The Power of Love
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from the archives, J.L. Collins 2012

Ready to Make Friends with Poetry? ⟶
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from the archives, J.L. Collins 2012

“A book begins with falling in love. You lose your heart to a place, a house, an avenue of trees, or with a character who walks in and takes sudden and complete possession of you. Imagination glows, and there is the seed of your book.” -Elizabeth Goudge, The Joy of the Snow, 1974 Squeezed into…
Under Construction Concrete ripped and piled Bulldozed building pieces askew Saltines stacked on a pile of dirt. There is mess everywhere. Plastic flaps outside, tucked in and under, Protecting not much anymore. Piles of rebar readied for foundations Sand, rock for ballast, fill. There is mess everywhere. The glare of lights, warning signs, Ominous fences….
Today I travel to Southern California for the wedding of the decade. Well, for my family, it’s the wedding of the decade. I am the oldest of 5 children and the last time my brothers and sisters and I were together with our spouses was 1999. My sister L’s only son is…
“…… to believe that hiddenness is part of presence. I know that some say Sabbath is just about God, that it’s not about resting up to be more productive, that it should not mean “nowhere goes somewhere” because we shouldn’t be so focused on the “somewheres.” But I believe that’s exactly …
It’s your breath in our lungs As we pour out our praise, Pour out our praise, It’s your breath in our lungs As we pour out our praise To you only. All the earth will shout Your praise Our hearts will cry, These bones will sing, Great are You, Lord. It’s your breath in our lungs…
I sit outside on the deck in my spot where I hear better and I see an eagle in the distant sky (not these. smile.) He’s floating, soaring, up, up and up… He seldom flaps his wings, gently resting on invisible currents of air, shifting directions by a slight tilt…