These I have loved

And I will float on gratitude
Let it carry me away
For weighted down is flesh and bone
This world of cracking clay
I'll lift my eyes
In bouyant cries
With thankful, open hands
I'll hold onto these glory ties
And find in fact I can
These I love
And these I hold
Shadows can't replace them
Beauty sighs
I can be bold
For I will breathe and name them

Aching poetry
Soft blues and greens
Summer light on the trees
The scent of pine

Against sickness and disease
The fear of losing loved ones
The ache of those already gone
We pour out our hearts in prayer,
And in the eloquent supplication of just saying the name of Jesus

Lord have mercy
Thee I adore
Into thy hands

And we open our eyes to see the beauty of God in the world around us, and to using it as our shield without fear or shame.

The sputter of a lighting match
Good music
Ice cream bars on hot days
Seeing a friend

[When your chest is heavy
and the air is polluted
and this spider keeps crawling up your window]

Finishing a book
Soft, fuzzy blankets
Filtered light in the attic
Strawberries

[When politics press
When history lies
When evil seems to prosper]

Friends who defend you
Family who has your six
Sisters and brothers in Christ who can drop into your life a couple times a year 
and still drop truth bombs and soothe the soul

[Weary head and aching feet
Wondering if you've said too much
or too little
What's slipping through your fingers
And to-dos that should be set aside]

"Someone once told me to always live for the little things in life
live for 5am sunrises and 5pm sunsets
where you'll see colors in the sky that don't usually belong.
live for road trips and bike rides with music in your ears and the wind in your hair
live for days when you're surrounded by your favorite people who make you realize
that the world is not a cold, harsh place.
live for the little things because they will make you realize that this is what life is about
this is what it means to be alive."   - a.y.

Watermelon sugar
Stars and constellations
The crescent moon
Peregrine Fisher

Tea with scones

Bacon and coffee

Psalms

Benny Goodman

paintings of ships

the color yellow