Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

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I am fearful, sometimes

October 23, 2014

—∞—

At a certain age, I believe
I am standing at a trailhead
Stretching out under my feet
That final path curves out of sight
A hush surrounds
Slowly
I move forward
Uncertain, drawn
Pushed?

Or at the end of a hallway
Long empty walls
No color
No windows
No sound
But echoes poised
My own footsteps
My own breath
For now

Perhaps on a dark desert road
Nothing visible
Beyond the headlights’ arc
No trees
No roadside brush
No stars
Behind, total darkness
Ahead on the horizon a faint glow
Out of reach

Recent health issues
Found me fearful
Anxious
A sense of giving up
Complete surrender
Grudging acceptance
Not of my choosing
Alone
Very alone

It’s not that I’m afraid, per se
What’s next is not of my concern
But I am fearful, sometimes,
About persistent loss, now
Unresolved issues, now
A legacy of being misunderstood
Misunderstood to the point of
Not being loved, honored
Respectfully remembered

Time is running out
Not much to be done
Yet things have become undone
Time is running out
Loved ones unseen
Growing older
Old memories fading
New memories deferred
Or irredeemably lost

© 2014 Thomas W. Cummins

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Posted in Family, Health, Personal, Poetry | 5 Comments »

Everything will be okay

September 14, 2014

I wish, somehow, there was a way to put up sandbags against today’s flood of sadness

But through God’s grace, I know things will get better

Patience

Acceptance

Finding sustenance for my spiritual roots

To not get pulled down, dragged down, diminished by the careless behavior of others

My best friend is with me

Everything will be okay

We’ll get through this

Gentleness, kindness, understanding and forgiveness will prevail

Surrendering to the power of Wisdom

Perhaps letting go

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Posted in Faith, Family, Health, Marriage, Personal, Personal Growth, Spirituality | 2 Comments »

A Cabin Breakfast

July 27, 2014

—∞—

image
 
Throwing a pattern
A window-paned pattern
For sixty years
The sun has been invited in
By the yellow Cosco table
Brightening a cabin breakfast

© 2014 Thomas W. Cummins

 

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Posted in Family, Homelife, Nature, Personal, Poetry | 2 Comments »

Just step back

March 21, 2014

Sometimes as the storm rages about us, it is necessary to step back … and wait … and content ourselves with just being a lightning rod. And to remember that the lightning rod isn’t causing the lightning, nor the lightning the storm.

So one waits for a pause, for a patch of clear sky to appear, a glimpse of the sun obscured for so long.

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Posted in Faith, Family, Personal, Spirituality | 1 Comment »

Trying to Connect

February 10, 2014

—∞—

Where do they go
When they are gone?
That place
That gives them space
 
No compass pointing
No path suggesting
Stars to guide – growing dim
Silence, emptiness, yet filled – with loss
 
I call out lovingly
Listen hopefully
No appeal goes forth
No response returns
 
For it is only my heart
Trying to connect
Forgetting, actually,
Prayer
 

© 2014 Thomas W. Cummins

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Posted in Faith, Family, Personal, Poetry, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

An opportunity to become a new creation

September 2, 2013

We went to a 50th anniversary party last evening, and I couldn’t help but reflect – especially since our own is less than a year away.

50th anniversaries have always seemed to be a big deal. In the not too distant past, one of the two seldom lived long enough for the couple to complete 50 years. Certainly a cause for celebration when that milestone was reached.

More recently, it seems as though many don’t stay together long enough to achieve such a mark. The  Golden Anniversary has become more elusive.

But to me it’s not so much that we stay together, but rather who we have become during those 50 years. I would suggest that each party in the couple is a unique product of that long relationship, a manifestation of their own individuality being in a loving relationship with the other.

Sure each could have gone on and done many good things and enjoyed personal growth whether in relationship with another or not. But what we experience in any given couple honoring that big event is a unique product. A different product. Perhaps a better product both at the individual level and as a couple.

That is the benefit of a committed, long-lasting marriage. An opportunity to become a new creation.

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