After Goodbye

A Poem, Pics, and Bookish Stuff

Friends,

Years ago, I titled this poem “After Christmas,” but since time has expanded my goodbyes—as it has so many of yours—I’ve retitled it and made a couple of edits.

Hope it soothes you.

Hold the Promise, dear ones.

After Goodbye

Ache,
your velocity
rises with the drop
in my heart’s barometer.
No windbreaks here, you grow
to a howl in my mown
inner fields—low pressure zones,
short of breath because
those I love have
flown home,
crossed state lines, and
my arms are empty.

Ache,
you swirl memory through
this hollowed home like snow,
proffer wintry options to
busy me in this
lonely weather.
You’d like to numb me, to use time to ice their stay here,
to dessicate our togetherness.

Blow past me, will you?
You and those evasions?
I’ll wait.
For Love will breathe
his holy Zephyr,
inflate the void,
resuscitate me with
positive pressure,
indwelling, warm,
as only He can do.

***

Adding these pics to your heart may help, too:

Limited visibility.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. "Teacher," the blind man answered, "I want to see again." —Mark 10:51

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When you’re spent.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” —Isaiah 40:31

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Dendrites.

"Say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong, do not fear; your God will come . . .'"

—Isaiah 35:4

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If fisticuffs were vapor.

"In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33

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Hummingbird nest from our north woods.

“Ponder anew

what the Almighty can do . . .”

(From the hymn by Joachim Neander translated by Catherine Winkworth and inspired by Psalms 103 and 150.)

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📙📙📙 And in BOOKISH STUFF:

🔥🔥🔥IMPORTANT!! CHECK YOUR JUNK MAILBOX ROUTINELY!!

I’ve been a astonished lately at all the letters that have ended up in mine—from friends with whom I’ve corresponded REGULARLY! Right now I have a GIVEAWAY BOOK UNCLAIMED, and I’m guessing her overzealous spam filter sideswiped my email.

I check my junk email every day now.

A NEW WINNER, this time of Lucinda Secret McDowell’s 52 Prayers of Blessing for Women is GAIL HOLLINGSWORTH!

Congratulations, Gail! Please send me your mailing address, and I’ll ship the book right off to you.

***

NEW NOVEL UPDATE:

As I always do, when I began shaping this new story for novel #4, I called my sister in Virginia to run ideas by her. We brainstormed for an hour or so.

I tell you, friends, she asks the best questions, offers the best “what-ifs.” Once again, by the time I hung up, I’d ruled out a variety of plot trails. Brought a few others out of the fog. Raced to research details for scenes set in Washington’s San Juan Islands and SE Alaska, where members of my family settled in the late 1800s, and where this dual-timeline story will take place.

I’m already fascinated. Cannot WAIT to begin writing it.

But I will. There’s much to prepare first.

My goals this coming week? Lord willing, I’ll finish shaping the plot arc and will write a rough synopsis. Friday, I’ll talk with my agent about all that. Then, I’ll dive into additional research, in-depth character sketches, and storyline fine-tuning. By the time February arrives, I’ll be inhabiting two centuries, I hope—and committing this fascinating tale to the page.

Meanwhile, I just read a children’s story about two snails racing each other. When one fell behind, he ditched his shell, but doing so only made him sluggish.

Love,

Cheryl

Manuscript Word Count: 0

Watching Nature, Seeing Life: Through His Creation, God Speaks.

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P.S Looking for a MOST UNUSUAL LOVE STORY for someone you love this Valentine’s Day?

The LEANING ON AIR paperback is on sale right now at Amazon for $12.52—26% off!

Get it HERE!