White Suspended Between the Blue

At the waters edge she stands
Upon reed legs
Snowy white reflected
In the blue and brown of the slew
Her legs stretch and bend slowly
With purpose
Her movement sends tiny ripples across the water
She is watching every movement under the surface
All at once she lifts up her regal head and spreads giant cloud wings
She leaps and lifts on unseen currents
Into the sky
Gliding
White suspended between the blue
White suspended between the blue

Frost

Frozen in time
Etched onto the path with white feathers
Each line traced
Perfect and lovely
The silver leaf sparkles in the afternoon light
A quiet reminder of attentive love
Bringing death into the likeness of God

Holy Rivers

I woke with a start
To the sound of heavy rain outside my window
And lay in bed thinking of all the things I did not put away
The cushions on the outdoor furniture,
The dryer, all of my wooden baskets,
The towels that were “Drying on the fence”
I have to admit, I panicked a little…
I got dressed quickly and went out into the downpour
Rushing around in the middle of the night
Putting the already soaking things away
With my trusty dog following me from one task to another
Both of us getting wholly wet
Then I paused
Tasks done
And felt the rain on my upturned face
Delicious and cold
Patterns on my cheek
Tears that nurture this brittle dry earth
And waken autumn within me
What a way to awaken in the middle of the night!
With Joy spilling out of the sky
Kissing parched ground
Running Holy Rivers all over town
Filling my soul
To the brim

Clouds and Self Pity Lose Their Appeal

It shown
A small light
In the grey mass of clouds
That distorted and surrounded
A glimmer
A sparkle
Shimmering
Waiting for me to take a step forward
To receive the gift
I had been avoiding all day
While I sank into the darkness of my own making
It stayed lit
Occasionally flickering in the breeze
But otherwise unfazed by my attempt to ignore it
So I walked forward
After fighting with no one but myself
And received the simple gift
Of light
Somehow when the golden flame is near
Clouds and self pity lose their appeal

Moving Blue

We meandered along the green
The last days of summer
Slipping through fingers like sand
We made our slow way East
After an evening meal
Walking along the cliff edge
Overlooking a field of moving blue
We paused and talked along the way
Stopping for moments of silent gazing
Taking in the mysterious depths
Where unseen
The starfish cling to rocky ledges
Where fish and seals roam
Through yellowed fields of kelp
Dancing with the current
The dolphins moved in the water below
Along the base of the cliff
And the moon hung silver in the sky
Leaving silver patterns
Sparkling and laughing
On the moving
Blue

Reflection

I have been thinking about Jordyn's weekend. It all went by so fast and yet we did hold an honoring of change and movement. Not just for her, but for each of the Women who came or wrote, we took the time to pause and acknowledge the passing of time and share the sacredness of the journey. I was amazed by what some of the people shared both in letter and in conversation. The wisdom imparted was inspiring, connecting, vulnerable, and full of thought. In our culture we forget to stop and be present in the here and now in the changes, with growing flowers, and with each other. The gift of the weekend for me was the depth of connection in the space of laughter, tears, and silence. We were able to stop and be present...with a word cut out of a magazine, watching the dolphins, taking a walk, resting on the porch, swimming, or engaged in conversation. Those moments that often pass us by are our life, and we are living it.

Spiders

Spiders
They weave and crawl
In hidden places
And make jeweled patterns
In the trees and in my classroom
Outside on bench and table,
In doorways and across the expanse of our windows
On drain pipes and coat hooks they hold cottony white
And stick to passers by
The patterns shine with dew drops in the early morning
And capture the unsuspecting
Today I swept away a summers worth of work
Home and Table
Caught on the end of my broom
I pushed the workers out once again to the periphery of my world
Wishing them well and gone all the same
They made an eight legged escape over the brush and up the hill
To begin a new Pattern in the trees
Far away from prying bristles
That destroys a summer’s work in a moment

Dolphins

The glide silently beneath the waves
Giving only a glimpse
Of frolic and fun
They gleam
Dark bodies
Sparkling with silver jewels
Then disappear from sight
I find myself
Tense
Standing on shore
Holding my breath
Waiting for the magic
Of gray bodies
To suddenly pierce the vast blue
To catch a glance
Of liquid hope
Dancing,
Dancing,
Dancing
In summer sun

Jordyn Mietzke Turned Thirteen

Jordyn turned thirteen this week and we had a celebration welcoming her into the ranks of womanhood. We rented a beach house for the weekend and women came from far and wide to honor her and to remember pieces of their own journey. It was a beautiful weekend of women sharing and laughing. Aunties and cousins, friends and sisters, mothers and godmothers and of course the grandmothers and a grand auntie came together.
We began the weekend with good food and art. We made a collage of thoughts and picture’s, each person adding to the whole. We shared stories of our own beginnings of our journey as women. We sang and laughed; we walked and stayed up till all hours of the night listening to the sound of the waves.
Each woman who came took some time to be with Jordyn and to share words of advice, encouragement or ways in which they found their peace amid the chaos of daily living, and many women who could not be here sent letters of encouragement and inspiration. Of the women who were there, Yvette gave the first gift, she gave Jordyn her first surfing lesson. Then Grandma Mary shared about gardening, Kako sent a letter about faith and connection and good toe and tooth hygiene that had everyone in stitches, Tam shared quilt making, Alison shared a walk and a beautiful new outfit, Christie shared some poetry and spiritual wisdom, Hiwot shared the gift of a traditional Ethiopian meal, Rachel and Nyrie shared the gift of sisterhood and time, Ama (my Mom) and her sister Sherry shared the gift of laughter and song and my Mom brought most of the art supplies and drove to get coffee in the morning and cooked and cleaned with Mary. Jj shared the gift of Long baths, good smelling soap and massage. I gave the gift of honoring change through ritual, and a midnight swim in phosphorescence.
This is a difficult weekend to describe except to say it was a weekend based in connection. Saturday all day long people took turns connecting with Jordyn, and Saturday evening we drew Jordyn a bath and light candles all around. Alison Jj and I gave her a message while the rest of the women prepared the space where we would gather to have a service of blessing and song. After the message Jordyn put on a new outfit and received a lantern (a gift of light to brighten her path). We then led her out to the circle of women.
Red and purple cloth lay on the ground creating a circle with cedar branches and candles. Jordyn was led into the circle and lit a candle first to her creator, second to the women who came before her third to the women who would come after and forth for the men and boys who love and support her. Then each of the women offered a blessing on her behalf; each lit a candle as the blessing was offered. Then we sang songs and listened to verse and poems and then we all welcomed her into the outer circle.
One thing that struck me about Jordyn during the whole weekend was her unwavering attention and her ability to be present with each person who was there. She listened intently to everything offered at the service and cherished each of the letters that were sent. I was amazed at her grace and watched as she gazed into each person’s face as they spoke to her. I just kept thinking about how amazing it is to be her mom.
We ended the evening with a bonfire and a very cold swim in the ocean where the phosphorescence glistened on us like stars and the waves shone blue against the darkness of the night. It was a magical night and the beginning of a new part of her journey.
We ended the weekend with Jordyn sharing about her weekend and then had a birthday party where her friends from school and their families joined us. The Dolphins showed up in the middle of her party and gave a show jumping up out of the water, racing and turning. It was amazing! They swam about 40 feet off shore for a long time as if they too had come for the party.
During part of the weekend the whales also showed up spouting and slapping the water and their tails rising then sinking into the water. We also had a couple of sea lions come to visit and a little white eyed weasel. All and all it was a pretty amazing weekend.
I wanted to say a special thank you to everyone who showed up and sent letters. It really felt lovely to have all of you sharing your thoughts and time with my daughter and honoring her life in this way. It was a blessing to her and it was a blessing to me. I love you all!

Circle of Light

She stood in the circle of light
Open and receptive
To each of the blessings offered there
From sister and cousin
Aunts and friends
Godmother and mother
And the wise grandmothers
Each held her in their gaze
And welcomed
The beating of her heart
The rounding and stretching of her body
Her life
The change
A gift to each
A reminder of the journey
How individual and connected
We all strive towards the light