Last night and again

today, I sat waiting for

two teenagers to

finish doing whatever

it is that teens do

when “it will only take a

sec” morphs to eternity.

                                                                           JDG

When Virginia has

just right days with cloudless skies,

the tang of autumn

in the air, and kids (at last)

back in school, we know

heaven’s knocking on the door,

waiting for hearts’ openings.

                                                                             JDG

Alone without dogs,

cats, or kids, I take a breath

and then another.

It won’t be long before they

return, but for now

I wrap myself in blessed

quiet, offer silent thanks.

                                                                                     JDG

How we left it is

a small part of the story.

 There is so much more.

The question is where to start,

how to stretch our hearts

 to include it all: the best

 moments and the worst,

the failures and the triumphs,

 the mundane and the sublime.

                                                                                        JDG

“You twitched,” they say, tails

wagging as I lie abed.

“Let us guide you to

our empty bowls and then we’ll

take a walk.”  “But it’s

early,” I sigh, “and the sun

has yet to rise.”  “Don’t

worry,” they insist. “Once  you’re

up, we stand ready to assist.”

                                                                                     JDG

I’ve always envied

those whose dispositions let

them greet whatever

comes with grace. Did they simply

win the genetic

lottery or did practice

and diligence play a part?

                                                                                          JDG

Today when sharp aches

and pains stalked my day, my thoughts

turned to my deceased

friend Eleanor who, somehow,

in the midst of her

own suffering, found a way 

to send compassion

to others also in pain.

Through thoughts of her I’m

able to find my way to

both compassion and relief.

                                                                                         JDG

“It’s the prickly pear,”

the grandkids said when asked what

tree was most like me.

Though impressed with their knowledge

of trees, I wondered 

why it was that the sugar

maple failed to spring to mind.

                                                                                     JDG

To make this crazy

quilt of a life I gather

what I can and stitch,

 moment by moment, these small

 fragments  into a

pieced together whole, hoping

this irregular,

unskilled offering will be

enough to keep a body warm.

                                                                              JDG