Mary's Song

If you are not familiar with Luci Shaw's poetry, give yourself a gift this season and pick up one of her beautiful books.  

Mary's Song

Blue homespun and the bend of my breast
keep warm this small hot naked star
fallen to my arms. (Rest ...
you who have had so far
to come.) Now nearness satisfies
the body of God sweetly. Quiet he lies
whose vigour hurled
a universe. He sleeps
whose eyelids have not closed before.
His breath (so slight it seems
no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps
to sprout a world.
Charmed by dove's voices, the whisper of straw,
he dreams,
hearing no music from his other spheres.
Breath, mouth, ears, eyes
he is curtailed
who overflowed all skies,
all years.
Older than eternity, now he
is new. Now native to earth as I am, nailed
to my poor planet, caught that I might be free,
blind in my womb to know my darkness ended,
brought to this birth
for me to be new-born,
and for him to see me mended
I must see him torn.

The Barn

The Barn

"I am tired of this barn!" said the colt
"And every day it snows.
Outside there's no grass any more
and icicles grow on my nose.
I am tired of hearing the cows
breathing and talking together.
I am sick of these clucking hens.
I HATE stables and winter weather!"

"Hush, little colt" said the mare,
"And a story I will tell
of a barn like this one of ours
and the wonders that there befell.
It was weather much like this
and the beasts stood as we stand now
in the warm good dark of the barn,
a horse and an ass and a cow."

"And sheep?" asked the colt. "Yes, sheep
and a pig and a goat and a hen.
All the beasts of the barnyard
the usual servants of men.
And into their midst came a lady
and she was as cold as death,
but the animals leaned above her
and made her warm with their breath.

"There was her baby born
and laid to sleep in the hay
while music flooded the rafters
and the barn was as light as day,
and angels and kings and shepherds
came to worship the babe from afar,
but we looked at Him first of all creatures
by the bright strange light of a star!

~ Elizabeth Coatsworth

October by Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost –
For the grape’s sake along the wall.

-- Robert Frost

Resolution Update

1. Go for a walk or ride my exercise bike or do home Tai Chi or go to the gym 5 times a week.  I joined a gym and I actually go.  Yoga, Zumba, Weights -- I'm there! One week I got to EIGHT classes.  This week, probably only 4, but I do do something 5-6 days a week.

On a side note, I am down 6 pounds.  I've been mindful of what I am eating, but not really dieting per se.  Just moving more.
  
2. Get to church at least 3 Sundays a month. Two Sundays a month, but we did have the flu, so that kept us home.

3. Visit my folks more. Never enough.

4. Have people over for dinner more often.  Yes! Have had company over for dinner twice this year.

5. Get the kids up at 7:00 on schooldays in order to get the mandatory work done before we leave the house.  Somehow we got involved in lots of midday activities and none of us are any good in the classroom after 3:00. Fail, as we don't get up at 7.  We have been faithful at getting up at 7:30.

6. Work on my manuscript!  Haven't touched it.  Need more uninterrupted time.

New Year's Resolutions

My New Year's Resolutions
1. Go for a walk or ride my exercise bike or do home Tai Chi or go to the gym 5 times a week.
2. Get to church at least 3 Sundays a month.
3. Visit my folks more.
4. Have people over for dinner more often.
5. Get the kids up at 7:00 on schooldays in order to get the mandatory work done before we leave the house.  Somehow we got involved in lots of midday activities and none of us are any good in the classroom after 3:00.
6. Work on my manuscript!