Spiritual Journey Thursday and Poetry Friday: Radiance Among the Flowers

One of our favorite playgrounds/parks in our area is Rhododendron Park, about a half mile from our current home. However, we moved here in the middle of summer last year, so I failed to see it in springtime splendor, Things have been a bit busy with the upcoming move (daughter and family moved into our place so they could get their house on the market). I was afraid that I might have missed prime blossom time. I stopped by last Friday and spent a wonderful hour wandering through the park and snapping pics,

I love these lines from Joy Harjo's poem "Remember."

"Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems."

I am grateful to have walked among alive poems this past week. Join me for this radiant ramble through Rhododendron Park.

 

 

 

 

 

And because I revel in the baker's dozen, here's the 13th picture of springtime splendor, taken in our front yard yesterday.

 

These lines from Wendell Barry's poem "The Peace of Wild Things" sum up my love affair with nature: 

"And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light.

For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."

 

Our Spriritual Journey host for this week is Dave at Leap of Dave who shares ruminations on the church. Check out Dave's thoughts on how "the church and the post office are really about one thing, the same thing, and that thing is delivery." 

I took Dave's invitation to heart "to write about anything you like." Anytime I write about nature, I remember my dear friend, Jan Orme. She was my walking buddy for years. Her interest was always trees, mine lay in blossoms. She indulged my frequent stops to snap pics and revel in wonder at the splendor of the natural world. This post with its pics and poems is dedicated to my dear friend Jan. Any time I walk, I remember her.

Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect is hosting Poetry Friday this week.