little debby snack cakes

little no longer 

powerhouse of artistry 

darling, baby girl

your way to me

Where did you go, Love? 

I cannot face the truth of when I lost sight of you—

When you just let go of my hand. 

It all happened so suddenly, in a breath really

As I stood there watching you choose

Every person, place, and thing other than me. 

I saw you let go; I felt your devotion leave. 

What happened to your promises? Where did you wander, Love?  

I hope you find your heart, Love. 

I hope you find your way home—to me. 

for my little monkeys

Heartbeats beating down the door

As the clock tick-tock-ticks 

And monkeys are jumping on their beds

Then the calendar keeps running its mouth

And letting her little monkeys out

They are running, climbing every tree in sight

She stands in awe, a witness 

As she greets the growing distance 

With those little monkeys learning to be free

Learning how to leap and how to land

Heartstrings stretching toward the hard won light

Of the tangled up jungle of adult life 

And watching eternity unfold before her

Heartbeats beating as she watches her little monkeys 

Swing from tree to tree—what a delight

cousins

Branches on a tree

Growing, reaching, nurturing

Staying connected 

ready

It can be disheartening to see

When staying is the wrong play

It can be difficult to see

When leaving is the best way 

It can be freeing to recognize

When a new path might set you free

It can be freeing to organize

When different choices get you ready

Ready to leave or stay and wait

Ready to love or leave it all 

Ready to grow and learn all you can

Ready to try everything and more

hold fast

Hold fast to love, my friends. 

Hold fast to the dreams you dare to muster. 

Hold fast to your tenacity. 

Hold fast to faith and devotion. 

Hold fast to truth and nurturing. 

Hold fast to joy, kindness, and innocent hope.

Hold fast to holding out for what you deserve. 

Hold fast to thoughts of eternity. 

Hold fast to love, my friends. 

write it all down

I forgot to write it all down 

The thing I wanted to remember

That one time I had a lot of fun 

That time I made a lot of friends

That time I learned an important lesson

And I think I recall falling

A little bit in love 

With a memory

That I forgot 

Because I forgot to write

It all down on paper

So time has taken ahold of 

Things and managed to 

Lose it all because

I forgot to write it all down—

And I wish I could remember. 

 

choosing life

blue skies at midnight

running toward the thunderstorm

never turning back

taking time

Like picking flowers in a garden 

That is not yours,

Time is what you make it 

When you are running toward

Responsibility and remember 

That you have to make it fun. 

Take the time 

Like a pocket getting picked

Every single day

When you wake up

Get in, and don't look back

Because if you do, 

You might not notice

Time is taking its toll 

And you forgot your coin purse

To pay the piper 

And Time will take its due

Whether you take the time

To take a minute to look around 

Or not. 

Redeemer, My Teacher

You are my light that keeps

    me in the fight. 

You lift my burden when 

    life is uncertain. 

Your love brings me home when

    I am alone. 

Your strength gives me hope when

    I cannot cope. 

The Garden, the tears, the nails—

All bring me to my knees in 

    prayer, faith, and humility. 

elephants and pelicans

The elephant in the room is 

How did everyone even get here. 

And I will tell you—

It was on a triple dog dare. 

She couldn't help but say it, 

"Yeah, I'll take the TRIPLE DOG DARE; 

I'm not scared!"

But when the squeals and laughter  

And the rampaging of pelican girls

Came into sight, 

Threatening to swallow her up,

all she could think now was,

"Maybe I don't want to be here; 

Maybe I am scared…"

snap

Where has the time gone? 

The days and weeks and years

Slipping by with frightening speed. 

Children one minute; gone the next. 

One, two, three, then snap—

Everything has changed again, 

And all there is to do is wonder

How it all could go by so fast—

Even autopilot offers some adventure. 

a really good quote

Once upon a time, I read or wrote (I do not know)

"Anything we do in excess can keep us from 

Doing the most important things

For our eternal salvation."

I found these several yet succinct strings of words

Too true. Ever true. A set of whispers from the past

Telling me how to make it out alive better than I thought—

Finding strength in moderation.

lift, teach, bless

I believe in goodness

That lifts us when we're down. 

I believe in joy

That teaches it's alright to frown. 

I believe that everything 

That shows us who God is

Can lift and teach and bless us 

When we least expect it. 

fly, sing, try

Beautifully breathless butterfly, 

Why do you fly from me? 

Songs that softly and gently sing, 

Why do you fly to me? 

Dancing, leaping, longing, 

Why do you fly in time, 

You delicate, darling flower

Caught in an unrelenting breeze? 

So lovely and fine, 

You invite me and entice me

To breathe, sing, and dance

In the charm of your sweet melody

Of fragrance fine. 

Sweetest, dearest heart—

Allow your light within to dispel the dark.

Let your song of goodness create a new sound.

Discover purity of the divine

As you fly, sing, and try. 

recovered

With bandaged heart, 

I take the mirror, 

Crashed and broken, 

Searching my reflection

In every shard of glass, 

and the question, 

"Will I ever be recovered enough?"

Begins knocking around in my head. 

The shards become reflections 

Of him and me

Offering a certain quality

To the demanded answer—yes. 

I believe

I believe in God

Who is my Father true. 

I believe He made a plan 

To guide me and you. 

I believe the world is where

I will find my treasure 

When I seek in faith and love

Without measure. 

jump in

Raindrops, falling fast

Love surrounds you—let some in

Puddles everywhere

brown autumn

No one typically chooses brown to describe autumntime, 

But there is so much to say about a color that holds so much inside

That it lets the other colors shine. 

The colors of the sun, 

As it fades at summer's end—

Yellow, red, and orange are hidden in brown.

Dandelions and leaves—

In autumn at its start—

Are yellow hidden in brown. 

Pomegranates and the blush 

On gala apples in autumn

Are the red hidden in brown. 

Pumpkin patches and dusky sunlight

Reflecting on lake glass 

Are the orange hidden in brown. 

Fields of turned over soil ready for winter's rest

And an old farm truck rusting where it rests 

Are the brown in autumn 

That no one thinks to revel in 

Like piles of drying leaves 

Strewn on top of summer's grass.

to and fro

Where did you go, my dear, my darling friend?

Are you lost going to and fro in the dark, dark night?

I never thought there could be an absolute end, 

From sharing one heart to this deafening dark washed out in blinding light. 

Your love's loss takes my breath and bites

With a sharpness I can hardly stand; 

I can only think to stand and fight

For the chance to once again have you hold my hand, 

My friend, the owner of the love I never planned

To give away so freely and for eternity,  

That light at the end of the tunnel was a contraband

That we never paid the toll on for our steadfast amity.

Where have you gone?

I have stood here too long.

dandelions

exhaustion, my friend

beauty growing in the cracks 

stems of spent wishes

reflect

Light on water and on the land 

Finds a way to glimmer even on sand

Water reflecting the truth and light showing the way

Telling us that light is carried from day to day

The rocks in pockets push the feet into the ground

Step by step, the world keeps turning

And all the while a smile cannot be found

Step by step, the years and tears were burning

Light on water glimmering like glass

Truth burning holes into hearts

Taking steps away from it all

Turning hardship into a hell

Reflect the light before we cannot 

See anything at all

chihuahuas

The future is bright, they say. 

Opportunity is knocking, they say. 

You have the world at your feet, they say. 

Good things come to those who wait, they say. 

And so they say so many things, but all I can think is

Trepidation is biting at my heels 

Like a rabid chihuahua, 

And I really just need the loud, crowded voices to quiet down 

And show me the way to where 

I should head as I find my way

Into the hopefully bright 

Yet unknown, 

Hopefully successful 

Yet who knows anything anymore

Except for them

Future. 

the best part

While I was waiting, I saw 

Children growing, 

Children learning, 

Children playing. 

While I was waiting, I saw

Friends loving and sharing, 

Neighbors giving and caring, 

Family connecting and forgiving. 

While I was waiting, I saw

Laid out before me, 

One day at a time,

Pieces of forever

in the depths

Beneath the surface lie things

No one would want to see

The grief, sorrow, and pain

That never seem to melt away

But sink into the depths of time

Through days, years, and generations

And we find in the depths the 

Grief, sorrow, and pain 

Are part of all the joy, love, and faith

That always seem to stay

And play in the depths 

With the heartstrings 

sigh

At the turns, every one, 

She sighs. 

She knows too well what is to come, 

And the only thing to do 

Is sigh. 

Life and lights and highs 

And lows

Corners and bends 

And blows

At every turn, 

All she can do 

Is sigh. 

words

Words can bite and sting and cut

Like any terrible thing, 

Yet we keep writing them, 

Saying them, thinking them—

Repeating them—

Until we learn to only 

Write, say, think, and repeat

The things we hope can 

Heal and help and keep

The love safe that we always 

Want to give but somehow

Can't find the words

diamonds

Light that glimmers on the heart

That cuts through glass and leaves 

A mark that breaks memories in half

And proves that hard things can 

Be beautiful.

wishes

Dandelion fields 

As far as the eye can see

Unknown future dreams

before

I never got to really know her before she went Home. 

She was dynamic and wonderful even before I began to realize

How she had a life separate and apart—and long before 

She became a mother.

Music and language were part of her heart before 

She ever knew me. 

The way she brought life to a party before

Anyone ever showed up—and long after.

Never before did I truly see how in everything she did

She made everything so good.