Two sides shift
Imperceptibly at first
Small compromises build
One upon another
Hidden faults eventually surface
Rifts become wider
Life sucked out
Rushes back as a tsunami of pain
Causing more destruction than meets the eye
Foundations damaged
Possessions scattered
Souls lost
Generations scarred
The bitter end is bigger than its beginning
As she approached I remembered her daughter had lived in Asia. Probably prompted by my daughter’s potential adventure. I asked how her daughter was doing. She brightened and answered, “Oh she’s doing great! She’s married and lives in Seattle now. Now my son lives in Amsterdam and I got to visit him.”
It wasn’t one-upmanship, really. The thought strolled into my mind unbidden and unspoken. Filling my heart with joy. “My son lives in heaven and when I go to see him it will be to stay.”
My birthday started as I hit the ground running or rather stretching and exercising, trying to nip a back pain flare-up in the bud, and a couple of text messages with birthday greetings. After leaving the house for work a few minutes late I got stuck behind a semi-truck with engine problems. Thankfully, I had prepared our school breakfast items the day before so I was able to serve breakfast on time just a few minutes after I got to work.
My day was filled with pleasant surprises and experiences. I share a birthday with our principal. My friend and co-worker came bearing gifts (among them cake). A third-grade class made a birthday poster for me to post in the lunch room, two coworkers called to sing “Happy Birthday” to me. Our janitor walked through the kitchen whistling a happy birthday tune. Various students gave me birthday greetings as they came through the lunch line. One little guy, missing his front tooth, sang his unique version ending with, “happy birthday Therry”.
After work I made a quick stop at home to put my cake in the fridge and found a card on the counter from my husband. After weeks of Friday after-work appointments I enjoyed attending my Bible Study again. It was interesting to learn more about the cultural celebration of Easter compared to the celebration of the feast days established by God in the Old Testament and precisely fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament. Next I enjoyed a brisk walk through our little town to meet my friend for coffee (tea for me).
The evening capped the day with my favorite salad at the Nordstrom café, my favorite movie at home (Return to Me) and my favorite friend (my husband).
Accepted in the Beloved~
A few years ago I experienced a particularly discouraging difficulty with an overwhelming sense of rejection. Each morning I would hear that still small voice saying “you are accepted in the beloved.” Yesterday as I read the many birthday greetings received via social media and old-fashioned cards that same phrase came to mind. And I am grateful.
I am not super excited about the latest gift my aging body has given me along with aching joints and the need for reading glasses. But I am grateful for the perspective that coming through some life difficulties has given me. I am grateful for an increasing love for God’s Word and increased understanding. There is nothing more exciting to me than a good Bible Study! I am grateful for increased love and appreciation for my husband. I am thankful and blessed by the love of family and friends. God has given me the gift of peace and I am truly happy. “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he (Jesus) hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:6
Brooding, boiling clouds black and gray
Release rainfall with a fury
Just moments ago
When I glanced through the window.
Urging me to curl up
With my book and cup of tea
But now clouds turned inside out,
Lift and sigh after a good cry,
Showing their silver lining,
Letting bits of blue peek through,
Streaks of golden sunshine
Illuminate pink newborn blossoms,
And highlight the pre-spring day,
Inviting me to come out and play.
At 2:30 in the morning
The sky is midnight black
Air. Cool, clean and crisp caresses me
Trees now stand still and silent
Ornamental grasses barely nod, as if falling asleep
Vacant roads are not as empty as I thought they would be
Yet I wait at red lights and let imaginary traffic go first
Streets have been swept clean by passing cars and driving rain
Logs, limbs and leaves are piled on either side
At 2:35 the sky is silver gray
And a full moon sleeps beneath
A thin summer blanket of clouds
Welcomed to more rural lands,
By the acrid scent of a distant fire,
An afternoon of time travel,
Back into history,
Off the asphalt path,
Deeper into the aging forest,
Near to the heart of the mountain.
The conductor calls all to attention,
With the shrill, singing tune of the train whistle blown,
And the warning clang of the bell,
Startled children clap their hands over their ears,
And respond with shrill cries of their own.
Moving slowly along the track
Swaying to the clickity clack
Past drying ponds and river beds,
Beaver dams and old homesteads,
A parent relates beaver tales,
Kid’s revel in the rhythm of the rails,
They conduct an invisible symphony,
Then the train slows for all to see,
Majesty.
Mount Rainier looms large before us,
Balding. Snowy white has
Given way to granite gray,
Pictures are snapped in rapid fire,
Comments on the mount’s attire
Or lack thereof.
We pick up the pace to the old logging camp,
Through lush forest dark and damp,
Sunlight filters through stately trees,
On shimmering waves
Of clean, cool air,
Hiding ghosts living in there,
Exposing verdant ferns.
Locomotives and cranes are quiet and tall,
The logging camp buildings are neat and small,
It wasn’t calm like this at all,
100 years ago.
Sound of the warning whistle calls us back,
The clanging bell calls out the “all-aboard,”
Squeaking, thumping, skins of metal scrape,
Creating friction with the swaying of the cars,
Children of good conduct sleep,
On the shoulders of their parents,
Too tired to utter as much as a peep,
As the unique tune of the train whistle wails out its warning,
When we cross the asphalt highway,
And the steam of 1,000 pressure cookers
Carries us back to present day.
Sherry Bibb, 8/22/15
Spring renewal so romantic and quaint,
But I’m here to tell you that sometimes it ain’t.
And when the notices come all at once,
Respond in time or be a dunce,
Member of this, certified in that.
Renew the license on the cat,
Renew my privilege to drive,
And my pledge to help someone survive,
(In the event of my demise,
My parts may live on in disguise.)
Renew attempts to not be fat,
Renewals make my wallet flat
But to complain is of no use,
Except it’s fun to sound like Dr. Seuss.
Twenty-something years ago,
Sunday best, toddler in tow,
Red curls and dressy frills,
Chasing Easter egg-finding thrills,
Dads hiding them all around,
Rejoicing when each one is found.
Two-thousand years ago,
Passover Lamb they didn’t know,
Resurrected! He conquered death,
Redemption for those He’d given breath,
Responding to the gospel sound,
Rejoicing when each one is found.
©SBibb 2015
I will praise You in the morning
You are the great creator God
Maker of everything
I will praise You in the noontime
You are my great redeemer God
Unto You I sing
I will praise You forever and ever
Forever and ever You are God
I will praise You in the evening
You are the great sustainer God
For You I live and die
I will praise You I the midnight
You are my great protector God
Unto You I cry
I will love You forever and ever
Forever and ever You are God
A splatter
on the unsuspecting glass,
Reveals the path wherein the bird did pass,
Met with disgust
And then a frenzied cleaning,
Another splotch
onto the pane did settle,
A second glance
Revealed a soft, pink petal
Met with delight
A sign of spring trees preening.
Tea and Poetry 