Stepping Into Wonder

The courage to live a life full of Wonder
The courage to see things differently

The courage to live a life full of Wonder
The courage to pause where others rush on

The courage to live a life full of Wonder
The courage to let yourself dream

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Litany of St. Veronica, Woman of Courage and Love

St. Veronica, you moved forward while others held back,
help me to take risks even if it means standing alone.

St. Veronica, you used what you had,
help me to be aware that I do not need to wait to creatively make a difference.

St. Veronica, you risked being shamed when you removed your veil,
help me to know when to discard traditions that no longer uphold human dignity.

St. Veronica, you saw with your heart and followed it even though this was in contradiction with the views of the public,
help me to look beneath the surface and to trust my instincts.

St. Veronica, you dropped your defences and stepped into someone else’s pain,
help me to leave my comfort zones and to be truly present to others.

St. Veronica, you touched Jesus in an intimate manner,
help me to use my body as a conduit for expressing tenderness and love.

St. Veronica, you carried an icon of Jesus with you after your encounter,
help me to recognize when I have been imprinted with the echo of a sacred moment.

Safeguarding Her Value

Time was essential in recognizing the need for a solid boundary
Along with ongoing assurances for its justification
The necessary materials had to be identified
Built, mended, reinforced
And although the structure may be repeatedly battered
It is secure enough to hold strong

Now attention must be given to what is within the borders
Taking stock of the damages inflicted during the over-exposure
Replenishing what has been ravaged
Soothing what has been scorched

Yet even more than that
This the season to create
To discover which plants grow best in darkened places
And which thrive in full sun
To seek out and delight in flowers growing wild
And to nourish countless birds of flight

It is also an era of welcome
For those receptive of the healing balm that is offered
For those who wish to play
And for those with gifts to share

This garden may never be perfect or whole
It may never be what others insist upon
Or an exact replica of its original design
But it is unequalled
Of inestimable value
And indisputably
Unquestionably
Worth protecting

Treasures

a lazy morning
where time is suspended
safe in his love
skin against skin
a glimpse of heaven
in our earthly forms

Creating With Colour

colour outside of the lines
use the boundaries as reference points
and then blur right past them
as you stretch into the great unknown
while your lasting imprints
trail gloriously behind you

alternatively

trace over the lines with a thick black marker
then fill the interiors
with the most vibrant of hues
to highlight the contrasts
sharpen the focus
allowing the blaze of rich colours to draw you into
deeper, more intense realms

regardless of your choice
to take flight from your original setting
or to remain and explore profound meanings
you are refusing to accept the pattern as it is presented
refusing to accept that a mere skeleton is all that is
or all that could be
and as you take risks in crafting what can be seen
you are simultaneously enhancing
the variegated dimensions of your spirit

Non-Linear Aging

I have never subscribed to the culturally understood
set formula for aging

As a child
I delved into deep thoughts
and intuited patterns and insights
that no one suspected from someone
who appeared to be so young

In my early 20’s
I went on mission trips
where I witnessed up close
some of the horrors that people can inflict upon each other
what they are capable of reducing fellow human beings to
and the first time that I was old
was on those daily
walks from hell

Throughout my 30’s
my health issues flared to advanced degrees
pain, exhaustion, confusion, the symptoms of strokes…
and worst of all
the abandonment and betrayal
of those who were supposed to care
The world rushed on without me
while I seemingly lived through my 90’s
in near-isolation

Now here I am at 44
more connected and yet still feeling
slightly out-of-step with those around me
but I have learned
that in states of wonder
you may slip into agelessness
because spheres of beauty
can exist partially outside of
the sequential observation of time

The Ever-Witness

they tried to kill my spirit
by targeting my body
so it should not be so strange
that even after all these years
what has been encoded in my body
testifies against
their carefully crafted and fused masks
while my still-thriving spirit
takes notice