Category Archives: Spiritual practices

Seven Worlds, Seven Steps #Cinquain #Poem

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Thunder
before the rain
told all to stay inside.
Of course, not everyone obeyed…
Distraught.

Salvaged
after the rain,
with the coming of dawn,
the bright-shining symbol of a
new leaf.

Our own
Garden of Eden,
where perhaps no storms rage,
only exists eternally
in Light.

we find
matcha for tea,
giving thanks for supply;
respecting, taking what we need
to live.

Dragon
of avarice
is fed by humankind…
Yet we always have the option
]to choose!

Black tie
around his neck
chokes off the serpent’s greed.
And Light is always here, beyond
false dark.

We live
in half-and-half,
Light and dark together.
Which we see depends on our own
seeking!

—
My response to Linda Kruschke’s wonderful
Chance Cinquain Paint Chip Prompt!

“Hope for Hard Times” #Music #SixSentenceStories

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There are times when we could all use a filter, especially when we feel tired and run down or in pain.

Maybe it’s a coffee filter; these days it’s probably a mask, or even a mask with a filtering element.

Whatever you use and whatever you need, I pray that yours is a filter of hope!

Not to prevent hope–oh no–but to prevent some negativity from entering your heart, mind, soul, and outlook!

Here is a medley of two pieces I composed years ago, “Hard Times” and “Hope.”

May this meditation with zither, alto recorder, and Oriole soprano recorder be a hopeful filter for you during these difficult times!

—
Written for
#SixSentenceStories: Filter
and
Tale Weaver #310: Tired and Run Down.

Life Portrait #Poem

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Each thought is a dab on the canvas of life,
Expressing and coloring sweetness or strife.

It’s something like nothing within our control–
And thinking affects body, mind, and our soul.

O artist, choose carefully, consciously, wise,
While daily creating your portrait of life!

—
My Quadrille in response to De’s “dab” prompt at
dVerse.

“I Need Thee Every Hour” #Music

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Annie Hawks wrote the poem, “I Need Thee Every Hour,” in 1872. Her pastor, Dr. Robert Lowry, wrote the refrain and the music. Though Annie Hawks wrote over 400 hymn texts, this is the only one continually published and sung today.

I hope you enjoy this arrangement with ukulele, viola, and alto recorder!

Open-hearted #Poem

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O that our hearts of polished stone
Would ride like cowboys in the night!
Come quickly now to help just one
And stay until the morning light!
With mind and spirit shining bright
And body comforted by touch,
We’d feel less lonely in our plight.
I don’t believe I ask too much!

O Rocky Mountains, deep in tone,
Give us your song of strength and might!
Help all remember, small and grown,
That each one has a place in life!
And whether ag-ed or a sprite,
Compassion true is not a crutch.
A gift of love, the heart’s delight!
I don’t believe I ask too much!

O that our hearts of polished stone
Would ride like cowboys in the night!
Come quickly now to help just one
And stay until the morning light!
With mind and spirit shining bright
And body comforted by touch,
We’d feel less lonely in our plight.
I don’t believe I ask too much!

O Prince of Peace, You, Love and Light!
Let us release the fear we clutch!
And open to Your loving sight–
I don’t believe I ask too much!

—
This is a
Ballade
written for Linda Kruschke’s weekly
Paint Chip Poetry Prompt.

PSA: If you, like me, cannot read text in images, click the Ballade link above for a written explanation and examples of the form.

“No, Not One” #Music

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This hymn was written by Johnson Oatman in 1895. I first heard it on a record album my grandfather, “Poppop Clyde,” gave me, where two women sang it as a duet in a foreign language. I never knew which language it was… However, it was not German, which I later studied extensively. Though that mystery remains, it’s a beautiful hymn!

I hope you enjoy hearing the English lyrics, viola, and alto recorder with ukulele accompaniment!

“Away in a Manger” 2 Melodies #Music

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Here are two musical settings for “Away in a Manger,” played on ukulele and alto recorder. The first one, best known in the United States, is popularly known as “Mueller.” Written by James Ramsey Murray in 1887, its original title was “Luther’s Cradle Hymn.” The second melody is more popular in the United Kingdom. “Cradle Song” was written in 1895 by William J. Kirkpatrick. Both settings are beautiful melodies, and I hope you enjoy them!