It is only February and yet it feels like spring here in south Louisiana! The smell of early blooming flowers and greening trees lifts my spirit with hope for a good year ahead. I think about the snow and ice just about a days drive north and wonder: Is climate change real and is this the new normal? Whatever the case, I know we cannot control it and thank God for His many blessings, trusting Him to lead me on. Blessings and peace, my friends.
blooming azaleas… birds at the feeder oblivious to lawnmower noise
rain drips from the thatched roof smell of cooking rice
Al W Gallia
She lives simply in jungle, subsisting mostly on nature’s sometimes meager bounty. Hers is a never ending hard life with very little time for leisure activities as she must provide for her children and aging parents. She has no electricity or other utility services. Her husband is seldom home.
steaming heat… in the bamboo forest a hacking machete
Al W Gallia
Today, regardless of weather, she hoists her fifty pound basket onto her back and starts her weekly trek to the local marketplace to sell or trade. Her sandals are worn and loose on her feet. Yet she hums and trudges on, thankful for all God has given her.
wild pig squealing… a jet plane’s contrail above the jungle canopy
Al W Gallia
And life goes on, as it always has for countless generations around our world.
Out of the chill wind, I lean against the sun-warmed brick wall. A brief mid winter warmup lures my thoughts toward coming springtime in south Louisiana.
limp banana leaf a young anole warms in the winter sun
feeling the sunlight on my face I too thank our loving God
Al Gallia 2023
An impatient commuter honks his horn at another car! For the moment, I am brought back into the real world where we humans continue our endless, chaotic struggle of cultures, morals, religions, money and power. But only briefly, as then I let my senses flow back to the blessed solitude, peace, and oneness of God and nature, to the promised hope and deliverance of my Christian faith.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find…”
As early sunlight breaks over the trees at an Alabama state park, a light breeze begins to tickle the lake’s sleepy surface. A cardinal pair chirps nearby. The aroma of hot coffee wafting, I take my first sip slowly and begin to muse on God’s blessing of nature’s uncorrupted beauty,
summer morning…
shadows rippling over
reflections
Al W Gallia
A gentle voice I’ve heard so often in my mind reminds me again: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Jn 14:27
I shake my head sadly at our fumbling politicians and ‘leaders’. It is so obvious that their left hands have no idea what their right hands are doing. And they have no desire to compromise toward America’s center. It is only about power and control, not America’s welfare.
3rd Covid year… as politicians deflect blame old couples lock hands
Al W Gallia
In the solitude and peace of our home, our safe escape pod in this latest Covid surge, I thank God again for my faith, my wife, and our health. Amen.
My friends…many of the haiku I am prompted to write arise from visual experiences as my wife, Bobbie, and I travel in our motorhome RV. If we see something special and meaningful while I drive, she takes photos! Posts like this are collaborative, with a bit of embellishment on my part, and works well for us! Her capture of this old tree along the roadside was my prompt in this haiku/haiga/haibun. Thanks, sweetheart..
Thunder slowly rolls into the distance after the cold rain storm. The old tree never wavered but held its ground as it has for over a hundred years. Water dribbles down its remaining bark, winding through old ridges and crevices and onto the anthill below. A crow circles the tree once and flies on. Somewhere across the field, a cow moos.
I pull back my rain hood, breathe the fresh, crisp air, and walk out from the dilapidated cow shed toward my grandparent’s house across the field. From their chimney, the north wind carries the aroma of woodsmoke and bacon! Picking up my pace, I have a happy “thank you, Lord” in my heart.
A perfect autumn afternoon at Lake Martin, a short drive from home. The kind of day that brings a smile to my face, even when no one else is around, and chases stress and concern quickly away with beautiful earth-tones, stillness, and reflections, and life’s chorus.
a young gator waits
in dappled autumn sun
the frog moves closer
Al W Gallia
I treasure my time in Nature’s solitude; it is my direct channel to meditation and prayer where God is always present. Blessings and peace.
A tinge of autumn in the air this morning! How delightful! The Indian Summer days following will be filled with subtle color changes and countless dragonflies. I love the feel of this season…it promises a rebirth of Joie de vivre if we are just patient and have faith.
What’s on my mind this August 31st morning? As disastrous events continue to unfold around the world, I try to wash my mind of a sense of impending doom and rather focus on the goodness and love of people around the world. I am thankful for my faith in a loving, caring God who is my rock and, with my wife’s support, I am hopeful for the future. Faith and prayer are my shield against always circling fear and hopelessness.
Psalm 4: 7 Many say, “May we see better times! LORD, show us the light of your face!” 8 But you have given my heart more joy than they have when grain and wine abound. 9 In peace I will lie down and fall asleep, for you alone, LORD, make me secure.
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