deedeewisdom

As I gaze upon its form
I cannot help but think:
Of all the souls who sat and rocked
Caressing their babes
And praying in sync

With those they loved
With souls they’d lost
Through the years
On this restful chair
They sat and rocked through all the tears
Knowing the sun would appear!

I got the rocker second hand
Tis a treasure for me now
Its presence in our home reminds
That life is short
And so profound

So sit a spell
Enjoy its feel
The back and forth will soothe
Life’s pains and burrs and sudden jars
Life never always smooth

So say a prayer of thanks to God
Abundant gifts He gives.
Stay the course.
Never doubt
And let the grace of God abound!

“Isn’t it wonderful to be alive?”
I heard my beloved say
Such a joyful theme as we opened our eyes
On this misty quiet day

In the evening of life
We’re given gifts
We “see” as never before

With eyes that can focus
So, so much
On the things we missed before!

So may this reflection
Shed some light
On the beauty of our latter years

Our eyes are opened
To see God’s Grace
In dimensions that
Once were a blur!

4/30/23
Diane Findlen Garrow

Mist rising
Yet an almost frost
The reds and yellows bounce
The sunlight illumines the November oaks

Glorious!

Raking the leaves a great work out
No gym today
My beloved and I
In sync
the birds at the feeder
Watch as they flutter around us

God is in TODAY
as YESTERDAY
as TOMORROW

Yet in today
Is the grace

Our prayer is to be here
Totally
Absorbing the Divine
And praying
“VOTA TUA
ET NON VOTA MEA”

AMEN

Many walks over many paths
Leading to those who are gone
Many words said to many hearts
Expressing our faith in the hope of each morn

One of the walks with my cherished friend
Through a labyrinth of goodbyes
Brought us so close to our soldiers gone
That tears overwhelmed our eyes

We saw their names engraved on plaques
Our brothers gone too soon
We offered prayers, who knew their fears?
Their absence we now mourn

My friend and I reached out to them
Brave brothers lost to war
In gratitude for their beliefs
Now we honor them, it was their last tour

Written 12/22/15 in reference to walking amongst the
tombstones of our high school friends lost in the Vietnam war

Each day I wake
And gaze upon
Our yard now full
Of Spring

My hubby rakes and hoes
Each day
To help the earth to bring

To help the soil bring forth
Its blooms
To help the earthworms work
He’s there, a midwife
To our yard
with never a negative shard

So I walk softly
Sometimes help
But often cannot do

I’m his companion
At his side
To help him
With a smile

Musings of gardening with Charlie 2022

My cheerleader sits
Her face reveals the suffering
That she endures silently

The face of a fighter
She always fought for me
Her little sister

She was the cheerleader
in my life
Always had my back

Now I strive to have
Just a tiny bit of her courage
To help her
Climb this tedious path

For this is her most
Important journey
I know my cheerleader is strong
vigilant
Faith filled
Loving
Enduring

Now full of the grace
She needs to enter
The place of rest
With Jesus, her Lord

Written as I sat at her bedside in her final days

We loved this man
Somehow it seemed
That when he spoke
The world just beamed

It beamed with knowledge
wit and hope
His lovely mind
Helped us to cope

And so this Irish bard remains
For me, a soul etched
Into the cells of memory
From which the past is fetched

He lingers there
In our hearts
Bill Bent the man
With us in spirit though now apart

Written after Bill died 3/1/2015

As the world sleeps
There are those who labor

They bake the bread
They care for the ill
They nurse the babes
They deliver the milk

Who are these souls?

They are the night workers
They are ministering to us all

As we sleep

Diane Findlen Garrow
10/26/16

Old woman, old woman
Where have you been?
Tell me your story from beginning to end

You’re soft and you’re pleasant
You smile a lot
There’s much life you’ve lived
And there’s secrets you’ve got

Your wisdom gives comfort
To those you surround
You listen with measure
You make stable ground

Your arms become portals
That welcome sad souls
They flock to you needing
Your special hellos

Old woman, old woman
Where are you now?
Your journey’s not over
There’s much you allow

How have you made it?
What have you done?
Surviving’s not easy
There’s rain with the sun

Old woman, old woman
Your face tells the tale
Each furrow and wrinkle
Reflect nature’s toil

I ask you to give me one secret
I pray
“Be yourself”, said the woman
“Make the most of today”

I thanked her with vigor
Then went on my way
Old woman, old woman
Your words with me stay

Diane Findlen Garrow 4/12/09
While commuting home on the train

To you oh Lord I bow
To you oh Lord I sing
For you oh Lord I live
Help me to adore you, our Merciful King!

My liberty I give
My memory I offer
My understanding
I submit
My will is Yours

Less of me
More of You
Your Grace
Your Love
Your Will
Mold me in Your Holy Image

Amen

Diane Findlen Garrow 1/19/21