The Power of a Sunrise

Along the horizon, a

brilliant

band of orange

breaks

the darkness to a 

new day.

Rising

through pastel purples, pinks, peaches

until it fully

glows.

Flipping woe to

hope

on this beautiful

morn.

Recently, I was able to visit Tybee Island, GA.  It is a wonderful area with beautiful beaches. I am not one who usually rises early in the morning to watch the beginning of a new day but while on vacation I did this twice. 

The first time my whole family woke before 6:00 AM to make it to the beach on time. We quietly walked the block to the beach, found a seat and settled in to watch the artistic work of nature. Watching the horizon, a thin line of glowing orange was a blip on the line of purple sky that met the water. Next, an arc of golden-orange rose above the water pushing into the mix of purple and pink. Then a brilliant orange orb hung in the sky where pink met peach. Finally, the glowing yellow sun rose into the blue and a new day had begun. 

The second time I went alone on our last morning of vacation. This morning the art was a bit different but still stunningly beautiful. Dark gray clouds hovered on the edge of the gray water. No light was shining through at the designated time of sunrise. I sat patiently waiting to see if anything would change. Then as the sun reached the crest of the clouds, orange and gold illuminated the grayness. It continued to rise through a grayish haze tinted very pale pink to baby blue skies. At the end, another fantastic sunny, cornflower blue sky day had begun. 

Watching both sunrises, gave me a different start to those days. It took away any worries or concerns for the day and filled me with hope instead. Seeing the light defeat the darkness made me focus on the light in my days.  Thank you Tybee Island for this life lesson.

To Persist Through the Murkiness of Days

Smoky haze invades

battling with life-giving energy

to persist through the murkiness of days.

Fire devours all in its path

Soot remnants disperse on the winds

Smoky haze invades

Through an apocalyptic numbness

an orange orb pulsates

battling with life giving energy 

It does not succumb

but shines hope

to persist through the murkiness of days.

The past few days the skies where I live have been taken over by the smoke from the wildfires in Canada. It just hangs in the air making everything murky. As soon as you walk out of your door, the smell of fire fills your nose. The sun does not shine but you can still see it in the sky. It is an orange orb of brightness in a huge expanse of gray. It will not let the smoky haze obliterate it. It is a reminder that this murkiness will pass and our days will be lit by its light again. Just hanging in the sky it offers hope.

I realize that I am experiencing nothing compared to the people who are living near the fires and directly dealing with its destruction. My thoughts and prayers are with you. 

Poetry form: Cascade 

Hope is Barely a Flutter

The dreariness drapes over me

as my eyes flutter open to another day.

The gray gloom continues

as day has the darkness of night.

The forlornness feeds my soul-

No energy, no motivation, no umph.

The drabness is victorious

as the anticipated break from colorlessness falls in defeat.

Hope is barely a flutter-

How much longer until I feel aglow again?

Let's just say that the world has been nothing but GRAY. It has been days upon days of endless clouds ranging from light gray to almost black. At times, noon has looked like midnight out the window. This unending bleakness is taking a toll on me as well as people dear to me. The new year is not filled with energy, motivation and positivity but sluggishness and blahness. The colorlessness of the world around us is definitely feeding the unvibrancy of our lives. Even when the hope of predicted sunshine exists, the clouds rally and defeat the brilliant rays from shining through. Each day I rise hoping upon hope for even a small rip in the gray blanket that shows a brilliant blue and brightness shining through. Come on Mother Nature and deliver your gift of sunshine to my area. I long for it so my days can be fed by your warmth, light and hope. 

(The photo is the gray sky on this Sunday.)

Thin Strength

                                                                                                    

Worn thin but strength within,

battle-

clinging

to 

survival,

battle-

stress

difficulties

hope

battle,

Strength within but worn thin.

On a hike this December morning, I noticed the sun highlighting a paper thin leaf. It had faded to cream and was the last leaf clinging to the branch. It was wavering side to side in the cold, forceful winds. It seemed a bit stubborn to me. It was battling all of the elements around it to cling to life for as long as possible.  Even though its life was challenging, it was using the strength within its stem to hang on for another day.

It struck me again how similar to non-human things we are. I know that I have felt paper thin at times, that one more difficulty or unexpected turn was going to break me. I, too, was being battered by the elements of my environment. I had to look deep within myself to find the strength to keep walking through these challenging, uncertain times. My hope, even though it was faint, that things would change for the better allowed me to battle against the stresses of life. I was worn down but would use my soul strength to rise again. This hope allowed me to survive and battle on for another new day. 

My hope for you is during those times of unending pressures and stress that you will find the strength within even though you are worn thin. 

Poetry form: Skinny

Here are the guidelines for the skinny:

1. 11-line poem.
2. First and 11th line have the same words (order can be changed)
3. Lines two through 10 contain only one word.
4. Lines two, six, and 10 must use the same word.

Refracted and Reflected Hope

Refracted and reflected sunbeams      

Arcing delicately across the grumpy, grayness

Instant bursts of magical color

Nature’s way of making humans stop, stare and smile

Bride of rain

Offering hope

Worried world remember the promise of God

I had the pure delight the other night of seeing a large rainbow after a couple of days of grayness. I was driving home through changing weather- big, plonking raindrops one minute and then the next bright sunshine through some puffy white clouds. In my head  I whispered, “Could there be a rainbow?”. Then I came around a bend in the road and saw the beam of colors gloriously in front of me.  Instantly, I smiled and felt joyful. I grabbed my phone and tried to grab a photo before it disappeared (I was not driving). When I arrived home, all over social media were similar photos of this rainbow. This phenomenon of nature delivers moments of bliss to those who observe it. They also offer hope of beauty after darkness. Rainbows help keep our awe of this world alive. 

Hope on the Breeze

Warmth 

caresses my face with freshness 

that fills my soul.

A fragrance from heaven

enlivens my breath

with hope and vitality.

A glimpse of a new season

rejuvenates my spirit

promising that light and life overcome. 

Throw open the windows!! It is 70 degrees today! The past few months have been filled with winter "brrr" and it returns tomorrow. So seize the moment- open the windows and let freshness fill the house.

This is typical March weather here in upstate New York. One moment it is winter and the next it is spring. It is such a treat each year when you are able to open the windows again.  We all know that it is too soon for spring to stay but it gives such hope that those daily warm temperatures are coming ever closer.  It will be approximately another two months before the rebirth of nature fills our yards with vibrant flowers, leaves on trees, and bright green grass.  But today, well today, it confirms that the grayness, harshness and darkness of winter is fading with each new day into the light, hope and joy of spring.  

Photo: 

Golden Warrior

 

I

will

NOT

succumb to

your pressure.

I 

will 

NOT

bow low

for long.

I 

will

RISE

to my full glory.

I 

will 

RISE 

in Spring

vibrancy.

I

will

RISE.

Awoke to an April snow. It was heavy and wet.

I looked out the window and felt a sadness for my daffodils. Just yesterday their golden stars stood tall announcing Spring to the world. But today, they were bowing under the weight of the snow collected on their heads.

You could almost feel the determination of the daffodils to NOT touch the ground. There was a fighting spirit within those thin green stems saying-" You may bend me but I will not break."

I was rooting for those daffodils to rise again and later that afternoon they did! 

They were a bit battered but stood strong in their goldenness.

Two Seasons Intertwine

Two seasons intertwine-

last vestiges of snow

diminishing,

            hydrating,

                        heralding,

the squishy, squelchy mud.

- Two seasons intertwine. 

A day in March can be such a confliction. Winter and Spring vying to see who can triumph.

Still cold, brisk breezes battle the sunshine warming the air and ground

Icy, slippery, shady paths compete against the inches deep, slip-slidin’ mud encased steps 

The silence of the woods tussle with the chirps and tweets of returning birds

Winter and Spring wrestle with each other throughout the day.

I choose to be a peacemaker. I will savor the last of the snow and crisp air before it fades for another year. I happily welcome with arms wide open the hopeful signs of Spring and its soon to be arrival.

No need for conflict... just conciliation.

The birds SANG!

My eyes pry open-

as I groggily adjust

to the senses of a new day.

A forgotten sound fills my ears-

the tweeting and chirping of birds

welcoming the dawn.

A smile spreads,

joy blossoms in my soul,

winter is nearing an end.

The birds sing the 

hope of spring.

Oh what a glorious alarm! I don’t remember the last time I opened my eyes to the day and had this sweet sound fill my ears. It has been months- those cold winter months in Upstate New York. These tweets bring hope of Spring and they began my day with JOY!