First love

I am tracing my decisions back.

At thirteen

My mother told me

Some women love women

Some men love men

Like your parents love

Each other.

The college handbook

Was on the coffee table

For my sister.

I fell in love

With the Quaker school

In Indiana.

When it came my time

I visited schools

In the East

In the West.

Then I chose to go

To Indiana,

To my first love

Sight unseen.

Truth

I began a long reflection on the "situation" at Wheaton, It got muddled quickly. So... a haiku. And prayer for all involved and all who witness. Sadness and anger and, yes, cynicism. So...a haiku. And more prayer.

"They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace."

Jeremiah 6:14

Pray for peace within.

Let not cynicism prevail.

Pray for peace with-out.

George

What's in a name? So much.

It’s a name

But oh so much more.

My life has been punctuated

With Georges,

The first in a long string

Of presidents.

Washington

Of course

On the one dollar bill.

But also

My great grandfather

In Napoleon, North Dakota.

Bank president.

We have a family dollar bill

He signed.

Back then

Legal tender was signed

By bank presidents.

It is framed

In my brother’s house

In Minnesota.

These are singular

Georges.

When my brother and boy cousins

Were born

My grandmother offered a ransom

If one of them was given the name

Of George.

No one took the bait.

Years later she had a dog,

A Maltese,

She named him George,

Drove him around

In her Cadillac.

Since then I have known

Many Georges

They join a long line

Of singularities.

Wimp

I believe life is a series of realizations (among other things). I admit being tempted to evict the wimp from my existence, I even wrote Begone, Wimp, as part of this reflection... then took it out and added hospitality into the mix,

I come to myself.

I realize the wimp

Has inhabited my body.

She hid in the crevasse,

The abyss.

I stored things there.

I wonder how long

She has spoken for me.

I wonder at her words;

Words that moderate

What I say out loud.

There you are.

I will hold your hand,

Walk with you

Around the block,

I will speak for myself.

I will invite you

To warm yourself

In the sunshine

With the cats

On this winter day.

Making plans

I understand people downtown think there are no resources for alcoholic clergy. Come on, folks. Come on. Really? Of course...there are so many systems that encourage denial. Clergy are notoriously reluctant to seek help. Alcoholics will do everything they can do to avoid admitting they have a problem. A double whammy. And I thought I would get schooling to assist this double whammy category? Really? Whatever was I thinking?

Change once more.

Why be surprised?

Change is our only constant.

We are assured

Today will be something different

Than we expected.

Ah yes

Plans once again

Dashed to the ground

Buried in the front

And back lawns.

Still we make plans

With ourselves

With our companions

With whomever appears

At the door.

We laugh.

We cry.

We say

Of course

Of course

Of course

Then

We make more plans.

Presentation

Convergence

It’s raining

And thundering.

February 2

Groundhog  Day

Candlemas

Feast of the Presentation.

It’s raining.

My brain

rains

And thunders

In concert.

Groundhogs

In the Temple.

Jesus

In the Temple.

Simeon and Anna

In the Temple.

Rain and thunder

Lightning now

Too.

Here we are

All of us together

Present

Once again.

Another confession

Thinking of decorating around the kitten and the Christmas tree,

We never put away

The Christmas tree.

We unplugged it,

Took off the lights,

Put away the decorations.

The tree

Is in the corner

Of the living room,

The top branch twisted

Like something

From Dr. Seuss,

May he rest in peace.

The kitten climbed it

This morning,

Her small calico face

Made it

Almost to the top.

She,

Her scruffy self ,

Fur that goes every which way,

Long fluffy tail;

She herself

Is something Dr. Seuss

Would draw,

May he rest in peace.