meet us in Your peace
out of the anxieties
inundating Earth —
hold us in eternal Now
all but Love is swept away
Another short poem that I’m only sharing because it’s NaPoWriMo (day 16), but I hope you like it.
Prayer
The Healing Waters
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and is also considered World Day of the Sick because the waters at Lourdes are thought to have healing properties. In 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared there to a girl named St. Bernadette, and she desired that a chapel be built there. Due to the apparitions, the spring at Lourdes appeared, and countless people claim that, by visiting Lourdes, they have been healed of their ailments. If you want to know more, click here. 🙂 Anyway, I wrote a sijo to honor this day and Our Lady.
Once thought to be a poor place, now a source of miracles,
Led to the healing waters, where many have been restored,
Lasting remembrance belongs to Lourdes, Heaven’s Lady, and her Lord.
Never Giving Up
I will never throw in the towel when it comes to writing. I may not blog every day (despite wanting to participate daily in JusJoJan), but I write every day, both poetry and in a journal. Also, at this point, I will never throw in the towel when it comes to praying the rosary, as I have done so every day for probably 6 years (thanks be to God). It seems more likely that I will throw in the towel on all of life before stopping those 2 things! Nevermind that giving up on life does sometimes seem likely….but that is a whole other topic!
I am never giving up:
Standing in the storm,
Underneath is solid rock,
Something keeps me warm.
Throwing in the towel is no
Option now for me,
I’ll use it to dry my tears
When sun comes to me.
(Just realized I rhymed “me” with “me” — that’s stream-of-consciousness writing for you)
Predictive Text is Inspiring
Today’s prompt for SoCS / JusJoJan is “out of the box.” Sometimes, the predictive text on my phone furnishes out-of-the-box poetry ideas. Case in point: Today I was texting my friend that I would like to go to Mass with her tomorrow, and my phone predicted “…Mass with the night.” So that’s the title of this poem, which is a cherita.
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On Sundays I go to Mass, no matter How I feel: Sometimes I go, with depression Like the night inside of me, soul carrying Much; happiness does not even ensue When I'm sitting in the pew, yet my burden Might be a tiny tiny bit lighter. *(sometimes it's not, and that's okay too)
Without Ceasing
For Thursday Inspiration (on a Friday), and the theme is heaven and / or the picture below:
Singing always in the heart, Hope lifts up its voice, Heard by God if not by men, Quietly rejoice. Music comes and shall not cease, Paradise awaits Those whose hope lasts to the end, Past the pearly gates.
‘Tween Death and Life
Rescue me from my distress: Lord, You hear my pleas, Even if just silently I do scream, and freeze 'Tween the paths of life and death. Help me choose the right, That I may live to praise You Through this darkest night.
I’m rather proud of this SoCS poem for “Twin/Tween.” Also I am thankful to have been able to write it, as I was expecting to write something a hell of a lot more depressing today (that may still be coming).Â
My Favorite Prayers
Today’s MVB prompt is chaplet, and my Catholic self is not about to let that pass by! My favorite chaplets (besides the rosary) are the Saint Michael chaplet and the Holy Face chaplet. Oh, and the Divine Mercy chaplet. 🙂 There are so many different possible prayers that it is probably literally impossible to pray them all in a day.
When I first heard of the Holy Face chaplet, I was so inspired by it and its prayers that I wrote a whole suite of poems having to do with it and with the 5 senses. Below is one of those poems.
Thy Face: A Puente Poem Protect us from every demon, Attacking distressingly often, Speak Thy word and show Thy face -- Let them that hate Thee flee – Yet with Thine arms always embrace The one who needs protection, Until her own resurrection
Looking for My Vocation
Since today’s FOWC is Vocation, it reminded me of this post I shared 2.5 years ago, called “My Home is a Monastery Now,” reprinted below. I guess this counts as my Flashback Friday post, too.
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Almost exactly two years before this quarantine started, I spent my spring break visiting a monastery. I was considering the life of a cloistered nun, as I was very attracted to their way of life and prayer. I loved every minute of that time and even visited again that summer. However, in the end, it was not to be, and I have not pursued it any further. Now is my new chance to be a cloistered nun. Black-and-white clad nuns Flock together in spirit As bells are tolling
After the lockdowns and everything, I learned that I wouldn’t have been able to handle that kind of life very long. It still appeals to me, but realistically… not really my preference. At the same time I don’t know about marriage, either, and I might not end up being able to have kids (but that’s a whole other can of worms). Thanks for reading. 🙂
Ten Things of Thankful
After seeing Astrid’s post and thinking about my day today (it’s late afternoon), I wanted to write a post for Ten Things of Thankful (TToT). This is my first contribution to that link-up. 🙂
- First of all, and probably most importantly, I am not feeling so depressed today, due to a few happy things that happened and also, probably, pure luck. Also, God must have decided not to actually let the depression get the better of me, although He tends to let me wallow in it. Sometimes I think God is a little sadistic, but that doesn’t ring true with what I know and am taught about God, so I try to believe what I know and not how I feel all the time.
- I am thankful for the time spent with a friend today. This is a good friend from college whom I am still close with, and we see each other every few weeks or so.
- I am thankful for what we decided to do this morning: take a walk in a big park. I hadn’t done that in quite a while, and the weather was perfect for it today.
- The weather was cool enough to enjoy being outside, yet I did not need a jacket, and the sky was a bit gray but not too overcast. Now it is a nice blue. 😀
- I am grateful for a new flavor of soda that I got to try today. Also, this soda is only 5 calories for the whole bottle. I’m not supposed to be concerning myself with calories and that stuff, but it does make me feel better to know that this soda is not bad for me.
- I am grateful for all the cute little doggies and the fearless squirrel that we saw in the park.
7. I am grateful for Youtube. There is good Catholic teaching on there, as well as rosaries and other prayers, and even a community in the form of live-streamed prayer groups.
8. I am grateful for my job. I like having money 🙂 and although I don’t always want to go in to work, I usually feel better once my workday starts, and by the time it is finished, I feel productive and like my life matters a little more. In general, I enjoy my job, even though I am technically overqualified.
9. This is where the gratitude list is getting tough, but I really want to reach 10 things…. I am grateful for my plushie kangaroo because it makes me smile every day.
Here is my kangaroo, pictured with my rosary and a one-decade rosary ring,
which it is “holding,” because apparently my kangaroo is Catholic too.
10. I am grateful for my brain, because even though it makes me feel depressed a LOT, it is pretty smart, and it likes to write. I like that I like to write, especially poetry! 😀
11. Oooh, I have an eleventh thing! I am grateful that the coffee stain came out of my white robe!
Not bored when writing
Today’s SoCS prompt is board / bored.
I’ve been a little bored today. I wanted to go to a café and do some extra writing, and then go pray at the church and go to Confession, but that was not possible this afternoon. Now I’m just resting a lot, sleeping, waiting for tomorrow (Sunday) morning to come around. But what comes after that? Waiting for the next morning, when I get to go to work. What’s the point of my work? I do like my work, simple as it is, and I like getting paid, but for what am I saving or using my money?
It’s times like this that I get a little extra depressed (by the way, this week has been fine on that front, thankfully). I also eat too much and get anxious….
Maybe I should find a piece of cardboard and my collection of cutouts from magazines and make a collage. I used to do that a lot but don’t remember when I made the previous one.
Even just writing this little thing has made me cheer up a bit.
revivedwriter 