Driving west into the blue-black

evening,  I was

surprised at how

much light remained

after the sun had set, before

the moon arose.

In those times in

between, when we

can’t clearly see our way, maybe

there’s always more

light than we are,

at first, aware.

                                               JDG

I picked a grey day to work on

my taxes. It

seemed fitting to

join with our fine

House of Non-Representatives

to find a way

to deal with tea

and taxes and

so I poured myself some Earl Grey

and tried to make

two plus two not

add up to four.

                                                      JDG

As the new year opens, may I

learn to open

too. Let me not

close my eyes, or

ears or heart out of habit or

out of fear. May

I find the wise

strength that comes from

simple, unresisting presence

and hold gently

all that comes to

greet me this year.

                                                           JDG

The day began in sun and silence.

As I slowly

sipped my morning

cup of tea, the

only thing stirring was the wind.

As I edge closer

to the finishing

line, I’ve come to

cherish such slow starts. Sudden bursts

may suit the young,

but I prefer

to warm up slow.

                                                                 JDG

Saturday’s rain settles and slows,

bringing a grey

peace to glistening

tree limbs edging

stilled waters of pond and soul. What

tomorrow may

bring, I do not

know, but for now

I take shelter in this unsought

respite from life’s

usual full

and hurried flow.

                                                       JDG

I awoke to Taylor Swift singing

yet another song

of love gone wrong.

Then Toby came

and settled by my side, singing

a silent song

of love gone right.

Outside the moon

sang a silver soft lullaby

for us all – kids

and dogs, Taylor

and even me.

                                                       JDG

Just an hour or two talking

to a friend helps

me find my way

back home. As the

poet Frost says, “Home is where, when

you go there, they

have to take you

in,” and so it

is with certain friends who, when I

go to them, they

take me in and

point toward home.

                                                      JDG

The day after a special day,

when there’s a lull

after a storm

of preparation,

when our focus expands to include

our breath, in that

gathering space,

we can take our

rest and slowly settle into

the sustaining

simpleness of

the commonplace.

                                                       JDG