My candle was broken. When I selected it from the box at the church door it was intact. I didn’t intend to break it. I stood to worship on Christmas Eve. Singing all my favorites of the season. A much-needed heart lift. Of course, all my favorites are also Mom’s favorites, so my vision got … Continue reading Broken Candle
Inspiration
A Lamentation
Because sometimes there are no words…only lament... O Lord, how long will the violence last? How many nations will rise up to kill other nations? The pain seems never ending. The groans too deep for words. Innocence stolen. Virtue slaughtered. Blood spills into the streets. It runs like a river at flood stage, fast moving … Continue reading A Lamentation
The Churches of Ireland
I live in the Southern United States, the Bible Belt, where there is a church on every corner, so I am familiar with multitudes of churches. In Ireland, the spires of the churches are the tallest buildings in every skyline. In villages, the church is not only the largest building, it is often in the … Continue reading The Churches of Ireland
Wild Irish Skies
I have been to tropical islands. I have seen the rain coming towards me down the beach, and then move past in a moment. I have waited to go outside to swim until the skies cleared, because I knew they would. The constant change in the weather is easily planned around and expected on a … Continue reading Wild Irish Skies
Train Ride to Adventure
Along the tracks, Dublin and its busy streets fade into countryside. At first the train moves slowly, a reluctant beast, but as we slide further away from the noise of the city it finds its wings. We race to clear skies and lush green fields. Houses dot the landscape and soon there are barns as … Continue reading Train Ride to Adventure
Freedom
The absence of coercion or constraint in choice or action. Liberation from slavery or the power of another. We all agree freedom is of high value. Maybe the highest. Even if we do not all interpret what freedom looks like in the same way, we recognize the worth of this multi-dimensional noun. It means so … Continue reading Freedom
I am a Speaker
I never knew I was a writer. Until a newspaper editor put “Michelle Gunnin is a writer.” in my byline for an article I wrote, I had no idea. I put ideas on paper, but in my mind, that didn’t make me a real writer (whatever a real writer looks like). It was just thoughts. … Continue reading I am a Speaker
Even the Bones…
I went to Boneyard Beach this week. It is a long stretch of sand, covered with downed trees which appear to have toppled when the water eroded the sandy soil beneath them. Each one is its own work of art, like giant pieces of driftwood. The sun has bleached them to almost white. The root … Continue reading Even the Bones…
Pebble in My Shoe
There is a pebble in my shoe. With each step I wound myself. The pain travels into the sole and causes me to walk with a limp. Step. Hobble. Step. Hobble. It is beyond annoying. The bruises make me dread each footfall. Some steps are painless, as the stone moves to the side, but that … Continue reading Pebble in My Shoe
As I Age
As I age, I am watching the generation before me in their last days. Mentors becoming frail. The invincible, seem fragile. All those I looked up to are more human, somehow. Weaker as their bodies fail them. They always were human of course, but in my youth, I rarely saw that. My eyes were full … Continue reading As I Age
Michelle's Mosaic 