A Winter's Day

Snow

flaked down and

gentled by the wind

as morning opened.

Evening 

softened and still ~

snow rests on tree and land

til morning.

“When snow falls, nature listens.”

~ Antoinette Van Kleef

Quotation from countryliving.com

Stark and Cold

A bony, icy finger

slid into the crevice

between

fleece hood, wooly scarf,

thick turtled sweater to

thinly ice my neck.

Pulling my hood tight

against the wind

adjusting my backpack

I let the wind push me

forward as

took my groceries home.

“That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how

 to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again.”

~ Ali Smith,  Winter

Now

Stepping back from 

the brilliant whiteness

that is my future, 

I relax into the sunshine

that is now.

“Nothing ever becomes real ’til it is experienced.”

~ John Keats

Chapter Two, Episode Sixty-Eight - What Will Be - Situationally Theirs

What Will Be

“Dez, do you think we are taking this Covid thing seriously?” Emelina and her sister were upstairs in the living room after a good supper. Cook had made them a hearty chicken stew, Dez made a green salad and Em set the table for the three of them. Cook was going to go home, but they convinced her to stay. When they were finished they shooed Cook off home with a good portion of her chocolate cake. They tidied up themselves, took their tea and chocolate cake upstairs. “What do you mean Em? Of course we’ve taking it seriously. We all wear our masks, we wear our masks when we’re going to be around others and otherwise, social distancing. How much more can we do?”

Finishing the last crumb of cake and licking the fork, she paced to the window. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just worrying too much. After isolating with Jeremy for the two weeks, it did make me think. So much is going on at the hospitals and in clinics. Then there’s been the people picketing outside of them. It’s just so unfair and really makes me quite angry. I just want Jeremy to be safe and well and come home…….Oh, let’s not talk about it. You’re right. We are doing what we can do. It just gets so strange sometimes. Making sure I’ve got my keys and money with me, and a new mask. ”

Dez shook her head and smiled. “And it is getting so I want to just stay out here and away from everyone else. I haven’t seen Matt for ages, but just stay away to feel safe.” Her smile faded. “We really need to talk about something else.”

~~~~~

“Thanks for tidying up, girls. I have to get home. Good night!” 

“I don’t suppose they noticed how much cake I took. Samuel will be wondering where I am!” Elizabeth and Samuel, such good friends, were pretty shy about what some would call a relationship. One that had gone long past good friends. Some nights he would come to Elizabeth’s, they would sit and talk about cooking, or gardening, the weather ~ actually just about anything. Then he’d go home and they may not have such an evening for weeks. But Elizabeth always made sure he had meals and tea when he was out working the yard. Samuel always brought Elizabeth the best vegetables and made sure her little yard was tidy and weeded. On this night, Elizabeth was going to visit him. She had actually made the cake for him, with plans to take it all to him. When the sisters practically begged her to stay and eat, she did. She knew that they often just wanted someone with them. “I couldn’t say no. They are two such good people.” Outside into fresh rain drizzled air, she could talk to herself. She stood still for a moment, taking a deep breath of the clean air. “Best get on.” Slowing her normally busy stride, she walked toward Samuel’s home, enjoying the quiet of the evening. The darkness did not bother her, but she relished it’s calmness. “Elizabeth! It’s about time you got here. Coffee’s been ready for twenty minutes. Good thing you gave me that thermos for Christmas. Sure does come in handy.” He came down off the porch to relieve her of her burden. “Samuel Forrester! Don’t you start eating that cake until we sit down and have our coffee.” Her tone was sharp but the smile on her face did not match at all. The two friends went in the house, closing the door on the night. 

“A relationship isn’t about one person putting in their all 

into that one relationship. It’s about two people putting 

in their all no matter what happens.”

~ Diana Tellez, 

quotation from searchquotes.com

A Leap of Faith

Each day is

made up of moments.

On these long days

I could too easily

let them pass through me

leaving behind only anxiety.

Grasping each moment

when I wash my face,

feed my belly 

and my curiosity

each small moment

becomes real and good.

“Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days or years, but of moments. 

Nothing is permanently perfect. But there are perfect moments.”

~ Alex Haditaghi, Softly, As I Leave Her

All the Small Things

All the small things

The living room lamp

Cutlery in our kitchen drawers

Clean, ready to butter our bread

Books and pillows

Stories that transport and educate

Pillows bright and colourful to cheer our homes

Colourful toys for children 

that inspire play and curiosity.

The dust mop that hangs limply in a cupboard

Ignored until the floor is too messed

Crossword puzzles and games 

to keep minds from softening

All the small things

In our homes, on walls and floors

The ticking of a clock ~ 

Louder in the silence

Floor mats to trip over

Taken for granted and annoying

As we tire and feel frozen in time

Until we grill delicious steak and roast herbed potatoes,

Trek through ink stained mountains, 

Find ‘breaking news’ in crackling silver grey paper,

Pencil in words up, down and across

Breathing slowed, heart at ease 

Grateful for all the small things.

“Little things console us because little things afflict us.”

~ Blaise Pascal

Sculptured Snow

The glistening whiteness of the snow
was not translated well by my cell phone camera.

I could go out the front door

just sweep the snow away ~

A much easier path to take

From the back door, deep glistening snow half way up to my knees asks my inner child out to play 

Icicles dripped from the eaves

slipping down the afternoon sun ~ powdered snow softened in it’s warmth

To cut a path through

the mounded snow before me

asks my inner adult to take charge

so that I am whole ~

my footprints leading me

away, then back to home and hot tea.

“Wholeness is ordinary, it’s simple. It doesn’t come with fireworks. 

It’s the undisturbed calmness inherent to the space that is you.”

~ Lauri Buchanan, Phd.