Uphill idealist

For the warmth, for the pause, for the need beyond words, for the joy bubbling to the surface... light a candle. Because of the news we read, because there is news we can't bear to read, because there is news we can't wait to share... light a candle. In loss, in abundance, in the in-between, in the hopes, in the pits of despair, and in the embrace of love... light a candle. For its flickering, because it's light carries on even in the darkest of times, in the way it reminds us that we are loved by a God that uses tiny things like water,  word,  bread, wine, wax and wick  to connect with us... light a candle. Image and poem by T.L. Eastman copyright 2015

I've heard the way to eat an elephant - something bigger than life - is "bite by bite". Anne taught me to tackle overwhelming walls of words with this simple advice... "bird by bird". Today it all seems wily... like herding kittens or trying to stuff blown bubbles back in the jar. I need an elephant to chew on or a bird to define, because these wily creatures that are running amok... are not defined, classified, or clear. For now I have lists, post its, emails and conversations that are so bittersweet. I can't consume them. These wily things leave me longing for days filled with Amy's elephants, Anne's birds and my familiar kittens. T.L. Eastman copyright 2015