Mountain Mama (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, November 11, 2023, feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and Saint Marina of Omura. On Jewish calendar today is blessing of the new month, and Flood ends (2104 BC). Image from personal SoulCollage deck.)

Mountain Mama

(while before SoulCollage version of the 

“Queen of All” Icon of the Mother of God”)

nooks sprout wings where Your 

feet brush, Angels' pharmacy–-

Skyspun remedies

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by quotes mentioning feet. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, November 11, 2023.

Mothering (WC)

  

(November 10, 2023, feast day of Our Lady of Anosivolakely, Our Lady of Last Agony ("'And after this our exile, show unto us the Blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.' A true servant of Mary cannot perish..."), and Pope Saint Leo the Great. Image is from family photo album, Great Grandma Otten's restaurant, 1920's, California.)

Mothering 

(much needed about now; a found/group poem)

Closed hearts perhaps just needing a lift,

all of them kissed and hugged us 

as if we were the most wonderful children in the world–-

It could be on any menu, today’s special on any day

*Lines from self, Suzanne Westhues and Lisa Freedman (used with permission), in that order. From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by “Kissing in Vietnamese” by Ocean Vuong. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, November 5, 2023. 

First Light (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, November 8, 2023, feast day of Our Lady of Bellefontaine, the Archangels, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (last words: "I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!"), St. Cybi (son of Saint Wenna/Gwen, St. Non's sister), Bl. Placidia of Verona and Bl. John Duns Scotus ("...taught that the divine was present in every(thing)... precisely in its uniqueness" --Laura Rutland).

Image is "Umm Nur" (Muslim title for Our Lady, meaning "Mother of one who was Light") by Wendy Cabell)

First Light

Loved into being, be

Thy way of seeing. Sun's slow

seep -- In through the night

*Lines are from verses/images came during Laura Thompson's Mother of All The World Workshop, Saturdays of August 30-November 5, above painting from same, October 14, 2023. It is faceless in the tradition of Willow Tree, etc.

Rainbow Mother (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, November 1, All Saints Day (part of Fall Tridium), feast day of (above) Our Lady of Heede/the Universe, Deborah the Prophetess, Rachael the Matriarch and Ruth the Matriarch. On Jewish calendar today Great Flood Begins (2105 BC). Image from here.)

Rainbow Mother

(for the feast day of Our Lady of the Universe, 2023)

We are dressed in the scaffold of creation… 

called to co-create.-– St. Hildegard of Bingen

Red Your solid pathway

Orange our toasty glow

Yellow this seep of Sun

Greening from above -- below

Blue Your shielding mantle 

Indigo trailing through

Your Violets sure balm

for world’s violence —

Bloom!

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by “Blue Monday” by Diane Wakoski. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheRead Write, November 1, 2023.

Bethlehem Prayer (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, day for Dedication of all Churches where the Consecration Date is Unknown, and feast day of the Philermos Icon of the Mother of God, Our Lady of Toledo, Saint Tabitha the Widow (raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter) and (above) Saint Canna verch Tewdr Marw. Image from here.)

Bethlehem Prayer 

(based on Our Lady’s revelations to Elizabeth

Kindelmann 9/15/62...may her blessing extend to us!)

Come with Saint Joseph and me. 

The Flame of Love seeks lodging... 

Move gently ahead

without any force.

Be careful

be hidden

be humble

that you may bear

the Flame of Love. 

We will guard you.

Come with us then!

We will walk the roads

of Bethlehem.  

Amen.

Homefront (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, October 22, feast day of the Interior Life of Mary, Our Lady of the Underground, Our Lady of  Talant, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the Andronicus Icon of the Mother of God, the "Seven Sleepers” of Ephesus, (above) Saint Mary Salome Disciple of Jesus (wife of Zebedee and Mother of Saints James and John, Apostles), Pope Saint John Paul II and Blessed Lucia Bartolini Rucellai. Jewish calendar today marks the "return to everyday activities following the spirituality of the festival-rich month of Tishrei." Image from here (and another irresistible teacherly Saint here.)

Homefront 

(a found poem)

One of my teachers always said to me 

‘In the face of great destruction, create.’

—Sue Ellen Parkinson, Iconographer

 

books papers chalk–-

a world apart, a place to dream

Light overcoming darkness

*Guest Poet Betty Fanelli’s awesome freewrite above (used with permission) is based on her childhood memories during World War II. She later became a much loved teacher herself, in Special Ed.

**From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by “Teachers” by Will Schutt. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite Studio Time, October 21, 2023.

Consolation Prayer (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, October 7, last day of Sukkot and feast day of (above) Our Lady of the Rosary/Our Lady of Victory and Saint Pelagia of Tarsus. On Jewish calendar is also the Return from Temple Dedication (827 BC) and the Beginning of Prayer for Rain. Image from here.)

Consolation Prayer 

(an "arrow prayer" for Our Lady, especially on Her First Saturdays)

Immaculate Virgin Mary

Mother of God

be with us your children

Amen!

*This simple prayer/Sabbath grace came about as a way to remember the 5 First Saturday consolations/reparations to Our Blessed Mother:

It is sometimes asked why Our Lady asked for Communions of reparation on five first Saturdays, instead of some other number. Our Blessed Lord answered that question when He appeared to Sr. Lucia May 29, 1930. He explained that it was because of five kinds of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, namely:

[1.] blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception ["immaculate"],

[2.] against her perpetual virginity ["virgin"],

[3.] against the divine and spiritual maternity of Mary ["Mother of God"],

[4.] blasphemies involving the rejection and dishonoring of her images ["Mary"; having been incarnate as we are, we can honor Her image],

[5.] and the neglect of implanting in the hearts of children a knowledge and love of this Immaculate Mother ["be with us your children"].

The spirit of reparation is a loving desire to make reparation to and console the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Our Mother.--vermontcatholic.org

A Simple Rule of Life (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, October 7, 2023, last day of (above) Sukkot and feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary/Our Lady of Victory and Saint Pelagia of Tarsus. On Jewish calendar is also the Return from Temple Dedication (827 BC) and the Beginning of Prayer for Rain. Image from here. )

Simple Rule of Life

(Our Lady of Laus to Bl. Benoite Rencurel, paraphrased )

Do your duty cheerfully.

Bear no hatred towards enemies.

Be untroubled by temptations, worldly concerns.

Simply to God's presence return.

Little Day (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, October 2, 2023, feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary (Cracow; see also here), Our Lady of the Assumption (Naples), the Guardian Angels (related image above), Saint Anna of Kashin and Blessed Maria Anna Kratochwil. On Jewish calendar Sukkot continues. Note: Yesterday was the feast day of the Barsky Icon of the Mother of God, Saint Therese the Little Flower, and blessed Cecilia who “died singing a hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary”. Image from here.)

Little Day

I do like children who do not know how to read, 

I say very simply to God what I wish to say, 

without composing beautiful sentences, 

and He always understands me.  

–-Saint Therese the Little Flower 

 

Let this day be a day 

fit for children to enter

regardless of their age,

its toys that teach so 

invitingly arranged:

                     brooms and day planners

                  paintbrushes in an angel mug

             tea and cookies on the side

     nap time when it’s all too much.

Such a place once awake!--

innocence not at stake but fed

here in head-heart-soul

where linger for airflow

flutter -- note now:

all sings

*From combined prompts: free write as inspired by excerpts from “Dark Harvest” by Joseph Millar and  “In Harvest” by Sophie Jewett. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite Studio time, October 2, 2023.

Minimal Requirements (WC)

 

Wendy Cabell, September 14, 2023, feast day of the (above) Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, the Lesna Icon of the Mother of God, Our Lady of Einsiendeln, Our Lady of Steinbach, and Blessed María López de Rivas Martínez (confidant of Saint Teresa of Avila; body incorrupt). On Jewish calendar today is the Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars (3760 BC). Image from here.)

Minimal Requirements

(for Pope Francis)

–Time: to care more, not less

–Space: an ocean’s plain –- for love 

 

      t o   s w i m

  

                       a r o u n d

                              i n 

–Magic: pearls –- from grit-glide-time

  ( as in lots and lots of time ) 

          for star’s  b l o o m

*Based on a quote from Pope Francis, Love needs time and space; everything else is secondary. [Author Laura Alary looks to something similar, a trio of time, space and room (receptivity/generosity.)]

**From combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by “homage to my hips” by Lucille Clifton (Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite Studio Time, September 14, 2023), Ana Blandiana’s “As if” (Lisa Freedman’s Type.Coalesce.Become,June 2, 2023), Ted Kooser’s “Pearl” (Marj Hahne’s Poem a la Mode, IWWG, June 2, 2023, near Our Lady of Bocco's feast), and  “blossoms at night” by Kobayashi Issa and “the old pond” by Matsuo Basho (Tresha Faye Haefner‘s Friday Editing class, The Poetry Salon, May 31, 2024).