How can I get through this,
Seemingly impossible situation?
The eye of the needle
Becomes the way of the cross
Stripped down
Bare essentials:
Me
Following the light
At the end of the tunnel.
© 2013 Julie Clark
Life
A Pair of Eagles
I could have missed it all,
But as I walked by
I glanced between the boats in the harbor.
There, on the jetty, a pair of bald eagles.
I watched them watching for a while.
Were they planning some mischief?
I walked away.
Moments later,
The sky erupts with the clatter of crows and gulls,
Even a blue heron joins the fray.
All swirling above
With the pair of eagles swooping and soaring
In the midst of it all.
I was lost in joy –
A full-scale extravaganza
Just for me,
And the other walkers
Who happened to glance up.
What do I miss when my head is down?
Consumed in thoughts of self or worry
I miss the present.
When regretting the past
Or jumping ahead to the future
Opportunities soar and swoop
Right past my vision.
Grounded
Present
Centered
Alive and alert
Words I know
Words I need to keep practicing.
© 2013 Julie Clark
For Bill
The sun came out today
Such a rare occurrence of late
When we heard it kiss the Sound
We rushed out and made a date
Over the hill and down
To our favorite looking place
Calming our nerves at the sight
Feeling sweet warmth on our face
The grand Olympic tops
Through the clouds were sailing
An eagle soaring high
The work of the day paling
©2013 Julie Clark
Recovering
The other day I was recovering from a cold. I was not feeling very energetic so I lay down for a while on the couch to read. An old companion of mine entered the room and started making his presence known. Actually, it was a feeling. It was the feeling of not doing enough, not being productive enough, not really having my life together enough, like I should have. For heaven sakes Julie, what do you do? The last few years I’ve spent a fair amount of time getting rid of this “old buddy”, but here he shows up again.
I think about the years I spent living in Central Asia. Many of my early years there I was nagged by the feeling that I wasn’t doing enough. I should get out there more, meet more people, have more people over for dinner, and learn language better. I had an unending list of shoulds. Now I am learning I was not meant to do the shoulds but be me, right there, right then. Be the person I was. Love and care for people the way I could. Love and care for my family. Words were a small part, living and loving the bigger part. I think about the gifts I received, in the form of what I learned from living among a people different from me. I learned so much! Not by being told how to do something, but by the example of my friend’s lives. They just did the things that were normal to them and what were normal to them became important things for me to learn. Here are some examples. I learned the important place that elders have in society. They are honored, taken care of, and listened to. I learned how to speak blessings over people. That’s what they do, all the time. I was blessed when I came in and when I went out. I was blessed when I was met on the street. I was taught how to treat guests with great honor because the guest was bringing great honor to me by visiting. These and many more were gifts to me. They are gifts that have become a part of my life. I treasure them and I treasure these friends who taught me. I wonder if there were things about me, gifts that I left with my friends in this the same way. I have an inkling of what they might be, but I don’t really know. What really matters now is for me to continue to be the person I am. I am growing in paying attention to the day at hand and the opportunities that come to do good in each day. In doing that I have gifts to share with others just as I have gifts to receive from others. I enjoy life so much more when I live this way.
Categories: borderlands, Faith, Hospitality, Life, Love, Travel
Tags: blessings, care, elders, gifts, guests, honor, love, recovering, should, words
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The Farmer’s Life
The farmer’s life is one of great patience.
Sowing seeds does not result in instantaneous miracles.
Although, when the first seeds sprout and break through the ground
It certainly feels like one, (which of course it is).
We just do not get to see what has been going on,
Microscopically, beneath the surface of the earth.
Sow people! Beloved ones!
What do you want to see more of in your lives?
Don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeals that come your way.
They expose the unwanted seeds of destruction.
Instead, cooperate with the fire and let it burn away
Focus on the good seed at hand:
Love, joy, peace, kindness, wisdom, patience and
All the good things you see and desire.
It’s one act or response at a time.
Living is becoming.
Life does not stay stagnant,
We move forward in one direction or the other.
We get to choose by our sowing
Which way we want to grow.
© 2013 Julie Clark
Half a Good Deed
It started with a morning prayer: “Teach me Your Ways.” Unexpectedly on the way to church an elderly woman crossed the road. The temperatures were below freezing. We turned around and gave her a lift to the grocery store a quarter of a mile away. She needed some essentials that her group home didn’t offer. I felt uneasy leaving here even though she assured us she wasn’t far from home. So we left for church where we had other duties, and frankly we love joining in worship with our small, informal, fun community. This was the Sunday many in our area struggled over the Seahawks game at 10:00 or church. Some went to church and some stayed home to watch the game. For us this wasn’t a huge issue, although we do like to watch football sometimes, but we had made a commitment to go, so off we went thinking that was our personal test. No, the real test was were we going to care for an elderly woman out in the sub freezing weather. Of all people, I who am trying so hard to not be a religious person, but a loving person missed it. Well, to be fair I got half of it, but how much better would it have been to wait for her to do her shopping and take her home. I am grateful my prayer was answered even though it was painful to see where I still need to grow. So I will keep praying to learn and practice the ways of Jesus and hope I do better next time. A sweet ending to the story for us was that after we left the church building we wandered down the Ave. with our son looking for a place to eat and perhaps catch the last few minutes of the game. Sure enough we heard hooting and hollering from a pub. We walked in, found a spot and were able to catch the last minutes of a very exciting game, albeit disappointing for Seahawks fans. That’s what I love about walking with Jesus: it’s grace upon grace, no condemnation, just a steep learning curve to be like Him.
Found A Red Ribbon
Found a red ribbon today
While sweeping under the rug
Because my vacuum is in the shop
Due to too many dry pine needles
Because we only had fifteen minutes
To pick out a Christmas Tree
Before Home Depot closed
And we managed to get a very dry old tree.
The red ribbon reminds me
Of my search for the Path
That brings meaning into my life
And I for one can’t live without it
Because without meaning I have no hope
And I am not giving that up for sure.
As I write this
I am recovering from a bonk on the head
That I am calling
“My ski accident”
Even though I was only in my skis for less than 30 seconds
Before the playing pup buckled me on the back of my knees
And down I went hard.
I am wondering if anyone can relate
To any of this
Or am I as loony as feel?
© 2013 Julie Clark
Categories: Faith, Life, Paths, Poetry, Trees
Tags: Christmas Tree, hope, meaning, path, recovering, ribbon
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Perception
Perhaps with these mortal eyes
We do not see the full picture
We see only through a dark mirror
We are blessed and limited by our senses
So many limitless sensations
Beyond our capacity to perceive
Perhaps all around us is heaven
As near as our next breath
© 2012 Julie Clark
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