Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Ode to My Wooden Spoons

 
Trusty, sturdy, simple, strong
Ready for me all day long.
Stir the batter, knead the bread,
Reach the cracks under the bed.
Grains of wood, clean cut lines
Seasoned from the million times
It's used throughout a busy week.
The spoons sit out for ready reach;
Fancy tools may have their place
And in the cupboard they will wait.
A basic tool for many tasks
Reliable for all I ask.
May I be just as ready
For any friend who needs me.
 
~Caitlin Mallery
 
 
 


Monday, April 21, 2014

Watch the Sky

The wee ones and I spent some time outside this morning. After enjoying sidewalk chalk and shadows, Ethan laid on the ground and told me he was going to "watch the sky." This delightful activity kept us all entertained for a while, discussing and observing what may be found in the sky. Here is the list we came up with:

Stars (but you can't see them during the day)

Airplanes and the moon

Clouds

Birds (geese were the favorite)

Our flag
 
Hope you all can take some time to watch the sky and find some amazing things above!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Resurrection

Moist with one drop of thy blood, my dry soul
Shall (though she now be in extreme degree
Too stony hard, and yet too fleshly) be
Freed by that drop, from being starved, hard, or foul,
And life, by this death abled, shall control
Death, whom thy death slew; nor shall to me
Fear of first or last death, bring misery,
If in thy little book my name enroll,
Flesh in that long sleep is not putrified,
But made that there, of which, and for which twas;
Nor can by other means be glorified.
May then sins sleep, and deaths soon from me pass,
That waked from both, I again risen may
Salute the last, and everlasting day.

~John Donne

Saturday, April 19, 2014

The Descent from the Cross

Is this the Face that thrills with awe
Seraphs who veil their face above?
Is this the Face without a flaw,
The Face that is the Face of Love?
Yea, this defaced, a lifeless clod,
Hath all creation's love sufficed,
Hath satisfied the love of God,
This Face the Face of Jesus Christ.
 
 
~Christina Rossetti
 


Friday, April 18, 2014

Into the Woods

Into the woods my Master went,
Clean forspent, forspent.
Into the woods my Master came,
Forspent with love and shame.
But the olives they were not blind to Him,
The little gray leaves were kind to Him:
The thorn tree had a mind to Him
When into the woods He came.

Out of the woods my Master went,
And He was well content.
Out of the woods my Master came,
Content with death and shame.
When Death and Shame would woo Him last,
From under the trees they drew Him last:
'Twas on a tree they slew Him - last
When out of the woods He came.

~Sidney Lanier

Monday, April 14, 2014

Tired

Beneath the pools of blue run subtle threads of weariness,
And above hang heavy lashes. Hands reach back
To the rub the knots of stress to gentle slack,
Perchance it may revive a former zest.
Long days of dishes make a sticky mess
While crumbs seem yet more crumbiness attract
And piles of laundry ebb and flow in their attack,
Lists and plans and calendars and clocks onward press.
By night the circuits of the brain say "Cease."
Voice is soft and just a little hoarse in bedtime song.                
Darkness gathers to hide the pains of day
A cleansing for the soul that has begun to fray.
Unspoken prayers are lifted from between the sheets,
To still the busy hands and aching bones.

~Caitlin Mallery


Right now I am eight months pregnant and raising two energetic toddlers. Everyday is exhausting! Every decision takes effort. So many days there are things that must be left undone. Yet we are all fed, clothed, and usually happy. New mercies are that of patience and grace to make it through each day from sunrise to sunset! (And sometimes in the middle of the night as well.)




Friday, April 4, 2014

Staying Busy

What do you have time for everyday?
Are you making every moment count?
Do you look back over the hours since you woke and say,
"I made it."
With a sigh of relief,
   a groan of exhaustion,
      a sense of accomplishment,
         a weight of failure?
Did you make your house a spotless paradise?
Were you able to accomplish a life long goal?
How do you feel when you made a to-do list and only
 check off one item?
Like a failure,
  Like a victor,
    did you do the important
        or the urgent?
Did little arms have a chance to wrap themselves around your neck?
Was a friend made welcome in the middle of a crisis?
Does it hurt you face to bend the muscles into a smile,
 Because it wears
  a sag of anxiety,
    a furrow of frustration,
      or a tension of perfection?
In the four-and-twenty hours of a day,
 did you find the bridge between hope and despair?
 (It's sleep.)
 did you notice something that might have grown?
 (A plant, a tooth, a new word.)
 did you look outside to see the weather?
 (God made the sun and the rain.)
 did you wash the dishes and make the bed?
 (Little things make the home feel nice.)
 did you rock your baby and let them interrupt you?
 (Just so they know you're available.)
 did you say "I love you"?
 (Important words.)
 did you do just one thing on that to-do list?
 (Small steps for big messes.)

Stay busy with an open heart
         for joy.
Stay busy with an open mind
         for wisdom.
Stay busy with open eyes
         for beauty.
Stay busy with open hands
         for loving.

~Caitlin Mallery