grandmother; for a few degrees cooler temp today ... prayer for some friends with special needs; for the GO team and their contacts today!