Tag Archive: contentment


Morning Oblation

Each morning, Lord,
I come over the hill and see
The vista You’ve laid out for the day.
Sometimes, it’s bright and sunny.
Sometimes, it’s cloudy and overcast,
But whatever it is, I am fascinated
With the way You paint the landscape.
The foggy mornings with a bit of sun,
Peeking out between multi-colored clouds,
Make my favorite scenes!
The rolling hills alternate with smoky valleys
Till Your handiwork hides all the buildings
That mar the image of a grand wilderness.

Every morning, Lord,
I am reminded once again that You,
And You alone, are the source of beauty—
That You only can delight my soul
With the peculiar twist of something unnamable,
Which no person has ever quite given me…
Joy unspeakable, perhaps, but in a quieter sense.
Here, I am replete with contentment,
Sure of Your goodness.
Here, I contemplate and meditate
The brief moments I have for Your new view
Before I am forced to turn the wheel and
Refocus on the drive in to work.

Thanks, God, for the pleasure of Your presence
In the exhibition of Your exquisite earth!

This Time Around 12/23/2011

The year seems to fly by so fast anymore.
I wish sometimes that I could just yank on the reigns,
Stop the wild horses from dragging me along…
For me, savoring each moment takes extra effort of will.
Before I know it, I’ve missed
More moments than I’ve noticed.
The minutes, hours, and days, sneak by at top speed
Like the roadrunner zipping past the coyote.
Now I look around at my kids, nearly all grown,
My grandchild just born… almost three years ago,
Time is such a thief!
Yet, today is still today.
I cannot count the yesterdays.
This Christmas soon will be tomorrow’s history, but
I’ll not leap ahead in thought or the clock
Will catch up with me even faster.
A moment to treasure, with all its shortcomings,
Is better lived with passion than
Wished away for the next day’s pleasures.
I celebrate today with all the joy I can muster,
Finding contentment in the arms of my family.
We laugh together and anticipate the fun
Of watching each other open presents, devour food,
Or just sit quietly smiling in the midst of the
Wrapping paper storm that fills the living room.
Music saturates the atmosphere with the reminder—
Above all else the day belongs to Christ,
Who in the end gives us eternity to enjoy one another.
He breaks the bondage of time’s iron-sharpened passage.
By His very existence, He split time in two.
Soon time will end; eternity will take precedence again;
And the moments will stretch as long as we want them
Without fear of losing the things as precious
As the childhoods I have somehow missed
This time around.

Waiting Game

I thought it was hard before…
When I waited through weeks and months
Of uncertainty and clouded vision,
But this really has turned into an ordeal.
I find I have to balance between
Stagnation, contentment, and impatience.
It’s difficult to understand how…
To be content where I am without settling,
To trust that God can be, and is, using me here,
Yet make some effort to move forward
Because I don’t believe I am to stay “here.”
It’s a fine line to have to walk…
Not stagnant nor striving, only steady.
I just don’t think I’m quite “there” yet,
So, sighing, I sit still and keep waiting,
Keep trying to learn whatever lesson
I’m supposed to be learning at this desk,
Keep hoping for some miracle to happen…
Soon? Maybe? Or not.
Is it any wonder I can’t figure things out?