evening, Lent day seven

 my fourth zoom of the day

begins this evening, in just a moment

zoom, zoom

I think of the Mazda ads

"zoom zoom"

whispers the boy

I once had a Mazda sports car

and drove faster

I think of my camera lens

zoom zoom

my brain tells me

as I look through the viewfinder

and focus closer

zoom zoom

faster on the roads of life or

closer to study the life around us

this is the endless question asked

this Lent calls me to the lens 

and not the Mazda

to savor the slower road of examination

all the details that make you you

and me me

and the intersections 

where Jesus blurs

the yellow lines of division

zoom zoom

morning, Lent, day two

soft snores of the puppy

   on the sofa next to me

tea in my Christmas mug

   almost gone

gentle meditative music

overcast sky, just a hint of light

the house finch singing

   his daybreak song

my cozy sweater

   years old, familiar

David, Ezekiel, Paul, and John

   my companions

morning, Lent, day two

 

 

morning, Ash Wednesday

 A reflection on Put Away the Tinsel by Ann Weems

First of all, do I really like tinsel?

What exactly is it for?

Yes, it's an added decoration to the Christmas tree. 

What is its purpose?

Is it thrown on 

   in big clumps

   hiding other decorations

   obscuring.

Or is it placed carefully

   strand by strand

   to add sparkle and reflect light

   expanding.

There is tinsel all over my life, 

its purpose uncertain.

If I'm honest, much of it has been 

thrown on, flung wildly

creating a screen to draw the eye away

as I run 

from those parts of me

I want to keep

hidden.

Yet another side of me longs

to be the conduit

for the Designer

listening for the angels' voices

placing the shiny bits 

deliberately

so to open transparent windows into my soul

and let the light of Christ pass through. 

Dawn M. Switzer

March 2-3, 2022