Day: February 24, 2020

Contest on
 
Winter carnival
 
Ice sculptures
 
Many, many
Man-hours
 
Battleships
Soldier forts
Farm machines
Disney World
Wild horses
Frozen wonders
 
Spectacular
 
All dwarfed
By the magnificence
Of a setting sun
 
Stanski
February 24, 2020 ^

The bright morning sun encourages
This Leap Year February is nearly over

The morning light is higher in the sky
Days begin earlier and end later

We have hope that the dread will end
Cold, snow and ice have been haunting

The lake must be weary vacillating
From calm to stormy
 
We are not foolish
The season may be coming to a close

This will be in name only
It could be until the middle of May

Until the frozen tundra yields to
The warmth of the sun and 

The gentle soothing rains
Snow will surround early daffodils
 
Finally we will have about two weeks
In no-man’s land where everything

Appears to be beautiful and at peace
Suddenly weeds and bugs appear

Grass is long and needs cutting
Lawnmowers need to be fixed

Stones raked out of the lawns
Happiness is not pervasive
 
We will not sink into despair
Windows will be washed

Cleaning taken care of
The car polished

Bushes cut back and gardens tended
Fragrances will be remembered

Birds and nature will sing to us
All is back as it should be
 
Stanski
February 24, 2020 ^

Sometimes
a church service
seems to drag
 
Long pauses
Between the readings
 
The choir slow on the pick up
 
A sermon which makes its point
in the first sentence and
then repeats
 
The hesitations
The drama
 
I know this is church
but shouldn’t order and solemnity
have a place in the service?
 
These are questions and
they will never have answers
because feelings would be hurt and
that is not what we want
 
We desire beginnings and endings
during each phase
This is not too much to ask
 
The scrubbing of hands with antiseptic
is over enthusiastic at communion time
 
Does it have any real purpose
Wouldn’t the handling of
the body and blood of Jesus
be purification enough?
 
Today, after the blessing  and
before the final hymn
the words “Go and serve the Lord”
were spoken
 
The congregation responded
“Thanks be to God”
 
Then a child doubled down the exclamation
Repeating in a loud voice
“Thanks be to God” 
 
Amen
 
Stanski
February 23, 2020 ^