Tag Archives: poetry

Lenten Day Twenty-nine:  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

March 18, 2024 “There may be worship without words.”  Longfellow This blog is a companion piece to Saturday’s, https://spirit-reflections.org/2024/03/16/lenten-day-twenty-eight-thomas-merton/, about the spiritual practice of being silent, of resting in the company of God/Universe/the Divine.  This time, though, I’m reflecting on Sunday worship services, for those of us who attend any kind of religious service.  HaveContinueContinue reading “Lenten Day Twenty-nine:  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow”

Lenten Sabbath Five: George MacDonald

March 17, 2024 Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! On this Sabbath day, here is a poem by George MacDonald (1824-1905), not an Irishman but a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister.  Interestingly, he was also an influential mentor of C. S. Lewis and is a figure in Lewis’ novel The Great Divorce. May your dayContinueContinue reading “Lenten Sabbath Five: George MacDonald”

Lenten Sabbath Four

March 10, 2024 Taking a break from Lenten meditations on this “mini-Resurrection” day as we await Easter Sunday, let’s breathe in Sabbath together. Blessings ~ Rosemary Wood Walking The end of January, the weight of pandemic and politics as heavyas blizzard snow, I take to the woods,down an empty pathmade by sojourners before me.The sky,ContinueContinue reading “Lenten Sabbath Four”

Lenten Day Fifteen: Persian Proverb

February 28, 2024 “This too shall pass.”  Persian proverb On this 15th day of Lent, I remember my mother.  Whenever I found myself in moments of illness, disappointment, frustration, discomfort, or worry, she would say, “This too shall pass.”  I don’t think she ever said, “I’m sorry, that must be tough,” or even, “Get overContinueContinue reading “Lenten Day Fifteen: Persian Proverb”

Lenten Day Ten: Archibald McLeish

February 23, 2024 There is no dusk to be,There is no dawn that was,Only there’s now, and now,And the wind in the grass. From “An Eternity,” by Archibald McLeish On this tenth day of Lent, one quarter of the way to Easter, you may beginto notice some repetitive themes among my collection of quotations. That’sbecauseContinueContinue reading “Lenten Day Ten: Archibald McLeish”

First Lenten Sabbath: Wendell Berry

February 18, 2024 During the Lenten Season, before Easter Sunday, “regular” Sundays, like today, are not included in the 40-day count of preparation because they are considered “mini resurrections.” So, instead of sharing a meditation on one of the many quotations I have procured this past year, I will share a poem that matches theContinueContinue reading “First Lenten Sabbath: Wendell Berry”

Sifting Ashes ~ A Lenten Poem

Feb. 13, 2024 Sifting Ashes What would you doif you were invitedto enter your heartin this seasonof self-honesty?If you were encouragedto leave reason and judgmentbehind and insteadask grace to be yourcompanion?Would you say yes?Would you accept the flashlightoffered when you crossedthe threshold, the decoder ringneeded to deciphereach message that begsrevelation?Could you look?Once inside, would youContinueContinue reading “Sifting Ashes ~ A Lenten Poem”

Reverie ~

December 26, 2023: The Second Day of Christmas ReverieThe tree stands bare in the spillof white candlelightthat beckons remembrance,the still air laden with pungent pine.I unwrap memorieslifted from silk-worn boxes,and passing years emerge,reflecting faces mirroredin each round and shiny ball. A piece of crumpled tissue dropsand here is the rocking horsesuspended on a crimson stringthat markedContinueContinue reading “Reverie ~”