Summer leaves alive with shimmering green, Or scarlet with autumn’s glory sheen, Evoking mysteries yet unseen. From inside my human-made abode A window peers into nature’s road. Smooth floors, paneled walls, wood fans cool, Heaters and blankets hold back winter’s fierce rule, Protection and comfort—from a human tool. Yet from […]
Where to Feed?
A hummingbird flitters by, The glittering feeder gone dry. Guilty, I note, Unwholesomely, upon my feathered friends, I dote. To watch and claim my own wee-beast I succor them from best to least. A flighty friend, too, am I, To wander hungry, expectations sigh. Where to feed, To fill my […]
Nocturne Blest
As the sun drops beyond the horizon low, Leaving the crimson world aglow, I stand alone between flowers and trees, Soaking in a gentle breeze. Fireflies twinkle in fairy-land darts, Easing mind, soul, and heart. In noontime heat, I stroll the familiar beat. Stepping around molehills and brushing off flies, […]
Kingdoms of Our World
Of late, I’ve waged a war on carpenter bees, which seem heck-bent on burrowing holes throughout my porch to the point where I have to sweep sawdust off each morning. My attempts at repairing and staining only appear to alter their trajectory, not their aim. Little do they care how […]
Soul’s Amen
A spider web in the branching trees, Sends winking glints in a gentle breeze. What an intrepid climber you be, Forever free! My little friend may claim great might. Above the landscape, amazing height. Birds flutter in anxious haste, You watch in expectation, not a breath of waste. My admiration […]
See a Tree
Trees, in their giantess of spirit, talk to me on a daily basis. Thank God, or I don’t know who I’d go to for advice. It’s the end of a long day—a Monday to be exact—and as hectic, overflowing Mondays have the uncanny habit of following slow, afternoon-nap Sundays, I […]
Maybe I’m Amazed
By Janice Lane Palko Do you collect anything? Aside from the occasional Christmas ornament I pick up whenever I travel to a new destination, I don’t collect anything material. However, I do have a collection of intangible treasures that I regard as priceless. One gem is the first time I […]
Pick up the Orange
By Janice Lane Palko Some people receive profound promptings from the Holy Spirit. Me? I get messages like “pick up the orange.” A few weeks ago, I walked into my local grocery store and saw a woman select some oranges and put them in a plastic bag. As she walked […]
The Advent of Mercy
These are troubling times but God is at work in powerful ways. The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy begins with Advent and offers us as Catholics a unique invitation and challenge to BE the change we wish to see in the world, starting with Christmas. Just as we prepare for […]