a heartfull of hymn….
For rivers and fountains and leaves and fields
and bulbs and seeds and stories and songs
and all the ways that love pours in
when hope holds open the door,
I whisper thanks,
and for flight and flutter and drift and dance
and all the ways that family happens, that art happens,
that rest and freedom and hope happen…..for all that inspires,
I sing it out loud, thanks,
for starshine and moonlight and candles burning slow,
for electricity and clean windows and reading glasses
and lamps softly glowing and my favorite sunbeam on the stairs,
I’m grateful all the more,
and for the light that leads me to the ones I need
and to the ones who need something of me,
for the feeling of an open road, the fierce mystic restoration of forgiveness
and for every shade and tone and color and hue,
for both and also and yet and still
and right on time,
I belt it out, thank you,
for the ways we become more peaceful, more playful, less prickly
as time and grace and trouble flow across our rough edges
and iron sharpens iron
and we change and disentangle and grow,
for the unexpected lift when all we could see was
a slow, dark climb,
for all the ways that provision can come and surprise
I’m twirling here…..thanks,
That this journey is messy and ours and thick with mystery
and none of it wasted,
for love…..that love is the flying,
I hurl it, fling it,
sing it out, dance and swing and whoop it loud
from the bottom of this heart of mine, I give it now,
thanks.
“Can you stand in the stillness, in the stillness can you stand,
cause you’ll always dream of flying
but everybody lands,
in this world full of voices screaming in your ear,
only in the quiet will you hear
You are loved, you are golden
and the circle won’t be broken
when you sail into the shadow of the storm.
We are sons, we are daughters
in this world of troubled waters,
just hold on, just hold on
you are loved, you are golden.”
-Amy Grant
I’ll be sending a bounty of love to the deeply beautiful rachel awes
whose name I drew this morning.
Again this week and all month, if you stop and say hello, I’ll plop your name
into the drawing at the end of the week
for another “love bomb”
(aren’t happy packages in the mail just the best!)
And a big thank you for the myriad beauty you see, capture and share. Thank you for the wonder that is you.
Your Heartfull of hymn poem is so beautiful, I’m drinking it in and I imagine you in full thankfulness. Everything is gift.
Have a wonderful weekend Jennifer.
Hugs,
JB
I am truly thankful for you. This is perhaps my favorite poem by you, too. I love how you think and feel and put gratitude and life into beautiful words that you share. Amazing. You give so much to the universe. Thank you! Thank you!
Ah….but, my dear friend, your words and images are such a bountiful gift to me.
~ big sigh ~ and thank you.
Your words did flew into the space of my being today. The sun is our on the golden leafes and the air is crisp with frozen chrystals yet my heart is singing the song you just send out to me.
Be well my friend and happy starters of the week.
Hugs Dagmar
This is just SO beautiful, Jennifer. Really resonates with me – gratitude for the immense graces in our lives, and for the minute gifts we take for granted. This verse will be printed out and included in my daughter’s Thanksgiving package, as I send my love to her in Canada. I’m grateful to have you in my life with your heartfelt, inspiring thoughts and words. Thank you for sharing your beautiful heart with us. xo
What a most beautiful song of thanks…we give our heartfelt thanks to you dear Jennifer for bringing such beauty into our lives.
What a most beautiful song of thanks…we give our heartfelt thanks to you dear Jennifer for bringing such beauty into our lives.
Your words are so beautiful…as well as your photos. I give thanks for you!
For Jennifer’s ripples, her beautiful soul, her generous personality, her magnificent talent, her kind heart, her thoughtful introspection and her eloquent poetry — I whisper thanks.
I can absolutely attest to your love bombs being the BEST!! I love it. And this!
Joining you in saying thanks Jennifer. And thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures and your lovely words. Many blessings to you.
I always whisper thank you when I read your poems.
A post dedicated to gratitude fills my heart with joy. 🙂
Lindsay
Beautiful words, beautiful pictures, beautiful heart.
This one filled my heart, almost to bursting. Love, love, love it—-going to share it!
Jennifer, Your words touch my heart in a very deep way. I’m so glad to see you are still twirling. I can see the image of your dress as you dance your way back home.
So much beauty swirling around here.
“none of it wasted”: I needed to read this today as I’ve been feeling sad looking at the time seemingly wasted being sick and stuck in grief. What a glorious ode to Life. It is sending me straight back to my gratitude practice. Thank you!
That first photo – pure delight. Actually the first three should be framed as a trio, in my humble opinion.