poetry

I saw the word here (the word prompt from Miss Kate) and the thought that immediately popped into my mind was “where are you now?” I figure I can write about the word here using that as my starting point. Shall we see how it goes?

Where are you now?

Sitting here
watching SVU where
a lady and her group of
detectives help people
folk from sexual abuse.
But is it really where I am?

My thoughts are on the word
here, so the show is actually
just noise in the background.

Earlier today I was
at work, my manager
busy preparing for
her vacation. Lots of
prep needed to make sure
I knew what I needed to
cover in her absence.

Was she at work?
Yes, but not really.
Her mind was at home and all
the packing she has yet
to do for 13 days away.

I attend services on Sunday
at the church
30ish minutes away.
Sometimes my activity levels
mentally prevent easy
listening and attention
giving so my mind needs
extra help that note taking
doesn’t cover.

Occasionally I’ll take
out my phone and play a
game which gives me just
a bit of a mental push
and I can focus, and
sometimes hubby asks
“Where are you now?”

He’ll see the note taking
stop and notice I’m not
looking up and thinking.
Because I’ve let myself
get lost and need a
conscience pull back.

He’s quiet and discreet.
And he shows his love
in so many ways, and
often points me back
to God our creator.

Despite my wandering
busy mind. My lack of
focus which drives me
nuts so very often.

That quiet
“where are you now?”
calls me back.

So have you ever been
asked the question
Where are you now
when focus on something
more is needed?

Guess what?   I’m back from vacation.  Hubsters and I had an excellent time away.  We came back to a very upset kitten (how dare we let strangers stay in the house).  She’s so happy we are home, she’s very single-minded about her need to stay close to hubsters or myself.  Her single-minded devotion a clear reminder to me of how we are to be with God.  Single-minded in our devotion to him, not of half a mind like it’s so easy to be. 

Half a Mind

I’ve half a mind
to tell you off.
Letting you know
you’ve crossed the line.

With half my mind
I think at times
I’ve lost my marbles,
or maybe it’s just my keys.

Weighing out the benefits,
my hesitancy shows
as I can’t make up my
mind about the issue at hand.

Take your time,
think things through,
be as uncertain
as the situation demands.

But be warned,
being of half a mind
isn’t always a good
thing, oh no no no.

Don’t be of half a mind
when it comes to faith
in God. Without full
faith, spewing will occur.

God doesn’t care for
the lukewarm believer.
A warning given sure,
be single-minded!

Run the race with
all your might.
Persevere, Fight,
believe, be fervent!

God holds tight
to those he calls
his own. So hold tight
to him right back!

Revelation 3:14-20

¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

I had a yardsale this weekend, the second one I had this year.   I did not expect to do as well at the second as I did at the first.  You see, I didn’t have the “draw people in” items for this sale.  BUT I still sold a fair amount of stuff and met some fun people.  Afterwards I started to wonder, as I was packing stuff up and thinking, I’ll not do this again.  Is this just a phase?  Will I choose to never have a yardsale again and just post stuff on facebook? Or kijiji or  just give stuff away?

I would miss the funny people.   Like the lady who came through and talked to herself as she went through what I had out. “oh, this is a pretty quilt, oh look, she has Christmas stuff… what fun. Oh no, remember, you don’t have money for Christmas stuff. ‘ and then when she reached my books “OH DELIGHT!  She must have been an educator, just look at all these books!?!?!?”   To my delight she actually picked some of them up.  🙂   

Or the lady who obviously came from a background of bartering.  She and I had a whole lot of fun bartering back and forth about the value of an obviously fairly new purse from my mom.  She tried so hard to get me to completely drop my price but she alas didn’t succeed.  🙂  But to thank her for giving me so much fun I let her take a small plant home for free.   Her poor hubby got kinda caught in the middle and left looking a little shell shocked but… he bought the knife he was interested in.  🙂 

I will never miss the nickle and dimers, or the sour looks of people not getting their own way, or the people who refuse to have a bit of fun.  It’s a yardsale, a time to have brief connection with folk, not a time to get mad or mean.  Be friendly, smile, and realize it’s the best way to get a deal.  🙂 

So whether or not how I’m feeling right now is just a phase or not.  There are pros and cons to holding a big sale all a once.  So time will tell how it is in the long run eh?  🙂 

Just a Phase

i have to wonder
is it just a phase,
is it something that
everyone goes through?

but then i think no,
i have a sis who would
rather give something away
then to try to sell it.

for i know another lady
like me (but a few years
ahead) who loved to
sell her stuff.

and now in her older years
would rather give things
away then deal with
the buying public.

and i am finding myself
reaching for that
same mind set.
people are weird,

do i really want
to deal with the
weirdness of people
being anywhere near my house?

still though, i love
that barter aspect, the
people knowing, smiling,
the joint satisfaction.

my lands, at the same time,
all the work and the prep,
and all that “other” that
goes with it all.

there i feel it and
think it’s best to copy my
friend and just give anything
i don’t need/want away.

it is so much
easier to do that eh?
to find a thrift shop of
choice and say done.

Contemplating….

being in a contemplative
mood this of course makes me
ponder, do i do the same
with my faith?

starting with the strong desire
to connect and make smiles,
life changes, and what not, and
then overtime say meh, it’s easier

to not worry about connecting
with people or helping them
discover needs yet unmet
it’s easier not to you know?

so hmm….what now?
i was challenged today by
a Instagram post about
defining self-control

and how easy it is to
turn our lack of it into
something that truly it
isn’t so…. isn’t this

kinda the same?
not working out our
faith in fear and trembling
but it’s easier not to.

it’s easier to rephrase
it as “i’m getting older”,
“it’s not my gifting”,
and such like.

shouldn’t we continue
pressing on? remembering
it’s a race we’re in and
every step counts in the winning.

Kate has had a bit of a week according to her post to us. Switching around her servers, dealing with a heat wave (with smoke from fires) and more. All that to say she’s given us the word route. I started this post Friday night but was falling asleep so here I am on Saturday morning trying again. I’ve come up with what route should I take?

What Route Should I Take

Yesterday afternoon I
had my route planned out.
First I’d go to mom-in-law’s
and then to the mission store.

Delighted to know of course
the store was open til 7!
The mission store you see
has a large homeschool section
I thought I’d boost
the area a bit.

Let’s just say, things
did not go as planned.
Turns out the Mission
Store does not accept
donations after 5 p.m. and
I’d missed by just a bit.

ANNOYING.
Even more annoying that
the girl at the desk
didn’t tell me this.

Oh the way home I had
a chance to reflect.
Was there a better
route I could take?

Should I have gone
there first?
Should I have perhaps
called first to confirm
all the details?

Did I spend too long
talking with mom?
Could I have, even though
I didn’t talk to the girl
afterwards, considered better
my frustration with her?

What route I take in how
I handle myself and the
world around me matters.
God calls me
“Be holy as I am holy“.

Can’t say my frustration
was a fine example of
holiness…. now was it?

So now’s the challenge
of improving myself
for the next frustrating
event in my life….
can I do better?
More reliance on God
is a necessity for sure.