stone cold part 3

The third post from a recent trip to New York, when I took a long hike on the West End of Jones Beach on a cold, windy, winter day. Thanks for stopping by!

stone cold part 2

The second post of some images from my recent trip to Long Island. This is the West End of Jones Beach State Park. It was a fiercely cold and windy day, but it was also a beautiful day. Thanks for stopping by.

stone cold

Back to my recent trip to New York and Jones beach for a few posts. I grew up on Long Island which, for me, also meant growing up at Jones Beach. Ever since I left the East Coast for the Midwest (back in the dark ages – 1985) I have been returning to visit family in NY and have also returned to this beach. Through all those years I never visited the West End of Jones Beach. During this last trip to NY, I decided to go exploring. It was an absolutely gorgeous day that featured frigid temperatures, pushed lower by a strong North wind that carried stinging sand off shore. It was awesome!

every whisper

the doctors said you were leaving
i don’t see a world without you
time stopped and crashed and just shattered
no God
please not you

so many whispered ‘Our Father…’
pleading grace and mercy for you
He heard all our cries
every whisper
a new story was written for you
undeserving and grateful
we’re still here
and i’m blessed to be loved by you
every breath is a gift
in every joy every sorrow
each moment a fading song
but we sing out loud
into the unknown tomorrow

time may fracture again
so we whisper
our Father in heaven above
may your name be first in our eyes
may your kingdom thrive
in our hearts and lives
may your will be done in our love

while we’re still here
on earth
as it is
in heaven

the edge of the sea

Back to my recent trip to New York for the next few posts. Just love the wind, the clouds, the endless waves and the distant edge of the sea...

winter beauty

Ice fog + frigid cold air + the morning sun + our beautiful town = a spectacular morning!

the beautiful “off” season

I particularly love the winter shore. The lonely beach seems to have more to say during the “off” season. I enjoy the endless songs of the water as the waves crash, and the water spreads out in a desperate attempt to explore and experience more of what it’s like to be on land. The taste of cold, salty air…

towering moments

I am back in my home town on Long Island, in New York, to visit my elderly parents. If you have hiked around this blog you know that when I return to Long Island I always spend time walking along the shore at Jones Beach and capturing images of this amazing public park. These images are of the Jones Beach tower, affectionately called “the pencil”, that supplies water to the park. Thanks for stopping by.

strong servant

there are not enough words
in the world’s languages
to properly honor my mom

today I’ll choose two:

strong servant

rest your eyes on her hands

a remarkable strength lies beneath
their frail appearance

when i greeted her this morning
her embrace was not only filled with love
it was filled with a force
a firmness
a stability
that comes from deep within

i know her heart carries
immeasurable sadness
and a weariness
that age and time have given her

her heart is also filled
with a near perfect combination
of strength of will and resolve
and a seemingly endless
river of love
ever flowing
in service of others
rest your eyes on her hands

hands that have worked so hard
to create a home
to clean and cook
to calm and reprove
– trust me when i tell you they are strong hands –
to hold and release
to serve all who entered her home

but these are just two words
shadows that dimly portray
my dear mom

beauty within

Did you miss it this morning? It was such a beautiful start to the day. It’s OK if you did. Often in my life I miss the beauty all around me. Whether or not you and I see it, or acknowledge it, there is also beauty within. Everyone on this planet… everyone… is created in the image of Almighty God. If we truly understand this then we can define people properly. I don’t always live up to the image that I carry of my God. And many people around me don’t either. It doesn’t change how I define them… how I fundamentally understand, welcome, and accept them. This is what it means to love your fellow man… to be a good neighbor… to move into this world with light and grace.