100 Days of Poetry: Days 66-70

Worshipping

I watch the congregation today
From my vantage point behind a vase of roses

A man just released from prison sits with his wife and children
Crisp white shirt and tie
Peace radiating from their faces

Peace, too, on the face of the woman stroking her husband's hand
As he leans into her
And they watch their children perform "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus"
She mouths the words
Most of the parents do
But the children don't need the prompting
And more than one congregant wipes a tear
Children in hair bows and Sunday ties, singing loudly, have that effect

Back in his pew, a four-year old curls into his father's arms
And this is the scene that captures me today
Father and son gaze eye to eye
Sharing a private conversation
While the service swirls around them
And then son melts onto dad's shoulder
Trusting completely in a love that wraps around him as surely as dad's arms

Across the aisle, a middle-aged woman sits with her elderly mother
Both impeccably dressed
Hair and makeup perfect
A bright and determined smile crosses the daughter's face when I catch her eye
No hint of the dementia-fueled struggle that likely prefaced the chapel calm

All of the smiles today contrast with stories at home
Marriages strained at the seams
Crippling anxiety
Fear
Devastations of age
But the peace in the chapel today is real and palpable
An oasis of spirit

Monday Mornings

Trail winding up
Hints of sunshine, ridge beckons
Legs burn, breath comes hard

Views from the clearcut
Cell tower, distant mountains
New growth amid stumps

Cougar tracks? Perhaps
Logging trucks, spent shotgun shells
We are not alone

Running and chatting
Politics, marriage, scripture
We cover it all

Wonderful muddy buddies
Monday morning therapy

Visiting the Grands

Piles of books
Two hearts in sync
Wolf howls on demand
Peals of laughter
Doting aunt working toward "favorite" status
Hugs unlimited
Stairs to climb and descend (backwards, of course)
Vintage Fisher-Price
Extra bowls of mac and cheese
Falling asleep in "Papa's" arms
Bedtime kisses
Dreams of tomorrow's adventures

Fruits of Procrastination 

Late to bed again
Completing one final task
To sleep or to write?

4/4/2019

Toddler gag reflex activated
Vomit-covered car seat
Open-window drive home
Sunshine saves the day

Field trip to Baxters'
Four fluffy cats
Avery falls in love
(With cats, not horse)

Playground with the girls
Fresh cedar bark, ah!
Teenagers play like toddlers
Huge smiles all around

Games finish the day
We build our dominions
Meara wins, beginners' luck
Mom loses while laughing

Not what we planned
The day we needed