The Life Longed For

The Life Longed For

Wealth, power, knowledge, joy, and an easy life

The life longed for

Eating, drinking, and hard work, and enjoying the lot in life as a gift,

A life and longing

Storms come and the power fails for a day, some still lack

New thoughts, less distractions yet the struggle for comfort and 

an easy life - the life longed for 

No light inside from sundown to sunrise

Few days, fleeting life, passing like a shadow 

“No time to despair, deep seated joy

Like one Swinging forever in the park 

Eyes squinting tightly, arms spread wide falling gently into His arms 

And the life longed for

The Life Longed For, Glimpse poetry by Joe Holuta

About this poem: The Life Longed For is a poem about life as God’s gift -no matter the lot we have been given. Wealth has facets that are many, and meaningful: time being one side and a precious gem. Value each hour, day, and week, and the joy life provides and we deeply long. - Joe Holuta

 “Then it dawned on me that this is good and proper: to eat and drink and find the good in all the toil that we undertake under the sun during the few days God has given, for this is our lot in life.  Also, God gives wealth, possessions, and power to enjoy those things, and He allows them to accept their lot in life and to enjoy hard work. This is God’s gift.  For people like this have no time to despair over life because God keeps them so busy with a deep-seated joy.”

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 VOICE

You thought I was to die for

It could’ve been like any other ordinary morning 

Soon realizing that “Jesus was not here but raised”

The viburnum, arrowwood fragrance in the air

When we arrive, “we would see the stone rolled away in spite of its weight and size”

Dogwood blossoming -affection and new life

“Why are you seeking the living one in a place of the dead?”

                                 

Red bud blossoming in the background 

“After hearing these words, she turned around and Jesus stood before her”

Aspens quaking -“I give you the gift of peace”

New daffodils - “He drew close enough for them to feel his breath”

Hydrangea new growth with the old - 

“He breathed on them…

welcoming the Holy Spirit of the living God”

No ordinary day at all

“You thought I was worth saving 

So, You came and changed my life

You thought I was worth keeping 

So, You cleaned me up inside 

You thought I was to die for”

Worth - Anthony Brown

Worth - Spotify

Springtime of our Lives

Springtime of Our Lives

Light rain falls
Daffodils -yellow and bright , now bow slightly giving way
Tulips pushing their way to glory rays
Crocuses had their Time, to curtain call they go

Greening grasses warm-season grasses of every kind

Now overgrowing the brown patches of winter

Purple majesty of myrtle flowers rise

Pink dogwood blossom’s Rising /to Easter time

Blossoms fall- heavyweight in the light rain

New leaves- spreading open to life again

Robins return nesting in nearby trees

Mourning doves- together again, resting peacefully

Springtime/ like “a memory of one who lived”

Awakening Hope and newness of growth to meaningful lives

 

Springtime of Our Lives, Glimpse poetry by Joe Holuta

About this poem: Springtime of Our Lives is a poem about seeing new life and the changes of springtime. It also is a time to hope again as we see the green grass, the colorful flowers, and blossoms come forth.

A time to also remember the bright lives that have gone before us, meaningful lives that move us forward from the dark dead winter to the newness of the Rising spring. - Joe Holuta 

Moments

Moments

The crocuses bloomed today, the first for Spring 

Beautiful colors 

Visitors today 

walked and played 

the fresh smell of spring and sunlight in her hair 

Today’s “morning – glory” of flowers 

Unfurl into full bloom

Morning glory that hoists the soul

Moments and Windows that can quickly disappear 

Therefore, a moment we fill with joy of living

Overflowing, every bit of daylight used,

Creating Time, knowing that it passes so quickly

Blink and the moment changes to a grand time 

Blink again, and the moment beautifully fades

Windows—much shorter than you care to imagine 

People and relationships that occupy your life.

Moments of leaning

Moments of dreaming

Windows of seeing through joy and energy that gives life

Moments (reel)

Moments, Glimpse poetry by Joe Holuta

About this poem: Moments is a poem about realizing that time can be created to enable moments [windows] that we value and cherish with family and friends. “Specific windows—much shorter than you care to imagine or admit—during which certain people and relationships will occupy your life.” (Sahil Bloom)

- Joe Holuta 

Lenten Ashes

Lenten Ashes (reel and song)

Lenten Ashes

Ashes to ashes 

Dust to dust 

“ memento mori”

All is fleeting 

“Like trying to embrace the wind”

Ashes swept away 

“Dust to earth returns”

“Our frame is frail

He knows what we are made of 

Remembers we came from dust” 

The fleeting, passing mist, vapor, seasons, pursuing wind, blows as it will, slipped through your fingers, vanishes like a mist.

 

Our life has seen the sparks fly high in colorful wonder

The dark has been made light 

Love to us in desperate times, "treasured in our hearts"

We pass this love to others for the same hope, same light, and life eternal 

Stories by the fire, sparks light up the tale

warmth all around 

Young one’s imaginations,

eyes wide in wonder 

The older - children at heart again

“From the ashes you’ve raised”

All vividly create and build on each other's tale and pass on the memories of this night

Lenten Ashes - Glimpse poetry by Joe Holuta 

About this poem: Lenten Ashes is a poem, words I’ve read and thought about on Ash Wednesday this year. I haven’t participated recently, but I’ve thought about it for many years each year that Lenten ashes are given to remember the brevity of life and the importance of [waking and living each day Like it’s your first day]. We pass this love to others to spark hope As we recall, wonderful lives in vivid detail. -Joe Holuta

1. Memento mori (Latin for "remember (that you have) to die -invitation to reflect on the brevity of life and the vanity of human ambitions.
2. Ecclesiastes 1:14 (Voice)
3. Ecclesiastes 12:7
4. Psalm 103:14
5. Ecclesiastes trend of phrases

Snow Covered Memorial Stones

Snow covered memorial stones 

Snow covered stones with those

we love below

Names covered - “How will they know

It is us that lie?” 

Far beneath the fields of white 

As the snow is brushed gently away

The names chiseled deep 

In the granite face speak 

Years of birth, and passing 

The dash, the life lived

The years were precious and lived

as meant to be 

But I wanted to think if I had another day, 

What would it be? 

“Heading toward this day my whole life”

Just think if Julia or Pete had not lived? Near 70 they aged

Saw four lives pass on while living- Dorothy, John, George and Wash

My dad wouldn’t have been, 

Nor me, nor mine, or theirs

Such a vast loss I could not conceive 

The Sun is shining on this bitter, cold,

Wintry day 

Blanketed gravestones still, unnoticed 

The shadows know and hear below

Wipe away the snow and see- the fond and cherished family that made me

Snow Covered Memorial Stones, Glimpse poetry by Joe Holuta 

About this poem: Snow Covered Memorial Stones is a poem about a thought I had while walking a road I’ve walked many times but today I paused when I saw snow covered memorial gravestones of my relatives.

The sun was shining and shadows cast by the stones, but the names were covered with snow. I dusted off the flurry of snow and saw their names and the years of their lives and had fond memories of how precious they were -though I did not know them well or at all. The impact of our lives are much more than the length and years we live. The substance, the love, integrity, and values we live by - live on. - Joe Holuta