It is a glorious summer morning. Cooler, finally, after the recent relentless heat wave, but still summer-warm without a tinge of humidity. Birdsong fills the branches around me to overflowing; cicadas razor the gentle breeze. The air is almost unbearably sweet: I cannot breathe deeply enough. A golden swallowtail butterfly alights spread-winged, high amidst the green of the tree before me, and remains there, to be admired.
The children are at church day camp – so excited at the prospects surveyed merely from the classroom doorways this first morning that Dad didn’t even receive a backward glance at drop off. I pull up a chair in our backyard in a rare moment of peace and calm and well, a state so alien to parenting small children – solitude. Psalm 118 stretches out invitingly before me on the page. I smile at the aptness – one of Scripture’s greatest gifts.
“This is the day the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
I sit and breathe and then begin to write. May our words, and our work today reflect this gladness.
And so as the poppy-bright cardinal serenades me from the top of my maple tree, only a few brazen feet away, I join his song. And share another poem below with you.
In the morning, and at the close of day, Praise Him.
Bright to Behold
These are the days, bright to behold,
that feed us into the long cold nights;
the moments for which you would give
a lifetime
for a mere handful
to keep in your soul’s pockets.
A simmering day drops to tepid night
heralding the soft rain to come
at close of eyes.
The scent of anticipation –
water soon to fall from sky
on wind rushing trees;
the surf of the woods around me
lifts all world toward setting sun,
heaven-tossed,
as trees and grass and bush wave green,
bowing low to lake shivering
with cry of loon and whip-poor-will.
An offering of exultant peace,
and the writing of it, my praise.
Lover of God, happy wife, mama to 4, writer, teacher, author of
Dear Carolyn,
to have a few moments to ourselves on a wonderful morning in God|s creation, is one of the most precious gifts we can have. It truly helps us to rejoice and then be glad in His day ! Thank you so very much for this post and for sharing the wonderful poem with us.
Annemarie
Thank you Annemarie! I so agree that it is indeed a gift to have a quiet moment with God. The rush and busyness are good too, and often require a spiritual discipline to secure peace within, but the actual solitude is lovely as well, and drunk deeply. Today is it wickedly stormy out, so glad I seized the day yesterday! :) Blessings on your day!
“the moments for which you would give
a lifetime
for a mere handful
to keep in your soul’s pockets.”
Oh. my. Stopped me cold in my rushed tracks of rushing the little ones and list making this morning. Beautiful reminder to rejoice in Him and the day He has made. Thank you.
Thanks Karen. Rush. Hush. I yearn to feel God’s presence in both, in the overlap. So good to have you here!
I enjoyed your post. I am constantly amazed how creation can cause our spontaneous praise and wonder. I’m glad you got a few minutes of peace and that you took time to enjoy it. If you are interested here is a post I recently wrote when I had a few moments of peace by the ocean: http://forhisglory-alone.blogspot.com/2012/08/surrounds.html?m=0
Looking forward to hearing that your newest package has arrived.
In Christ,
Jaime
Beautiful poem, Jaime! Thanks for the link, and for sharing. Makes me miss the ocean! Though the Great Lakes are vast, and I find a familiarity there. You are right, God’s greatness takes in our small, and creation does bring forth spontaneous praise. Thanks friend!
Beautiful!
I wish I could write such poetry as that but I do have YOU to read. It is simply lovely…
I was just reading what a dear friend wrote to me on Facebook this morning. She is a mother to seven or eight children and now a grandmother of three (her youngest is I think five).
We were talking about how fast the years go when children are growing up. Days can seem so long then you look back and they are college age and older.
You made my day, Brenda, as I feel that way about so many authors I read! :) And thanks for the reminder about time and perspective, especially when it comes to being with little ones. I love being at home with them right now, cherishing these precious years, but we all need encouragement and wisdom. Thank you (and your friend) for sharing yours!
Your writing is praise indeed !
We enter in….
How kind! I hope it is praise … I pray it is! :)
Friendship is praise, too. You are proof.
A lovely way to start this day, Caro. Thank you.
I enjoyed the image of memories and moments being ‘squirreled away’ for winter seasons. How true. I am thankful for a few of those moments this summer to put into my soul’s pocket.
For whatever reason your poem reminded me of the second verse of one of my favorite short pieces of service music written by Samuel Wesley and George Strickling (found in the ‘new’ Trinity Hymnal No 727):
Lead me, Lord, lead me in your righteousness,
make thy way plain before my face.
For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only,
that makest me dwell in safety.
Teach me, Lord, teach me truly how to live,
that I may come to know thee,
and in thy presence serve thee with gladness,
and sing songs of praise to thy glory.
Oh how beautiful! Thank you for sharing. You always have the most amazing thoughts to add from your finger tips.
Ahhh, a heart-swell poem to refresh me halfway through a post-headcold cleaning frenzy. I read your book last week, and I’m nearly halfway through a second go at it- slower, this time. I could write you a book about all our surprising similarities icluding the odd symptoms and throwing up on occaisional nights. I had to drop out of college due to my odd illnesses because I had two grand mal seizures and I was unable to keep up with course work after them. Instead, I married a year later and had four children. That’s much easier, right? (haha). There will be no Oxford for me, nor any university level liturature studies, but I got to go there whith you through your book. Thank you a thousand times! And thank you for re-creating the wonderful conversations you and others had with that scientist and heart surgeon at christmas and many more.
For me, it was adrenal exhaustion, as far as I can tell. Doctors were perplexed. I laughed when you called high school and college your adrenaline days. God bless you.
God bless you, too, Holly. So with you girl! It’s amazing what we put ourselves through as fallen creatures, eh? Wow 4 kids – yeah, that sure is a much easier route. LOL! Thank you for sharing your heart here, and for even reading the book and then taking the time to connect. So very much appreciated. Praying for you!
What a lovely reflection on summer! Summer is my favorite season for several reasons. I have a couple of months free of teaching responsibilities, I love the warmer weather, and I love evening picnics and concerts at Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. My husband and I go there often and sit there under the trees and stars, listening to the rather loud cicadas and glorious classical music. Whether sitting in my yard or at Ravinia, I try to savor every moment, since I know that the winter cold will come back (and I do NOT like being cold!). When you wrote that “these are the days, bright to behold, that feed us into the long cold nights,” you captured all my feelings about summer! You have a gift for writing poetry, and I look forward to reading more of your poems.
Thanks for the encouragement and empathy, Cheryl! I’m a summer lover, too. I have to be in the mood for chill :) Your summer events sound just lovely – and I think teachers have a special fondness for this time of year! :)
May God richly bless you as much as you bless others through your soul’s words of praise. I was blessed to read your words this morning. To savor words so aptly joined together is almost like eating a favorite dessert! :)
God bless you, too, Gloria. What a beautiful thing to say. Thank you. I’m a dessert as well as a summer lover, so your words go straight to my heart (and soul). Enjoy your day!
I sat here this morning reading your words with my fingers in my ears to block out the noise of squabbling children. Lol! 3 of them have now gone to school (praise God!) and I am left at home with just the 2yr old, so actually have a chance to comment!
We are just coming into spring, on this side of the world, and I’m noticing the buds breaking, the asparagus coming up in my garden and the bright yellow daffodils drooping down my driveway as a welcome respite from the sick and fractious children I’ve been looking after for the last few weeks!
I’m glad you have some cooler weather – it’s hard being very pregnant in the heat.
I’m so honoured you would read here during a moment of (relative, fingers in ears) quiet! That really means something :) We are having a beautiful week here! Such a reprieve from the heatwave. Enjoy your spring, and good health now too I pray!
I’m so glad to have read this! I went searching for more familiarity with you after reading your memoir earlier this week and this is what I found. Perfect! Thank you for sharing yourself, working to build up the body with your story and heart. I’m so glad your love story continues. Not that it could be any other way. And your songs of praise in amongst the child-rearing, book-writing, housekeeping and messiness of life are a great encouragement to us and a joyful offering to our God, I’m sure. I’m off to talk others into reading your book . . . thanks again for sharing!
Thanks for your support and encouragement, Katie! So glad to have you with us. God bless!
So beautiful, so many relaxing imagery!