snatching heaven

What is the purpose of a blog? For months, I have been struggling to decide the fate of this blog. Who knows? I have decided to embrace uncertainty and to continue posting when I can snatch the time, without holding myself to any deadlines. In this life, beauty and mystery are often paired.

A few weeks ago, I went to the Texas hill country for four days with my amazing tribe of photography ladies. Five strong, we have dubbed ourselves "The Shuttertrippers." A few days before our trip, I was in Pennsylvania, saying goodbye to an angel named Connie: a dear lady who came to live with my sisters, mom, and me when I was two. Connie helped to raise my sisters and me, living with us for ten years: cooking all of our meals, holding down the fort, and keeping us sane. All three sisters were there as Connie drew her last breath. We will miss her. To say the least.

Along a random country road on the photography trip, shuttertripper Laura spied an old house with a porch leading into a field of bluebonnets. Brakes squealed and tires skidded as Laura shouted, "Yeeeoooowwwzzzzaaaaa... ssssttooooooop!"

How like heaven, I thought, emerging from the car, camera in hand. I could not tear myself away from the scene above and stayed there the duration of our stop, snapping shot after shot as if trying to capture a shadow. In my mind's eye, Connie was wandering among the flowers as she stepped into eternity only days before. When I get to heaven, there will be bluebonnets. And so many faces to see.

celebrate National Poetry Month

I've been away a while. I took a breather to do many home projects and editing jobs. All the while, I have been continuing to write poems. My favorite kind to write these days are listing poems. Something about making a list of word is so calming, so satisfying. Like a prayer, words trip from my brain and drip onto the page clearing room for new thoughts. Seems its the same way with feelings. In order to make room for happy thoughts, I must release negative feelings, no matter how justified they seem. I must let go and allow myself to fall into the peace of being, into God's loving hands. Letting go of anything is hard. Guess that's why it has taken me two full years to unclutter my house. Meditation helps with this. So does the habit of listing three things to be grateful for at the end of each day. The older I get, the more I apprehend the fluidity of life, which is frightening and exciting at the same time.

Enjoy this special National Poetry Month! Challenge yourself to write a poem each day, if only a listing poem of random words from your brain to see what happens, to see what space those words open up or what thoughts they jostle loose. Enjoy!

Circuitry

Simple
and
light,
buoyant
and
tight,
free,
breezy,
gazing
about,
hum,
sing,
jiggle,
and
shout.
       -2015Kimberly Laustsen