by Blue Heron
Autumn carries with it a certain sadness. The daylight hours continue to shrink. Leaves have fallen, and the marshes have shed their summer greens for rusty brown. Branches are gray against clouded skies. Wind is relentless and unfriendly. Walk the dog if you must.
We live on this little sliver of land that sticks out into the Atlantic. Water is never very far away, the sound of crashing waves, and turbulent blue stretching to the horizon. There is a certain vulnerability that is ever present. On one hand this could be a bit frightening. But it does seem to strip away some of the unnecessary things of life, and assist me in hanging on to what is most important. Above the roar of the wind and waves, the howling of my present worries, there remains the unchanging love of God.
Moth at night
clinging to a shingle
beside the brightness
of light
Your wings
like two slices of chiseled wood
angular
painted in delicate lines.
I am startled by your singular beauty
and wonder why God, You take such pains
with just a moth.
I feel chiseled myself
and big chunks have fallen off me
and how tenderly You move among my pieces.
It is not Your power that moves me
but Your restraint.
Your willingness to speak to me again and again
about the same things..
and I wonder why You would take such pains
with just one person.

I have often had thoughts like this but could not put them into words. Thank you. Someone once said that if I were the only believer, Christ would have died for me. I do not know why God loves me but I will try to thank him each day in the New Year.