Oh, My Smallness

Majestic mountains

soar miles to a summit crowned by clouds.

Oh, my smallness in this world 

- a mere pebble.

Immense glacial walls

sculpt the land for ten thousands of years.

Oh, my smallness in this world

-a mere millisecond.

Pure awesomeness of God’s creation

accentuates my humble humanness.

Oh, my smallness in this world

- a mere inhabitant.

I recently had the privilege to sail Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. As I sailed farther and farther into the bay, I realized my smallness in comparison to the ultimate grandness surrounding me. The Park Ranger accompanying our ship made a comment about how we were sailing back in time. I felt this way as we passed mountains and glaciers that have been part of this Earth for more years than I can imagine. This was pure wilderness as no humans inhabit this area. There was a quiet hush as many passengers stood in silence honoring the amazingness around us. 

As humans, we believe that we are the BIG thing on this planet. More important than anything else on our Earth. But, being here makes you notice how small we really are. The Earth can survive without us and will continue on past our smudge of a lifetime.  We should be humbled by      this and take care of our planet that provides for our lives. 

Resurrect Your Beauty, Pronounce it Proudly

                                          How to Be a Water Lily                                                                          

                                            

Water-dwelling majestic flower,
Command notice.
Do not be demure in your splendor.

You are not a one trick pony.
You are more than starry beauty afloat.

Reborn annually from your winter home of pond muck.
Change hues as your blooms mature.
Provide shade to cool water and slow growth of algae.
Shelter fish beneath your leaves from eyes of prey. 

Close at darkness.
Reopen at dawn.
Resurrect your beauty and pronounce it proudly.

The other morning I went kayaking at a local spot that I frequent often. This time my local pond had a surprise for me. As I slid my kayak into the water and began paddling, I looked up and saw water lilies in bloom all around the pond. I have never seen this many water lilies in bloom at one time! Such beauty surrounding me! The edge of the circumference was dotted with white flowers all the way around.  

Water lilies are one of my favorite flowers. They offer quiet beauty to their watery environment. I love to row as close as I can to them without disturbing the water, leaves or petals and just take time to observe their beauty. This was a very slow paddle as I maneuvered through the collections of water lilies and caught them at different points of blooming. Such a morning delight!

Poetry form: How to Be a ….

Fuchsia Whispered Wows

 A palette of colors 

awaits

the tip of Mother Nature’s paintbrush.

A dip into fuchsia pulls color across the sky.

Next orange sherbet spills across the atmospheric canvas.

A deep lavender dabbles cloud streaks,

as a faint baby girl pink tops off the sky.

A day-glo orange orb

sinks 

through the colors of this evening’s 

composition.

A crowd of people stood silently on the beach watching the sun sink into the waters of the bay. An utterly amazing fuchsia shade glowed underneath dark lavender clouds. You could hear whispered wows spreading through the crowd as everyone absorbed this beauty. 

I have seen many sunsets in my lifetime but this one was so unique. This sunset over the bay at Dewey Beach had colors like I had never seen before. It seemed almost incomprehensible that the sky was this ablaze with such a vibrant pink. My phone’s camera could not capture the colors’ vibrancy. It did not even come close! I just needed to stand there and soak it in so my mind would be able to pull it up as a treasured memory of this year’s vacation.