Kitchen Skills

Ever helpful,
Caleb joined me in the kitchen.
I noticed he had grabbed
The knife sharpener,
A little device without
Sharp edges or cause for concern.

Then he pulled out the
Ten-inch chef’s knife.

It was as long as his
Legs.

And though it looked to me
Like he was ready to sharpen
The blade with good form,

I put an end to that.

Wedding Juggernaut

An eighteen month engagement
Left the bride frantic,
As her wedding became
All-encompassing
Until it was unrecognizable.

It would all be over one day,
But if that day is the first day of
The rest of your life,
How could it bode well?

For the last few months,
We prayed with little more than howls,
As we had little expectation
Of anything good in the end.
And we counted down the weeks.

So when a guest described it as “amazing,”
I initially thought she was ironic.
But, no. Incredibly, God answered every prayer.
So that the weather was perfect,
The trees in bloom,

The dresses fit,
The family all centered
(Including the bride)
Until the entire weekend
Was a fairytale celebration of love and joy.

Thanks be to God.

In the Month of May

For my first home birth,
I had a midwife
And her beloved assistant.
And a friend to make me laugh.

It wasn’t until later that I learned
That the day the birth happened
Was the only one for a half month or more
Where all three people were free.

Thanks be to God.

Celebrate!

Every day this week:
A palindrome.

5/10/15
5/11/15
5/12/15
5/13/15
5/14/15
5/15/15
5/16/15

Celebrate!

Feeling Blue

My sister had felt blue.
Very blue.

She said later,
Even if I get that blue again,
I am in community,
And I will be okay.

She has family
And friends
To support her.
But she meant more.

That if she is struggling,
There are some who are winning,

And in a community, there is space for
All.

Ten Days

After bearing witness to transformation,
More than I could have asked or imagined,
I return to regular life
And feel like I’m floating.

It makes me wonder if the ten days
Between ascension and Pentecost
Were there in part to let the disciples,
Those regular humans,
Process.

Such a small grace.
If any grace could be said to be small.

Bathing Beauty

After a fun hour in the grass, dirt, and mud,
I brought the baby in and stripped him down.
As he sat in the shallow tub water,
He asked for his rubber duck, using,

As always, only the initial consonant sound.
After he accidentally shot himself in the eye,
He figured out how to shoot water out
The hole in the bottom.

And it overwhelmed me, the desire
To capture forever the delight of his smile,
His wrinkled nose, his dripping eyelashes,
The wonder of discovery.