A Quiet Christmas

Almost Christmas, I'm late to the party, but thought I would make a mad dash and add this anyway.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, ours will be a quiet Christmas, but we'll celebrate later, no worries. Here's a little bit of our quiet Christmas. 

This lovely porcelain dome, lit by candle, depicts a detailed and beautiful Christmas scene. 

I decided to try a cubed poem for Christmas:

Angels sing:

Glory! A

Blessed babe!!!

Shepherds too

Worship the

Holy One

While starshine

Splinters the

dark... truly!

Karen Eastlund

Many thanks to Buffy Silverman for hosting on this holiday Friday. You will find a lovely poem from our winter poetry poetry swap, as well as Buffy's beautiful tree poem at her site: buffysilverman.com

My best to you all for a merry, happy, healthy and kind holiday.

Karen

Poetic Gifts

 Hello to my poetry friends. What a lovely gift arrived this week!

This is my first time to join the poetry swap within our community, and this week, just on schedule, I received a package of several gifts from the talented Margaret Simon. 

First is a poem written just for me...a lovely and thought provoking ekphrastic poem:

We are Lucent

lighting branches

of winter trees,

wicks lit in a circle

wreath centered on our shared table

counting days to solstice

soul-searching time.

We open our hearts

to whatever comes;

be it grace or grief,

we are ready.

We love what we love

licking our fingers

after stirring in butter.

We offer our gifts at a table

or under a tree

while we seek

those silent gifts

sent on swaying

winter trees.

by Margaret Simon for Karen Eastlund

Winter Poetry Swap 2021

This poem has special meaning for me as we have been burning candles daily in our home, a new practice instituted by my husband. I find that the glowing candles and the flickering flames offer a sense of hope and well-being beyond my expectations. We even made our own candle from leftover wax, and I found some waxed twine that suffices as a wick. We are lucent!!! I especially love the image of "licking our fingers after stirring in butter."

I also received a lovely book of art by Margaret's father... his pointillist images fascinate me...accompanied by poems by Margaret. An enclosed CD provides carols and Margaret's  reading of her poems. She speaks of her love for her father and his work as well as the season and gift of faith. What treasures!

Many thanks to Margaret for my very own glowing poem, and for the lovely book and CD. I will continue to enjoy them in the days ahead.

This time of year is a time of soul searching, of counting days. May your soul be well fed and your days rich with blessings. 

It is Poetry Friday! Join the group at Jone Rush Macculloch's where solstice greetings will abound. You are invited to join the fun.

With thanks for publication

 I'm delighted to have two poems in Bridget Magee's Ten by Ten Poetry Anthology: Celebrating Ten in Ten Different Ways. I received my copy and found that I have the honor of the very last poem in the book. I rather love that spot! So... here... without further ado... I will share with you...

 Great job on the cover!

What Tends to Happen

Spring again

Hoe in hand

I work the soil

Earthworms roil

Pull the weeds

Plant some seeds

Water deep

Plan to reap

But then...

Days get warm

Insects swarm

New weeds grow

I stub my toe

Mud stains

Interest wanes

Woodchucks excavate

Grubs decimate

Caterpillars chew

I'm through

Plants wilt

I gather guilt

End of tale...

Epic fail!

So...

Next spring's plan...

Try again?

Or... alas...

more grass?

- Karen Eastlund

Thank you for including me in your anthology, Bridget! So much fun. And if any of you readers haven't found this book yet, it's available on Amazon and many of our posting friends are in it. Give it a try!

It is Poetry Friday, and you can find the gang at Cathy L Mere's Merely Day by Day. Cathy is a wise writer who has learned to be patient with her poems, and it shows in the one she posted today. Go ahead and take a look...

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a good week.

Inspired by this book...

An heirloom quilt... probably made by a relative of my Grandma Henrietta

It's December, get out the quilts! This one makes me smile...

 There's a book I fall back on when I need a little pick-me-up, and it's such a fun book that I thought I would share some of it today.  It isn't exactly poetry, but it is poetic, and perfect to use in a classroom. So... think of it as my little gift to you if you are a teacher or writer. It is a gem.

The title is I Love and it is written by Brigitte Minne. 

Without permission I can't share too much, but here's what Amazon says:

A girl describes all of her favorite things, from standing on her Papa's feet as he dances around the room to chewing bubble gum until it is just right.

The descriptions are in the voice of a young girl, but written so beautifully that you will get a warm fuzzy feeling as you are reminded of your own childhood. It also provides a good mentor text for young writers. 

Some are funny: I love to stare at the principal's large hairy mole.  

And don't miss this one: I love to stand on a chair when dinner is over and say, "Quiet, please.  I will now recite a poem."

Well, I've probably gone further than I should, but I do recommend this sweet quirky book. It will warm your heart and give you ideas for further writing.

And now, I will attempt a tricube as prompted by the book above. (I was going to add a tricube about making quilts but I can't get the photo I want, so... I rather like this one also.)

I love to

add a bow

to green wreaths

Round as the

wheel of year

full of twig

bough, berry

welcoming

to my home

 - Karen Eastlund

The Poetry Friday round-up is over at Michelle Kogan's where she shares her gorgeous holiday card and poem. Find her HERE. It's always a good party so please join in!  

Happy December!

Hemmed with Quietness

 Welcome to Spiritual Journey Thursday! Those of us who post here share our journeys once a month. This month our focus is waiting, hope, and the seasonal holidays.

In the Christian tradition, this is the season of advent... a season of preparation for the coming of the Christ child. The season reminds me of pregnancy, it is a time of waiting and hope. These days, however, can get crazy busy. I have to remind myself... what is my focus?

I have a wonderful book of prayers that I'm sharing from today. It offers two year's of daily readings as well as many other resources. 

From The Celtic Book of Prayer: Prayers and Readings from the Northumbria Community,  Aidan's readings, the meditation for Dec. 7th offers these two gems:

  The pilgrim worried that he would not have much time to care for his love-relationship with God. The Lord answered:

    Do you have only one minute? Hem it with quietness. Do not spend it thinking how little time you have. I can give you much in one minute.  

    As the ripples of the river glance up to the light, let your heart glance up to Me in little looks of love very often in the day.

Many traditions celebrate this time of year. I wish you all gentle holidays. May your days be hemmed with quietness. May you find time to glance up with love. May your season be blessed with peace and joy.

Thanks to Christine Margoqs for providing our prompt this month and for hosting today. You can find Christine's most interesting post HERE.

    

I Raked Yesterday

 I woke up early yesterday. The lawn needed raking before the final mow, so I got up and raked. I could hear the birds singing in the cool air, and raking felt good. I much prefer it to the din of leaf blowers.

Leaves falling into the Black River

Later in the day we walked in the woods to the south of us. Rain was expected in the evening and Friday, so we thought Thursday might be the last day to see good color before rain brings the leaves down. 

I found an old poem that I'm working on and will share here... I haven't thought about a title yet.

A lone leaf

Whirlwinds

Past my window

Too late

For the main event

The branches bare

The streets

Already hoovered

© Karen Eastlund

It's a beautiful time of year... I hope you are enjoying it wherever you are. My best to you.

It's Poetry Friday, of course. This week is hosted by the famous Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme. Thanks for hosting, Matt!

The Language of Gratitude

 

Welcome to this sharing of Spiritual Journeys, hosted this month by Denise Krebs at https://mrsdkrebs.edublogs.org. Our topic is gratitude. Please join us and chime in.

A sermon pointed to the connection between gratitude and grace.  When I look at the words grace and gratitude together it seems obvious, but I had not thought of gratitude that way. But consider this... the word for thanks in Spanish... gracias.  And in Italian, grazie. 

The thing is, the connection surprised me. I couldn't get it, and I'm still not sure that I do. Am I overlooking the obvious that all good gifts (graces) come from God?  Am I making something out of nothing?  Why doesn't this work for me?

Frederick Buechner writes this about grace: Grace is something you can never get but only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth.

But what did I know of grace? Was it a "wow" moment from above? Did I think grace had to leave me with my mouth open and tears in my eyes? What about the time that our car broke down in the middle of Iowa, and a guy pulled in right next to us, his family in the car, the back seat full of diapers and baby clothes, and the trunk loaded with nothing but car parts. He insisted on giving us the exact part we needed, and would take no money for it. I was pretty sure that was grace.

And what about gratitude? I knew that an expression of gratitude was the expected response to every kindness that came along, but maybe somewhere in that practice I had become jaded. I often said thank you only because I should. I uttered it for each cookie and pencil and open door, but it didn't seem to mean much. Had I lost the connection to grace?

I'm pretty sure we never fully realize our blessings, but now I have to ask if I discern them at all. Maybe the work of the day and the juggling of this and that gets my mind so cluttered that I forget the important things. And then, by the grace of God, these important things, these graces, sort of slap me in the face and say, "Hey! Pay attention!" Maybe with this challenge of connecting grace to gratitude, I'll begin to get it.  

In Thessalonians we are urged to give thanks for everything, in every circumstance, because it is the will of God. I'm sure I could only do that by grace.  Maybe that, for me, is the connection. Only by the free gift of grace...

Mary Oliver expresses gratitude so beautifully in her poem Mindful:

Every day
….I see or hear
……..something
…………that more or less

kills me
….with delight,
……..that leaves me
…………like a needle

in the haystack
….of light.
……..It was what I was born for –
…………to look, to listen,

to lose myself
….inside this soft world –
……..to instruct myself
…………over and over

in joy, 
….and acclamation.

  (read the rest here.)

She goes on to mention both the exceptional and the drab and ordinary. Her poem is another impetus to give thanks in every circumstance, for both beautiful and drab. 

I have surely been blessed well beyond my ability to discern grace, and well beyond my depth of gratitude. I can only pray for new insight, for a new heart, for the courage to share. 

Of the exceptional graces shown to me, I will share one which is appropriate to the season...

Years ago, shortly after the sudden death our little Andy, when gratitude was so hard to find, our 3-yr-old son Carl came home from preschool with a Native American grace he had learned for Thanksgiving, complete with gestures:

May the Great Spirit overhead                      - make a big circle above your head

In the future                                                      - extend your hand in front of you

As in the past                                                     - extend your hand behind you

Bring to our hearts                                           - put your hand on your heart

Much love and happiness                               - cross your hands over your heart

At a time when we most needed grace, there it was, a beautiful blessing, a fountain of grace from our own little one. 

November turns us toward Thanksgiving, and opens the door for grace. May our hearts overflow with gratitude.

PS: One practice of gratitude is to say grace at meals. Here is our traditional one:

Come, Lord Jesus

Be our guest

Let these gifts

To us be blessed.

Amen.

If you have a grace tradition, I would love for you to share it in the comments. And may the grace of God be with you and yours this Thanksgiving season.