Poem 5 of 30 by Christine Tracy

 

Friends

In the grand scheme

there is nothing

quite as pure,

as holy,

as personal,

as sweet,

as nurturing,

as joyful,

as dear,

and as precious, as

the gift

of a

true friendship.

Poem 4 of 30 by Christine Tracy

Home Again

A new place

A new life

Uprooted

Unfinished

Far away

New old place

Reconstructed

Emerging garden

Feeling displaced.

Longing for a place 

That's no longer home.

Hurting heart softens

And lets beauty emerge.

If I look

There it is.

Loveliness

New possibilities

Bountiful joy

Merge into something equally

Beautiful as before.

Finally

Home again.

Poem 3 of 30 by Christine Tracy

Erin Ann

Waking today

At the exact time

I gave birth to my first

40 years ago.

Coincidence?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Looking back

Somehow a circle has been completed.

And wholeness is released.

The birth of a new season.

Propelled by the love and pride

I have gleaned from being in the presence

Of a wisdom that came through me

But is not me.

She now teaches me.

A daughter

Full of life and love

Now in the midst of her own circle making.

Poem 2 of 30 by Christine Tracy

 

Two Words

In the quiet early of the day

Before the sun, while the birds are singing the trees awake;

I sit, puppy in lap; writing tool at hand

And wait for words to come.

Words of life; of love; of encouragement;

Of sadness; grief; and prayer.

Words forming like sculptures in my heart;

Yearning to live, to be released.

To be sent and received;

To bring healing and love.

Today, those words are:

"Brave."

"Excellence."

Words for me.

Perhaps for you?

Good words.

"Live by" words.

Reminding words.

To be, to give, to conquer, to love.

Words that challenge,

But words that do not demand perfection.

Calling me to simply "be."

Words that are enough.

And good.

Poem 1 of 30 by Christine Tracy

 

In the Quiet of the Hard

In the quiet places of the hard things

Are seeds of future gifts.

Good God gifts.

Gifts for you; for others.

Untie the ribbon of grief.

Open the wrapping paper of fear.

Look deep into the box of loss.

Now take hold of the promise.

Breathe in the glimmer of hope.

Notice the strategic seeds of serendipity.

Witness the new sprout, the growth, and the flower.

And remember the hard soil

that brought forth new life; new joy.

Coincidences: Is God Trying to Tell Us Something?

So do you think God doesn't speak to you? Perhaps you need to be aware of how He can speak. Today, I did the old "close-your-eyes-and-open-your-Bible-and-point" method.  It was exactly the encouragement I needed. You see, I'm getting older and wondering how effective anything I do ever is. Right after that thought went through my mind is when I pointed to this:

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him." (Psalm 92:14-15)

Coincidence, you say? I don't believe in coincidences anymore, except to define them as God revealing Himself in our circumstances.

Who Can I Help Today?

The other day I was unpacking boxes and found a bunch of old journals. While there were delightful memories of cute things my children said; adventures we shared; and wonderful prayers I penned; there were also some dark passages. My journals served as a wilderness therapist on my mountain in Colorado. I brought to them my uncertainties, my griefs, and my dark thoughts, along with my ideas, dreams, and goals. 

The tapestries of our lives are made up of good and bad; light and dark; rough and smooth; aren't they? 

My journals exposed some new truths to me, and reminded me of prayers that were never answered, highlighted by many cries to my God: "Will you please help me?"

I have heard it said God doesn't hide His promises and gifts from us; but He hides them for us to search out and find. So this week God gently, through my imagination, told me that I had been asking the wrong question. Instead of the "help me" prayer, I should try asking "Who can we help today?" In so doing, he showed me, I would find the answer to my first prayer, because as He helps others through me - He opens up my own spirit and soul to receive so much more "help" from Him. The flow is like a living stream that brings color and light and refreshing to not only my own soul - but to that of the person He shows me to bless.

My book, "Tapestry, The Divine Design for Your Life," is available for print and Kindle: https://amzn.to/3tplkBN