magic, wonderful
lights and fru-fru all over
let it last this year?

Today my car battery
accidentally drained
in a quiet parking lot
and I wondered what
in the world I would do
to get home.
From out of nowhere,
a man appeared with jumper
cables and spare time to help
in the frigid air.

Several attempts later, after driving his
car over a curb to reach mine, and
then pushing my car to a better, more
reachable place, success.
The stranger asked my name.
Merry Christmas, he said.
And he really meant it.

He not only restored my
battery, he restored my faith
and I thanked him and God
for yet another blessing
of the season.

I love this season,
even the squirrels get
an elaborate feeding station!

the assignment
was to re-create the work
of a master

undaunted, my 19-year-old
put color to a plain white canvas
and took my breath away

such confidence in color,
in brush strokes

"just" an art major?
hardly, I believe
she is majoring in magic

Thanksgiving cactus
right on time, again this year
one more miracle

origami cranes
symbols of healing and hope
in challenging times

they hang suspended
at the cancer center: how
we want to believe

I cut things up just
to put them back together;
and this pleases me!

from one holiday
to the next; where's the remote
so I can press "pause"?

alone again
in my kitchen
it's hard to believe
Thanksgiving
is over;
but in truth,
thanksgiving
goes on
because every day
brings reason
to praise
and give thanks

how is it possible,
to be worthy
of this abundance
of blessings

how is it possible,
to be worthy
of each
lovely
breath?

no more left-overs
another successful feast:
family intact

giving thanks for an
abundance of everything
blessed beyond my worth

as long as roses
are blooming, rich with color,
winter is at bay

I am about to
become an organ donor
a gift of life/a gift of music

my preparations
have less to do with turkey,
more to do with fixing

Then, after the rain,
we blink and stretch and come out,
no longer thirsty

scarlet, golden, moss and brown
all the leaves are falling down

"ornamental kale"
seems like an oxymoron.
edible? really?

clouds today floated
through the sky, clumps of puffballs,
headed towards home

birches are rare here
but they remind me of where
it all started

Awash in a sea
of bluebells, time stopped and peace
became tangible.

complicated makes
my head hurt. I seek clean lines,
unobstructed views

In spite of the odds
I can keep dreaming
of hearing the waves
from my open windows
and seeing the Pacific Ocean
from the carport,
but it's just traffic I hear
on a long length of cement
that is the street I live on.

But I can keep dreaming.

nice and pat, with no
unravelling, but life just
isn't so flawless

temps drop below freezing outside,
sparkly frost on the leaves
and on the tips of grass

I lie in bed beneath
a heavy pile of warmth,
dreaming of the next quilt
I'll start when morning comes

when my mother was
my age, she had already
lost her mom and dad

I don't ever want
to be an orphan