Heat Warning In Effect!

Hello!

I rarely post two days in a row, but this was appropriate considering that the temperature is 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and with the humidex, 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s so true…a drier cold or a drier heat are so much easier to take than when humidity is thrown into the atmospheric mix.

This was my experience two days ago:

HEAT

Simmering in my apartment all day
Like the proverbial frog in the cauldron
Slowly heating up, not aware of the intensity of my surroundings
Temperature rising, befuddling my senses.

My roommate comes home and insists,
Anywhere with a breeze or air-conditioning is better
Than what I’m stewing in.

I take the risk and venture out into the evening air,
Find a patio and a cold drink.
Sanity returns.

If you are being affected by this heatwave, my wish for you is that you find cool breezes or air-conditioning. And we can rejoice! More temperate weather is on it’s way. We will be able to resume any outdoor activities we put on hold when the temperatures became unbearable. For me, that means taking long walks, appreciating the lush greens of the grass and trees, the birdsong, and the sound of the water burbling in the river. Something to look forward to!

How has the change in weather affected you?

Until next time…

Affectionately,

Penny

Mid-Year Angst

Hello!

When July came upon us, I experienced a kind of angst – the year is half-over, and as I write this, July is more than half-over.

As we get older, time seems to take on wings. I heard it explained this way: to a four-year-old, one year is 1/4 of his life, to a twenty-year-old, one year is 1/20th of her life, and to a sixty-year-old, one year is 1/60th of her life. No wonder a year flies by. It is but a small fraction of my life.

While I was contemplating the fact that we have begun the second half of the year, the following came to me, written July 2, 2019.

JULY

The curtain falls on the first half, then rises immediately on the second. No intermission. No time for relief, to catch one’s breath.

On the stage for the first half: events, hindrances, appointments, meetings, studies, time spent idle, and redemptively, time spent with loved ones.

On the stage for the second: not the same, oh please, Lord, not the same.
Let the latter half be far better than the first.

Please, let me taste of the fruit of the tree of life.
Let my horizons expand in the heat of summer,
so when the cooler climes of autumn awaken me once more to the reality of winter,
My tongue will have been the pen of a ready writer and my creativity will warm both me and others.

And when the curtain falls on the second half, then rises immediately on the future, let there be no remorse, no regret; only the dawn and hope of another year.

Is there anything over which you are feeling some angst? I urge you to journal it, turn it into prose, poetry, music, dance or artwork. You will find release, and perhaps even some humour as you explore what you’re capable of creating.

Until next time,

Affectionately,

Penny

A Penny-wise thought…Hope!

Image result for picture of sunrise

What stirred me to write this, at 4:35 a.m. this Sunday morning, was the twittering of birds in the darkness just shortly after 4:00. Sunrise isn’t until 5:42 a.m., although it will be light some time before that. These birds are anticipating the light. They are heralding a new day quite some time before it appears.

Isn’t that what hope is? Anticipating that something good will happen before it occurs? In fact, that is also a good definition of faith.

The sun may come up on a bleak, dreary, rainy day. Does that discount the sun’s presence? It is possible to forget that the sun is shining when grey clouds overshadow us, yet if we were in an airplane high above the clouds, the sun would be bathed in radiant rays, and we would be enjoying its effect on the clouds below.

So is hope. There may be nothing in our present circumstances to suggest that hope is reasonable, yet inwardly, hope may be welling up, anticipating a new day, anticipating new adventures, new solutions to problems. We are not robots, programmed to act out a certain way under a certain set of circumstances. We are humans, with the capacity to think outside the box, to pray, to find solutions, to find hope before the dawn.

May the birdsong remind us all that no matter what the circumstance, the sun rises – whether we can see it or not. May we believe that there is hope, that answers will be found when we seek them.

Wishing you a hope-filled day,

Affectionately,

Penny