These are deeply unsettling times we are living in, aren’t they? They make us yearn for a sense of solidity and thirst for a firm grounding beneath our feet. Perhaps it exists as a present reality, closer at hand than we might think.
Creation breathes out its beauty and begs us to receive it as soul food, as a nurturing balm to help us stay grounded and calm. Each time we pay attention to growing flowers and plants we get to observe how nature deals with its own seasons of alteration and loss.
In the tanka sequence poem below, I invite you to take a journey of the heart, a pause to consider what nature has to teach us now, what lies ahead, and how we are all connected to the past.
May you receive an awakening of hope and faith that will help ground you in the realest of realities. Namely that God is still in charge, and all things are somehow being worked out for good even as our lives feel shaken to the core.
Reality
what is real
is the soil beneath our feet
solidity
earth grounds us, holds us fast
when all else trembles into dust
the imprints
markers of every man
woman and child
who ever lived and died
are seeded, left behind
the earth
holds all our memories
in its DNA
it doesn’t forget how we lived
breathed and walked this way
every acreage
in the changing landscape
holds a legacy
it will keep the faith for us
when we are lost, faithless
nature sings
an eternal siren song
we strain to listen
unaccustomed to its melody
the way it reverberates and speaks
our reality
is so often shaped by lust
fuelled by greed
hot desire can set us on fire
we lose what we have coveted
we don’t need
all that much to survive
we do need
the insight to understand
just how to live, grow and thrive
the natural world
provides all our necessities
all we need to live
enough resources to share
if we were generous and fair
the ethereal
the mystical, intangible
lies within our reach
it’s already invaded earth
promising us new life, new birth
our souls
rooted to earth’s reality
become whole
when they are connected
to Father, Son, Holy Spirit
God made
all that is sensed and found
he gave
his life to open our eyes
to the unlimited beyond
© joylenton
“The calm of a summer night
embodies Your peace, O Lord.
The beauty of a sunset
embodies Your truth, O Lord.
Everything in all creation
shouts the reality of You.”— Transformed by Love: Prayers and Reflections for All Seasons by Liz Babbs
Poetry Joy 
Pingback: reality: what helps keep us grounded and at peace — Poetry Joy | Slattery's Magazine for Writers
Dear Joy,
What beautiful photos and poetry you have placed before us today! Such a feast! I so enjoyed seeing the photo of your little grandson start off our thoughts here. What better way to sink into the true realities of what we have been given than to become like a child with such joy and wide-eyed wonder. I loved this stanza:
our souls
rooted to earth’s reality
become whole
when they are connected
to Father, Son, Holy Spirit
There is such an interweaving between what God has created for us here, and how HIs whole presence comes to bring us His own wholeness when we rest there. Oh, may I open my eyes and ears to see and hear the blessings that He has given to me right here. Blessings, love, and hugs to you my dear sister. xoxo
Dear Bettie, I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos and poetry! Our young grandson reminds me to keep my eyes open to wonder and the joy that can be found in the everyday. I’m also thankful for God’s whole presence as He “comes to bring His own wholeness when we rest” in the created world’s beauty and blessings. And I join you in desiring to have my eyes, ears and heart opened more and more to sense those things. Blessings, love and hugs to you, too, dear sister and precious friend. xoxo 💜
Very beautiful and serene Joy.
Nature will keep the faith for us. She serves as a constant reminder of the miracles of our world and our lives.
Amen, Drew, she will and she does! I never tire of observing nature and learning from the lessons she has to teach us. It’s a joy and blessing to see you back to blogging again and visiting here, my friend. Hope you’re slowly recovering a measure of health and strength. Blessings of healing and peace to you. 😊❤️
Good evening, Joy, after a long week of writing papers, I enjoyed reading and writing blogs today. Thank you for what I received as an outpouring of hope in your poem. As I read, God brought to mind a book that has been on my shelf, The Christian Book of Mystical Verse, compiled by A.Z. Tozer. May God continue to flow through you to reach those you love and those of us afar. Love in Christ, Julie
Good afternoon, Julie. I’m grateful that you saw “an outpouring of hope” in this poem. It’s my heart’s desire and goal as a writer and poet to reveal the hope we have in Christ. Your mention of the book by A.Z. Tozer has sent me on a search to locate it. And I’m pleased to have discovered it available as an ebook so I’ve downloaded a sample to read. Thank you for directing it to my attention, and for your beautiful blessing. I receive it by faith. May your studies be fruitful and enjoyable more than arduous and tiring to do, and may you have the ability to reflect and rest, and assimilate all you need to take in as you learn and grow in your walk of faith. Love in Him. xo 💜
oh how wonderful, Joy! Let me know what you think of the book. Thank you for your kind encouragement. Study, prayer, writing is my life these days. Love in Him, Julie
I will! Although I might not get round to reading much of it yet because I’ve got quite a stack of NetGalley books to read and review. 😊❤️
I read this when you first published it but didn’t have time to comment. Such a tender offering, Joy! Whenever life is a bit overwhelming or stressful, simply walking outside can put things into perspective. Your poem reminds us of why. Thank you, friend!
What a joy to see you here, my friend! I appreciate you returning to leave a thoughtful comment. God has also used your words to stir me to remembrance of the importance of “putting things into perspective” during a period where life has unsettled and made me more anxious. How quickly we can get off balance and forget these simple measures to help restore our equilibrium and peace. Hope you’re keeping well, dear June. I haven’t been able to get round to reading many blogs this summer as I’m not as well as I want to be. So I’ve had to be stricter about pacing because I don’t often have enough cognitive energy to read, reply or write. But I hope to stop by your site soon, God willing. Sending blessings, love and happy hugs because I’m delighted to hear from you! xo 😊💜