small errors

some days
the small errors
pile up.

and seemingly
everything
would be done better
if i 
weren't
the one
doing it.

and on those days,
all the things done right
don't seem to count.

but i am loved.

that makes a difference.

rhubarb

lightly brushing aside
crackling brown leaves
from last fall,
we saw a ruby bubble
close to the spring warmed ground.

a few days later
a large, crumpled dark green leaf
unfurled
at the top
of  a pale pink stem.

a forever kind of love

in a little blank book
that i received
as part of a christmas gift
--oh, a lot of years ago--
i copy little things
that catch my fancy.

here's one
from awhile ago:

We gave. . .

when we wanted to receive.

We served. . .

when we wanted to feast.

We shared. . .

when we wanted to keep.

We listened. . .

when we wanted to talk.

We submitted. . .

when we wanted to reign.

We forgave. . .

when we wanted to remember.

We stayed. . .

when we wanted to leave.

it was written 

by dillon and patti bayes

for a valentine's contest 

for good housekeeping.

they won,

i think,

a mediterranean cruise

in 1994.  

i think it's classic. 

what do you think?

from mark talbot

"I have known afflictions

far worse than my paralysis.

  

"I have had seasons of perplexity 

about God’s providence 

that have been so deep 

that night after night 

sleep has fled from me.

"Yet these griefs have been God’s gifts. 

"For only by such severe suffering 

has my loving Father broken me free 

of some of my deeper idolatries.  

"In the nights’ watches, 

while others sleep, 

my wakeful heart 

must find its rest in him 

or it will find no rest at all."

Mark Talbot in his chapter, “All the Good That Is Ours in Christ”: Seeing God’s Gracious Hand in the Hurts Others Do to Us,” from Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor, pp. 75-76.

line breaks reformatted by me, copied from John Knight at Works of God

three gifts arising

greeting: halleluia! he is risen!

response:  he is risen indeed!

and love wells up
like a spring of pure water
to satisfy the thirsty soul.

and hope springs new
like a waterfall cascading
down the rock face
from the thawing glacier
in the sun kissed heart.

and joy bursts forth
like a geyser
sparkling in the light,
misting the face.

three gifts anticipated

the birth of a child.
the coming of dawn.
the resurrection of life in spring.

three gifts nailed

from grandsons

from husband

from father

and one more pictured at Meet Me in the Meadow.

gifts throughout the day

i had a friend who told me:

"i met a guy this week
who asked me
if i had bad days.
and i said,
i did.
everybody did.
and he replied
that he never had bad days.
maybe bad moments
or bad hours,
but the days were mostly good."

gifts throughout today:
 time with heart friends,
 packages waiting at the door,
 money in the mailbox,
 bringing rest to a young mother,
and the relief
when disappointing news
turns out to be
a blessing in disguise.

three gifts in his word

his heart.
his thoughts.
his voice.

three gifts that surprise

joy in the midst of grief.
peace in the midst of turmoil.
loving compassion for one's enemies.

three gifts white

snowflake.
summer clouds.
bridal rose.

three gifts round

eyes.
apples.
full moon.