Thursday 12 November 2015

the shining of your face


prayerful quiet
bathed in
soft, radiant shining
it is the shining of
Your face

i look for it
i long for it
and often
when my eyes are clear
i see it

on the pages
of my heart
on the path before my feet
on the lives of 
those i love - 
and You love more - 
who still feel lost
in dark
yet You have not
forsaken

this light
it is the shining of
Your face




Psalm 16:11
"Now you've got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I'm on the right way."
(from The Message translation of The Bible)









words and images (unless otherwise cited) © copyright Melody Armstrong 2015



Thursday 5 November 2015

autumn gifts

I can't help but share this one with you again...


while i adore summer
in all its dazzle and lustre
it is autumn that soothes my soul
if i settle into it
 and let it works its magic

for if summer is an exuberant laugh
autumn is an intimate whisper 

if summer is dips in the lake and dinner on the front porch
autumn is books by the fireplace
and homemade soup simmering on the stove




if summer is fast rides in shiny, bright toys 
that make us scream with abandon and delight
autumn is long, leisurely walks 
along broken down fences to old barns barely standing
lost in thoughtful contemplation




if summer is passionate kisses, kicked off sheets and windblown hair
autumn is a tender embrace under fluffy down duvet and
a favourite wool hat pulled over wild tangles

if summer is luscious peaches and cherry stained t-shirts
autumn is crisp, crunchy crabapples eaten right off the tree
and puckered lips that follow

if summer is the sound of lapping waves and steps splashing along the shore
autumn is the swish of dried leaves kicked into the air or scrunched along the sidewalk





if summer is the song of raindrops and the call of red winged blackbirds
autumn is the frenzy of honking geese en route to a party 
perfect V's silhouetted against foggy morning skies

if summer is a spray of blossoms and petals in flirtatious, rainbow colors
autumn is blushing, red leaves and shy pinecones and marigolds peeking through frost




if summer is cool drinks in iced glasses and barefeet hopping on sizzling pavement
autumn is steamy hot chocolate and toes cozy in brown leather boots




if summer is kids out late and not to be seen for hours
autumn is family tucked a little closer while daylight slips earlier into darkness

if summer is waking with the sun on your skin
eyes wide open to a world already beckoning
autumn is a gentle stirring 
a quiet tiptoe
into a world of stillness
barely lit by crimson sunrise

and so...
while i adore summer
in all its dazzle and lustre
it is autumn.....
if i settle into it
 and let it works its magic
that soothes my soul. 





words and images © copyright melody armstrong 2015









autumn gifts

I can't help but share this one with you again...


while i adore summer
in all its dazzle and lustre
it is autumn that soothes my soul
if i settle into it
 and let it works its magic

for if summer is an exuberant laugh
autumn is an intimate whisper 

if summer is dips in the lake and dinner on the front porch
autumn is books by the fireplace
and homemade soup simmering on the stove




if summer is fast rides in shiny, bright toys 
that make us scream with abandon and delight
autumn is long, leisurely walks 
along broken down fences to old barns barely standing
lost in thoughtful contemplation




if summer is passionate kisses, kicked off sheets and windblown hair
autumn is a tender embrace under fluffy down duvet and
a favourite wool hat pulled over wild tangles

if summer is luscious peaches and cherry stained t-shirts
autumn is crisp, crunchy crabapples eaten right off the tree
and puckered lips that follow

if summer is the sound of lapping waves and steps splashing along the shore
autumn is the swish of dried leaves kicked into the air or scrunched along the sidewalk





if summer is the song of raindrops and the call of red winged blackbirds
autumn is the frenzy of honking geese en route to a party 
perfect V's silhouetted against foggy morning skies

if summer is a spray of blossoms and petals in flirtatious, rainbow colors
autumn is blushing, red leaves and shy pinecones and marigolds peeking through frost




if summer is cool drinks in iced glasses and barefeet hopping on sizzling pavement
autumn is steamy hot chocolate and toes cozy in brown leather boots




if summer is kids out late and not to be seen for hours
autumn is family tucked a little closer while daylight slips earlier into darkness

if summer is waking with the sun on your skin
eyes wide open to a world already beckoning
autumn is a gentle stirring 
a quiet tiptoe
into a world of stillness
barely lit by crimson sunrise

and so...
while i adore summer
in all its dazzle and lustre
it is autumn.....
if i settle into it
 and let it works its magic
that soothes my soul. 





words and images © copyright melody armstrong 2015









Sunday 13 September 2015

September Rain



there's nothing like a few rainy days 
to inspire 
the shrugging on of a cozy, oversized hoodie 
and the rare indulgence 
of back to back episodes of a favourite show 
with anyone who's in the mood to watch

we've only a few evenings left 
that are gloriously unscheduled 
so perhaps we should just snuggle in
give ourselves over 
to the moody, grey clouds
and drizzled skies 

and enjoy this quiet, lazy pace 
borrowed, it seems, from a season that has 
quietly made its exit.



words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2015







Friday 11 September 2015

fall is in the air



My toenails are shiny pink -- too shiny for August's fresh-off-the-beach toes -- and the cool, dewy grass is still lush and green, but something has shifted within and without.  It feels like fall and I'm not sure I will comply just yet.  Perhaps my favourite jean jacket and boots can wait just a little while longer and I'll choose my white linen top and flip flops instead.  

There are still summer weeds in the garden yet to be pulled, and last night, after three hours of digging weeds, turning soil and planting tulips, we barbecued hamburgers and enjoyed them together on the front porch beneath the warm, low slanted rays of sun (dirt under my fingernails, and all!)

Here I am, friends.....practicing living in the moment -- whatever it brings.  For the time being, I am perfectly content to share another meal outside and give thanks for a day that began with a morning walk in the fog with a dear friend and came to a close with a stretch and one last sip of ice water from a muddy glass.  Ah....life's treasured moments.

Happy easing into fall......



words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2015 (except where otherwise cited) 

Wednesday 9 September 2015

letting go of summer...



my daughter...last moments of summer at the lake

from my journal just 10 days ago.....

I have already said goodbye to my family who have headed home and left me to happily finish the last of the cleanup and enjoy a final day at the lake by myself.  I am returning, just now, from a long, quiet stroll along the lake shore and I feel sad to think that summer is over.  Again, I've walked to the furthest stretch of beach I can -- all the way to the sandbars at the bend of the river's edge.  The warm splashes of water and soft press of sand in each step are a luxury I wish I could enjoy for just a while longer.  And of course, my pocket is full with a few more rock treasures to add to the growing collection on the fireplace mantle.

These daily walks along the beach, both alone and with those I love, have nourished this hungry soul of mine.  I have met with my Creator here.

it's just the swan and I......

The truth is, my mind hasn't quite caught up with the idea that summer really is coming to a close -- that daylight's long, golden rays have started yawning earlier these days, ready to take a rest from the extended hours of beautiful summer shining.  A part of me is still holding on, I think, to all that summer represents:  family, love, rest, peace, beauty, endless possibility.

Sandy Gingras, another women who loves water and beach, captured my sentiment exactly in these words:
We want to elongate the days, distill the memories, make them last.  At the same time we know that the beauty is in the evanescence....every wave comes in, then retreats.  Every day promises, then turns its back and slips away.  Every joy has a little tease in it, a give and take, and leaves a wake of longing......(from How to Live at the Beach. Emphasis mine)
Oh, yes,  "beauty is in the evanescence."  This phrase has such a profound impact on me.  If only I could really trust it to be true in the deepest parts of me, where I sometimes hold on the hardest.  And yes, how I relate to the "wake of longing" in the letting go.  Richard Paul Evans also phrased this idea so poignantly in his novel The Timepiece:  "At times I wish it were within my power to reach forth my hand and stop the moment--but in this I err.  To hold the note is to spoil the song." (Emphasis mine.)


It's eight o'clock in the evening now and I'm sitting in the sand along the water's edge.   The beach is a solitary place - just me and the gorgeous white swan I was hoping to see again, floating near the mouth of the river. There is a warm breeze teasing my frazzled, sun-bleached strands into tickles across my cheek.  The shore receives the subtle, rippled waves with a soft give -- each small lap etching a pattern further into its sandy embrace.


I am the shore.  I am supple to the shaping and moulding of all that has transpired this summer.  It leaves me feeling a little tender and vulnerable.  Each moment, happy and carefree or burdened and lonely, has etched its pattern into me.  I go home different than I came.  I have willingly reached out to new possibilities and in doing so, I have also let go.  This is good.

By the time I leave the beach tonight, the sullen sky shares no starry show...only dark, grey, billowy clouds that just might send a pitter-patter of rain song to lull me asleep.



words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2015 (except where otherwise cited)

Wednesday 19 August 2015

softness



i put a petal to my lips
something exquisite
about this feather touch
in a world with such rough edges
i imagine how it would feel
to fold myself in the softness
of a luscious bloom
then i slip into our sheets
 next to you

and realize
i already know 


words and images © Melody Armstrong 2015





Sunday 16 August 2015

summer gifts & dreamy spaces


my heart smiles contentment
and spills gratitude 
for the gift of this lovely lake space
a dream that really came true
a place
that is peaceful
and filled with the love we share 


dreamy blues and whites
and candlelight
and sloped ceilings
and bathtub in bedroom
sparse decor
of driftwood and rocks 
white birch branches
and garage sale trunks 
and creamy sofas and papasan to sink into






and lots of spots
to nap in the sun 
or snuggle under blankets
to watch the lightning 
to listen to the rain
to daydream
to sip wine or extra hot moccachinos
or G2's or iced tea
to luxuriate 
in the laughter of those we love
or share a tear
or be alone









this place is about
solace
 nourishment
and freedom
to Be and to become





to simply relish
whatever the moment may bring

a ski, a surf, a crazy flying tube ride
a paddle, a midnight swim off the boat
a movie on the hammock
or the drive-in
a dip in the river 
a walk in the sand
or a float on the boat
to gaze 
and be amazed
 at meteor showers for hours





this is a place for favourite foods
with favourite people....
ribs in the smoker or steaks on the grill
salads and fruit and pie 
Demille's cheese buns
Enderby cinnamon buns
and D Dutchmen chocolate milk
and, and, and.....

summer
in this place
with these people.

LOVE.




words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2015