An Empty Nest

My mind is flooded with memories. Two little girls playing "make believe" with their Barbies and Lego, telling jokes around the supper table, climbing up into the "tree house" in the backyard. Sleepovers, play dates, family vacations, church events, school events, music lessons, dance, the arts. Even the teen years, which entailed some very real challenges, still evoke some wonderful memories: our house full of friends, never knowing how many we would have for dinner, or who we might find sleeping on the couch when we woke up the next day!  

These memories fade into an even sweeter present.  I  now see my girls, having met the challenges of the teens, grown into women, still learning, but well on the road to maturity. Although they will always be my babies, they are also my friends.

And now, as of 21 days ago, my husband and I are empty nesters. Our oldest daughter has been away from home for a number of years, but now the "baby" of the family has flown the nest!

I admit to mixed emotions.

The house is definitely emptier, and that is a strange feeling. It does make me sad, in a way. As a "stay-at-home" Mom, I could say that my lifework has walked out the door! Yet, I also feel a sense of satisfaction. The work of raising my girls (although done long before our youngest left) is  complete. And so the door closes gently. 

We are now in a new stage of life. An ending has occurred, but a beginning takes its place. I  firmly believe in enjoying every stage of life, and so I am happy and excited to be starting anew. For every  stage brings new opportunities and new experiences. This is true for my youngest, out on her own for the first time, but it is also true for me, and for my husband, and for our home. I do not know what awaits us during this new stage, but I know the One who holds us in His Hands, and so I wait and prepare and plan, thankful for this new adventure! I intend on taking hold of it firmly with both hands!

I know that Truth is stronger still
Strongest
 I hold on to that truth
    in the midst of lies
Chaos
       threatens to undermine
             to shake my confidence

But
   I know that Truth is stronger still
   Strongest.

We walk through this world of chaos
           Overwhelmed
    Torn by demands
               and expectations
  Wooed by half-truths
                       and promises
         That corrupt the Truth
            and seek to show it
                             Inane

But
    I know that Truth is stronger still
    Strongest.

   And no matter what I hear
          Well-cushioned words
              And accusations
       That seek to undermine
                                my confidence
            that encourage me to adapt
                            the Truth
              to my own needs and
                              sensibilities

I know that Truth is stronger still
    Strongest

  And I will cling to that
                       Truth.

Katherine Kavanagh Hoffman 
written March 8, 2008

Crucifixion

Crucifixion

The bread and cup
             were passed

Thus, the ordeal began.

    A furtive meeting
           A quiet garden
                  Filled with prayer and anguish

     Sleeping men.

            And, then

      The sounds of rushing men
              intent on duty.

          A kiss
              The strike of a sword

                                And healing.

        Fearful men.

                       Trial
                              Denial
                                       Mockery

A night filled with uncertainty
                  for many
    Though not for 
                          One.

    He is sure of the outcome.
            And the purpose

          Purple robes
                Crown of thorns

         Cross to bear.

Through the streets
             Jeering crowds

   A contrast to those
         crowds victorious,
                  worshipful,
                         mere days ago.

        And, then,

               Desolation.

           The pain of
                    flesh and spirit torn

            The torment of sin,
              though not His own
                           The agony of this labour.

                     Death brings completion.

               "It is finished."

        Katherine Kavanagh Hoffman  March 27, 2013

Easter Trilogy

Easter Trilogy

1. Palm Sunday

Welcomed as a king.

Royal ride through the gates

Cheering and Homage

        fron the crowd.

"Forgive them Father

            For they know not what they do"

Cloaks and palm branches

    Spread on the road

              In welcome

                       In reverence.

"...save yourself! Come down

     from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

Hope and Excitement

For the Son of David-

The One who comes in God's name

The One who will save.

"Surely he was the Son of God!"

2. Good Friday

Focus

   on the Darkness of the day-

        No glimmer of the Light to come

Only sorrow.

            And pain.

                      And despair.

How could it be?

How could this happen?

            He is the one....

                      He was the one....

          And yet

               He hangs now from that tree-

                    One among others-

              Stripped and Beaten

   

                    Barely with us anymore.

Soon- He will be gone.

               How can this be?

                   How can this happen?

What of the kingdom

 

         He has promised?

What of the miracles

                          He did?

How could He die?

      He seemed so much more-

                Was He only a man?

       The Darkness of the Day

                    Despair

                                  Uncertainly

                         No glimmer of the Light to come

                   Only women crying

                                          at his feet

                   While mockers scoff

                            and Disciples scatter.

                                       Lost

 

                                    No direction

                                            No focus

                                                  No assurance.

                                    No tomorrow.

 

                    Only the Darkness

                                               of the Day.

3. Easter Sunday

Darkness turned to light

A touch of hope

      And then

             Unadulterated JOY.

The unthinkable has been

                          Thought

The undoable has been 

                                 done

The unreasonable is now

                          Reality.

Darkness turned to light

          By truth

We are not imprisoned

           Any longer

In cells of our own making.

The light has broken through

         Releasing those

               held by Darkness.

A new world begins.

Hope, once scattered

     Is Now Firm

Truth, once uncertain

     Is Now Confirmed

   The Future, once Darkened

   Is now Filled with

       Light

Light that will guide us

     Into a new reality-

 Through the darkness

 Into what was always

      Meant to be.

No more holding back

     For we know what lies ahead.

No more fear of death

    For that blight has been conquered.

    Our hope

        Our truth

            Our future

         Joy-filled with Light.

             Katherine Kavanagh Hoffman                           

I am Thankful

   It is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada, a day for celebration and reflection. Like many of my fellow Canadians, I cannot help but think of the blessings of friends and family,  shelter and provisions, health and happiness. Still, today, I think I would like to be a bit more specific in my thanks.

  I am thankful for quiet mornings and active days, sitting in front of a fire on a crisp night under a starry sky, dinners on the deck in the summer,  a decaf cappuccino or latte with a friend. 
  I am thankful for the feel of a good book in my hands and the time to read it, an afternoon in my favourite green chair in the world of that book,  a classic movie that brings me to tears or makes me laugh.
   I am thankful for music that leaves an ache within me, lyrics that speak truth,  stories that never grow old,  art in all its forms that adds colour and hope and encouragement to life.
   I am thankful for the sound of birds in my backyard, the howl of a wolf, the purring of a cat.
   I am thankful for the pressure of my dog Tara's head on my feet while I sleep.
   I am thankful for hot summer days, gentle rains, the way the world looks after a new-fallen snow. I am thankful for Kent's garden and its changing appearance through the seasons.
   I am thankful for a crisp white wine,  a gluten free fondue, something hot and comforting on a cold day.
    I am thankful for time spent just with my grown up girls, and for the opportunity of getting to know and love their chosen partners in life.
    I am thankful for time spent with Kent, my husband and chosen partner in life, enjoying the little things that come our way.

   And most of all, I am thankful for the never-changing mercy and love of God and His Truth, and the way it has forever changed my life.

Happy Thanksgiving Day, Canada! May today be a reminder to us to be thankful all year long.

Frost

   The ground has been covered in frost the last two mornings here in Edmonton and I am reminded that our short summer and even shorter autumn is almost at an end. I have lived here now for more than thirty years in total, 26 in a row last count, but I still have not gotten used to the fact that winter is quite selfish here, hoarding as much of spring and autumn as it can get away with,  leaving those seasons to fight it out with summer as  best they can. 
     I remember long autumns growing up in Montreal, sweater weather for several months, it seemed, until the snows took over. Sometimes there is no autumn here to speak of; we run from summer straight into winter, leaves blown or frozen off the trees before we even have time to consider their passing. This year, at least, we have enjoyed a beautiful September and I try to remember that, as I watch the quickly passing season. Autumn may not end until December on the calendar, but it says goodbye to Alberta long before that. 
     In spite of the frost, I am trying very hard right now to enjoy each of these days that still allow me to tramp around in shoes and a light coat, with the leaves still turning colour on the trees and the grass still green. One morning, perhaps sooner than later, I will wake up not to frost but to a blanket of new fallen snow.  I confess, I do not look forward to that....

A Perfect Peach Morning

What makes you smile?  For me,  Monday morning, it was a peach. A perfect peach I had bought at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. I cut it up onto my cereal and anticipated an epicurean delight! I was not disappointed.

Just as the "little things" can make life a bit tougher, so can they sometimes brighten it up and make life just a little bit more palatable. That perfect peach certainly brightened up my morning and my day, for that matter. Even a little moment of peace (or peach??) and pleasure can make a difference.

So, what makes you smile? A perfect peach, the sound of birds singing in your backyard, the colour of the leaves in autumn? Allow yourself to take a moment and just enjoy that one little thing!