Nature’s rendezvous
Tasting every breath of grace—
Tomorrow can wait
Morning peace gathers
Hiking on destiny’s trails—
Close to Creator
Joining for breakfast
Coffee plus conversation—
Life “over easy”
Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
It ain’t the roads we take; it’s what’s inside of us that makes us turn out the way we do.
O. Henry, the pen name of William Henry Porter (1862-1910), was an American writer who mastered the art of crafting short stories.
To measure a man, measure his heart.
The art of conversation lies in listening.
Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) was an American entrepreneur and publisher.
Tranquility’s breath
Morning’s comforting stillness—
Novel’s deep reading
Volunteer’s spirit
Stepping up, giving of self—
Serving slice of grace
Rendezvous with friends
Conversation with good food—
Forks up and phones down
An elderly man steadily works in his backyard, raking up some of autumn’s harvest of red maple leaves. The quiet, afternoon air is punctuated by angry and upset mumbling coming from the neighbor’s yard.
Walking over to the fence, the former teacher listens while a much younger man unsuccessfully tries to start up his lawn mower. The neighbor, in his late twenties, has been facing extra pressure and longer hours at the small business he operates.
Pausing and then sending some words of encouragement over the fence, the quiet man offers some advice, “Does the mower need a new spark plug?”
A quick reply comes back, “I never thought of that.”
The conversation continues back and forth for a few minutes. The young man confesses his frustration at work has brought a heavy burden on him as well as his family. He is married with a young daughter.
The wise neighbor adds some gems of wisdom before they both go back to their separate chores, “Hang in there. God’s using these difficult days to prepare you for a more successful tomorrow. He’s equipping you with tools which will help you to bear fruit.”
The young man replies back, “Thanks. I appreciate your advice as well as your testament from the Lord.”
With the rake in his hand, the elderly man prepares to step away from the fence, but he returns and offers a prayer for the young man, “God, grant Tim the serenity to accept the things he cannot change, the courage to change the things he can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Both men say their final words, and return to their respective yard work.
As the retired teacher continues to rake more of the stubborn leaves into a series of small piles, he hears the lawn mower start up with a roar. Obviously, the young man has changed the mower’s spark plug, and it is now running as it should.
At the same time, Tim feels the spark of God’s Word bringing him patience and encouragement for today as well as for tomorrow.
From 2 Peter 1:5-7: “For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.”
Originally published October, 2020.
Wisdom always teaching
Every day, words matter
Sharing encouragement
Negative now scatters
Gentleness in spirit
Words of inspiration
Sending intended grace
Fragrance of carnations
Pleasant conversation
Cooler than grill’s briquettes
Reflecting heart’s sweetness
Love guiding words’ mindset
Strangers greeted as friends
Careful with choice of words
Sharing joy with others
Kindness stirred, always heard
Words echo character
Softness cradles each thought
Thinking before saying
Always, as mother taught
Nourishing landscape
Radiating at sunrise—
Creator’s spirit
Enduring sunrise
Wakening morning’s treasures—
New day beginning
In early dawn’s light
Nighttime passes her baton—
Horizon’s sunrise
Ah, good conversation–there’s nothing like it, is there? The air of ideas is the only air worth breathing.
Half the trouble in life is caused by pretending there isn’t any.
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was an American author who became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921 for her novel, THE AGE OF INNOCENCE.
Early morning hour
Sowing heart’s tranquility—
Calmness of spirit
Believe, trusting more
Opening another door—
Shifting day’s mindset
Away from one’s view
Time flowing with transition—
Subtleness of change
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.
From Luke 22:39-41: “He came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When He reached the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed.”
Big Sky Buckeye 