July is that kind of month when the world should slow down a bit.
A mid-year pause that refreshes.

Close to nature, poised silently in a game of wits,
fishermen young and old learn lots of lessons in patience.

Maybe that’s why Jesus chose a few fishermen first of all.
Patience and hope are the hallmarks of a good disciple.

Summer has arrived.
Everyone outdoors to soak up the sun (with the proper SPF lotion),
Parks, beaches, mountain paths beckon.
Shed your winter self, and
Let the sun shine out from within (braces and all).

Yes, the world careens from one extreme to another,
but putting on a happy face can help us through it all.

Happy summer days to all from downtown Chicago’s water wall.

Railroads are coming back, they say.
The stations from the past are still here.
Soaring above the wooden benches in the Hoboken NJ station,
this glass skylight speaks eloquently of another time
when gifted artisans worked alongside masonry crews.

Together they integrated beauty and function.
Let us hope that is one tradition that comes back.

A nice day for a little flight.
No need for a long runway of cement,
just a the gentlest petal of color,
enough to stop for a happy landing
and a sweet kiss,
and then, up, up and away again.

Christ is risen, Alleluia!
We are Alleluia people.

Our world is filled with protest signs that say No.
No to war, No to oppression,
No to disease, No to poverty.
Easter’s message is a Yes.
Though the debility of life continues unabated,
Alleluia people do not lose hope in saying Yes
to bring some resolution to the evils that exist.

Blessed Easter to all

Holy is the Week,
For all those who seek.
Great is the Love.
That came from above.

You who pass by the way,
Pause a little, on Calvary Day.
Though many weep for loved ones lost,
May they find strength in Jesus’ cross.

A Blessed Holy Week to all.

Spring colors break out now
robing bare limbs.
The fragile blossoms may not last too long,
but their memory will endure,
giving sure hope of new life that is to come soon.

Lenten barrenness will mature into Easter joy.

Soon the chirping of birds at morning’s light
will grow louder as newly-hatched young
squawk about being hungry.

Though the plants far below in the garden
remain tranquil in their nestling-like appearance,
their silence also speaks loudly to anyone
who has ears to hear.
We are all hungry in our spirit,
hungry in ways that only God can satisfy.

Winter still refuses to let go.
Memory and last year’s photo
keep hope alive.
Gritty city sidewalks will again be covered
in blossoms falling from the trees
beyond the church yard fence.
Old St. Michael’s Union City dome,
once a guidepost for Newark-bound pilots,
remains a skyline sign of hope.
God lives, and invites us to do the same.
Lent is a joyful season of new possibility.

Enough snow photos!
We yearn for the warmth and color of Spring.
There is something about a rose,
even just a photo of a rose,
that evokes warmth, a memory of a pleasant aroma.
Maybe if we look at it a few minutes,
it may fool us into thinking Spring has come.
Even if it doesn’t completely succeed,
we will be better for having done so.