Half Moon Bay: After the Storm
Pumpkin palaces,
Corridors of corn.
Seaside crevasses,
Seagulls galore.
Sun and rain,
Cold, wind, and more.
Escaping now —
Into a bookstore.
Past the church
And Cunha Middle School.
Past fields and nurseries —
Farming’s really the rule.
We meet a lady
On Saturday morn.
I ask the lady,
“How’dja do in the storm?”
“We prayed a lot,”
She soon replied.
“From chicken house roof,
The tiles did fly.”
“But they’re okay now,”
She did continue.
“We’re cleaning up now
Our farming venue.
At the restaurant,
The story’s the same —
“Few customers came–
While the sky did rain.”
The power’s gone out —
Two hours and a half.
Well, at least it’s daytime —
Do we read, hike, or nap?
But on sunny days,
On many weekends,
The traffic backs up
From surfers and friends.
On sun-glorious days
With sky clearly blue,
We all go walking,
Saying, “How do you do?”
Warmth in the Cold
Warmth in the cold — how often do we take it for granted?
A fire, a heater in our home, a warm jacket, a cap that covers our head and ears, a warm scarf, socks and shoes or boots, blankets, quilts, or comforters. And how about the warmth of a smile, a hug, a gentle voice, a forgiving or encouraging friend?
I once stayed a weekend at a cabin in Grass Valley, California. All the heating, cooking, and hot water was produced by burning wood. On mornings there would be a designated person who got up first and got the fire going for heating the cabin. People took turns because it wasn’t so pleasant getting up in the cold. Then, if you wanted to get clean in the shower, water had to be heated by burning wood. Cooking was a lot more work, too. In the United States and other places, we take our electric or gas heaters and ovens for granted.
So today, let’s be grateful for warmth. And Lord, help us to offer your warmth to someone today.
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