Last year's leaves rustle

As we walk from place to place -

       This year's are budding. 

                        or

        into a new year.

 

 

Don't know which I like better!

 Water, wind, and waves,
a bird blows by, snowflakes swirl -
       walk on the bike path.

 "Here comes the sun, Do,

Do, do, do, do - and I say - "

      Whoops - Here comes the rain/hail/thunderstorm/lightning !

 Ok - I find some of this kind of questionable and even offensive but it's what I got for today.  If you start to get offended, please just skip to the prayer at the bottom, or maybe even better yet, just close it down and come back again tomorrow, when apparently we'll have a nice haiku about thunderstorms and hail.

This comes off the title of a piece from the Plough email - What Do You Do With A Dead Jesus?  The disciples were hiding out, the women were gathering spices, and finally some guy named Joseph went and got the body and put it in the tomb where his body was meant to be laid. So there's a lot to think about there, but for me it also kind of begs the question, what do you do with a live Jesus?  So here goes -

 

Strictly speaking it seems to me like the pre-crucifixion Jesus couldn't do squat,

  (yes, kind of offensive, and of course there were the miracles - exceptions that prove the point?)

and the post resurrection Jesus still couldn't really do squat,

  (let's be honest - there were no crowds of angels, 

   there was no white robe or sparkling aura, 

   the disciples on the way to Emmaus didn't recognize him, 

   Mary thought he was the gardener, for Pete's sake)

EXCEPT love and suffer.

  Love and keep on suffering,

    Suffer and keep on loving -

and he did/does it like no one else ever

because he was/is the Child of God and that's what God does -

  Loves and keeps on suffering,

    Suffers and keeps on loving.

 

So when Jesus says, as he is going to one of these days, "The power of the Universe is given to me and I'm ready to hand it off to you", think twice before you say "Oh - here I am, pick me, pick me,"  because that's the power he has to give -

  to love and keep on suffering,

    to suffer and keep on loving.

 

At least that's how I see it today.

Let us pray -

 Long-suffering God, 

it breaks our hearts how much suffering we cause you

and how long we have been doing it.

And we can scarcely believe that you would love us still.

We begin this day trying our best to believe in that love

and to let it encourage and inspire us to live our best life today.

May we even bring some joy to your heart

and some blessing to your Creation.

 

 

 The fog came in on 

DINOSAUR FEET filling the

      springtime afternoon.

 

Yup - this reflects a poem by Carl Sandburg from 7th or 8th grade, and remembered all these years -

The fog comes 

on little cat feet.

 

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

 

The fog yesterday was not any "little cat feet" - it was think and dense.  

 

Frosty Treats - open;

Temp - 60 (not 80); Still -  

       Frosty Treats - open.......

 

Ok - this is going to take a little explaining.  Frosty Treats opening is a sign of springtime in Marquette.  (I really wanted to use the line "Frosty Treats is open" but that's six syllables and I wanted to use it twice, that doesn't leave much room for anything else.  And I am not so concerned with the fact of Frosty Treats being open as the reality of Frosty Treats being open.)  

See, I was walking along Third Street the other day; it was 60 degrees and sunny.  I had my jacket unzipped, but still I was pretty warm.  And there was Frosty Treats - open.  Now my practice is to wait until the temperature hits 80 before visiting Frosty Treats, but there it was, open, and a baby cyclone (about all I can handle these days) would taste pretty good, and I could eat it as I went along and dump the empty cup in a trash can someplace down by Flagstar Bank.  

So - "Frosty Treats - open...... "

 Blue water, blue sky,

sandwich, coffee, apple, then

        walk around Presque Isle.

 Sixty eight, sunny,

Pistons won game two last night -

         it's a hot dog day!

 

Actually we're at The Pete for dinner and a movie - hot dog tomorrow?

 On the pond today:

 ripples and reflections and -

   Canada geese - hmmmm.

 

Even on Earth Day, I am not particularly a fan of Canada geese. They just make too much of a mess!

 

 

Walking through the park;

years ago water ran here -

      life was/seemed different then.

 

Or maybe I was just a kid - the city used to pipe water to flow down in the break in the terraces into a pond in the circular area. I don't know if they pumped it back up or just let it flow away. It really was nice, peaceful, pleasant.  I don't know - I think life was different then. At least that's the way I remember it -

 God of all time

  of life and death and all that is between

  and all that comes before and after -

in a day when all hope was gone,

the women came in faith to the place of death

with their spices and burial cloths.

  And they found courage to face the morning;

  and they found reason even for joy;

  and they found hope in a new life to live.

Christ is risen – Christ is risen indeed.

So much of what we see around us

  wars,

  cruelty,

  governmental malfeasance,

  poverty,

  homelessness,

  hunger,

seems like a waiting tomb.

We come in faith to our hurting world today

  with our songs, our prayers,

  our offerings, our word and witness.

May we also find courage for the facing of these days,

  and reason for joy, and hope for new life

  for us and for all your creatures and creation.

Christ is risen – Christ is risen indeed.

Thank you! Alleluia!

Like the women, we go to share this Good News in our world today.

 

 

 Bonus for yesterday's entry -

What do you get when you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole?

     Hot cross bunnies!

 

 No polka dot vest,

no hat, no basket, no eggs -

        a rabbit hops by.

 

In the evening sunlight - nice.

 Sitting quietly,

watching, listening, waiting as

    life goes on around.

 

????? What? I don't know - make any sense to you?

 An old pond,

frog jumps in....

 

No, wait, someone already got that one.  How about this -

Gently rippling pond

sparkles in morning sunlight  -

    Duck glides, "splash", floats - peace.

 

Anyway, that's what I got for now.

 Bare lawns, crocuses,

tear drops, bicycles - spring's here!

   Do you believe it?

 

I think those little white flowers are "tear drops"?

 "Golden daffodils...."

Nope! It's wind and snow today

      wander where you will.

 

At least in Michigan's Upper Peninsula - winter weather advisories today.   But according to the Writer's Almanac, this is the day in 1802 that Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, were out wandering and happened upon a profusion of daffodils, which led (five years later) to the poem "I wandered lonely as a cloud...."

 

Then  -  trigger alert  -  I struggle not to let the current political happenings intrude on this adventure, after all it is designed to give us all (especially me!) a few moments of escape from the current political happenings, but too many things are coming together today (Tax Day) and I can't help myself.  If you read below this line, you may encounter political issues!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

First, 25 years ago I came across this list of computer error message haikus, apparently from Japan, but I couldn't say for sure.  Some examples -

 

Yesterday it worked.

Today is is not working.

   Windows is like that.

 

Chaos reigns within.

Reflect, repent, and reboot.

   Order shall return.

 

Stay the patient course.

Of little worth is your ire.

   The network is down

 

You step in the stream,

But the water has moved on.

   This page is not here.

 

And my favorite -

  Three things are certain:

  Death, taxes and lost data.

     Guess which has occurred.

 

Secondly, in the Inflation Reduction Act money was allotted to the states for rebates for home electrification actions, such as buying an induction stove, which we would like to do to replace the gas stove that came with the condo.  They were supposed to be available "early in the year" and then "early in March", so I kept checking the State of Michigan website and clicking on the "How this works" link.  Then about a month ago, instead of a page saying they will be available in early March, the link redirected to The Department of Energy page about the Director giving welcoming remarks on his first day (with a banner across the top about a court case).

 

So - 

Stove rebate web link

redirects to DOE -

   Guess what has occurred. 

Ok - that's it.  Starting tomorrow we once again scrub all political comments, words, themes, images from the website!  Thanks for reading this far - if you did!

 The springtime wind that

tore branches from trees also

          gently stirs the pond.

 

I wanted to use "ripples on the pond" but couldn't make it work!  And I guess the past tense/present tense reflects the wind that blew last night and the breeze that blew this afternoon.

Eternal God,

We would join our voices

to the birds and beasts and branches,

to the stars and skies and stones

as Jesus rides by in parade,

tossing out grace and joy and hope.

Hosanna, hosanna to the King.

But we know where this parade is headed;

we know the powers that the powers that be still wield.

And so we hold our place

 (and hold our signs) 

 and hold our breath

to hear him say "Today you will be with me - in Paradise".

 

Bonus content from Creation Justice Ministry - 

Timer on my wrist

shows one, three, five, ten minutes -

      what shall I do now?

A butterfly lands 

on an opening flower -

   life pollinated.

 

Ok - I don't know if butterflies really pollinate that much - there was a picture of a monarch and a flower and that's what I got for today, lovely as it is, in Marquette, anyway.

 

 

 From the light inside

we walked out into the dark  -

      the moon came out too!

On table, eyes closed;

"This should take twenty minutes...."

        "I wandered lonely......."

 

Ok - explanation - I was getting this bone scan, and I used to have a list of poems, psalms, songs memorized to recite to myself at such times, one of which was Wordsworth's 

   "I wandered lonely as a cloud 

   that floats on high o'er vales and hills 

   when all at once I saw a crowd, 

   a host of golden daffodils...".  

Another was Frost's Provide, Provide - 

  "The witch that came (the withered hag)

    to wash the steps with pail and rag 

    was once the beauty Abishag, 

    the picture pride of Hollywood....

I suppose as the years go by and more and more of these "Lie still on the table and close your eyes" moments come along,  it wouldn't hurt to dip back in that list and "rememorize" a few more of them! 

Bonus haiku, after reading The Writer's Almanac for this day -

After many deaths,

at Appomattox Court House

       Lee and Grant shook hands.

 

Wearing khaki pants

for first time since September -

     Early sign of spring!

 

 Ok, yeah, I'm struggling a bit here. Trying to insert a little variety besides food and weather!  But hey, I never said these were all going to be all that profound!

 Blue, green, cream, red, gold -

Beauty lingers while light fades 

        through Tiffany glass.

 

 

Sitting in the glow of the Tiffany window in Morgan Chapel, listening to the singing bowls.  (The central cross is cream colored, striking in the twilight.)

Creating God,

you are always doing new things,

providing water in the deserts,

and ways in the wildernesses of our lives.

Give us faith even now to see through our tears

and hear the shouts of joy in your future.

At the party with Lazarus, Mary and the others,

feasting on Martha’s dinner,

we break open our hearts

and lavish our love on Jesus.

May the perfume of our gifts

fill all the world with grace, joy, and peace.

 White clouds and seagulls

drifting on bluesky background -

    taking me to spring.

 

Ok - I don't know if it makes sense or not, but it's what I got for today....

 Tap, tap, tap, ding, slap

tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, ding, slap -

         typewriter’s return!

 

We were at JJ Brinski's  poetry reading last night at The Pete.  He uses a typewriter to write poems on the spot.  Brought back memories.

 Silver sliver moon,

a dark sky, a few faint stars -

    taking out the trash.

 White bread, sliced, toasted,

American cheese, melted -

         wait - no slice of Spam?

 

Spam week is still 3 months away!

 Patio picnic!

Hot dogs, beans, salad(1), root beer -

       wait - it's April Fool!

 

 (1) potato, that is!