The Familiar Glories

Posted on by Michele Morin

Glory is everywhere in these short days of summer.  A walk to the mailbox overloads the senses with unusual bird sightings, progress in the garden, and the frenzied buzzing of bee scouts filling their saddle bags with the makings for a flourishing life.

Clyde Kilby* laments:

“One of the greatest tragedies of the fall is that we get tired of familiar glories.”

YES to this, so in these fleeting days — of summer and of life — I’m putting on the brakes and lingering in a few moments that have already flown by.

Poetry is glue that repairs the split seconds.

Counting syllables; choosing one word and rejecting another; spinning a spider web netting that will capture and hold a memory; I’m pausing for a languid look at the longer realities that live behind the images.

Let’s agree together that we will never lose sight of those “familiar glories.”

The Familiar Glories

He runs from the house, his face aglow.

Expectation shines from every pore

As a gushing stream of welcome runs

Over the rocky bed of toddler-ese.

 

 

E & KWhite lace enhances youthful beauty.

Love and joy collide in radiance,

For without words, bride and groom clasp hands,

And every promise shimmers in their eyes.

Capture

Fragment of bird-life hangs suspended,

Sipping in mid-air her floral fuel

From color and fragrance that drew her

And hold her savoring; slake her wanting.

 

birch tree

White birch; emerald leaves on blue sky:

Were the greens this glorious last year?

The familiar glories press themselves

Against the day insisting, “Wake up.  See.”

 

//

Photo credit for lovely picture of the bride and groom:  Carrie Mae Photography 

*Clyde Kilby was a noted C.S. Lewis scholar and professor of English at Wheaton College.  I found this quote in John Piper’s new book, Reading the Bible Supernaturally (Crossway, 2017) Kindle Location 574

//

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

73 thoughts on “The Familiar Glories”

  5. And poetry too. You do it all, Michele. 🙂 Indeed, so tragic that the familiar glories slip past our notice. Even still, they’re glorious as ever, reflecting their maker. — Sweet pics, thanks for sharing, friend. ((xoxo))

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Michele, you chose just the right words to illustrate every picture!

    Looking for familiar glories really describes what the hubs and I do on our mini road trips – we are looking for evidences of His creation. His footprint is everywhere; we just need eyes to see them. I especially love His handiwork around lake settings … the shades of blues, greens and fluffy white clouds are balm to my soul.

    Like

  9. Michele, your gift with words never ceases to inspire and impress. I like the image conjured from, “Poetry is glue that repairs the split seconds.”

    Like

  10. Michele, You are a true Wordsmith. I loved the glory-moments that you shared with us from your own living. What a treasure to keep this post for your family memories someday also! May your summer continue to be graced with moments locked in God’s Time.

    Like

  14. Thanks for slowing to see in words for the rest of us ( : I too am loving the glorious familiar things of summer in a place where the season is way too short to not pause and soak it in! You inspire me to take some time to put it in words. Thanks Michele! BTW do we get to share Jayber Crow together one of these days? I’ve been saving it for the occasion!

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    1. And all this time, I had thought you were reading Jayber and was going to ask your opinion of him!
      Yes, summer is way too short — and usually way too full of frenetic activity. I’m resisting that this year. So good to hear from you.

      Like

  15. Michele,
    Even being stuck inside, God has brought some of his glorious wonders to me outside my windows….three beautiful birds (a bluebird, a red finch, and a goldfinch) all feeding at one time. A hummingbird flitting between flowers on my hibiscus. “God winks” I call them. If we can’t get out in His creation, He brings it to us 🙂
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

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  22. I love this! The familiar glories- such a beautiful way to describe what we should notice but often overlook. I am glad you took this foray into poetry. It was a treat.

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    1. Thanks for morning encouragement, Amy! I always cringe a little and the mouse hovers a little longer over the publish button when a poem goes out to the world. I appreciate your helping me to be glad about the risk.

      Like

  28. Wow, you’re a poet, too, Michele! I’m impressed. 🙂 Never could get the hang of poetry myself. Thanks for calling my attention to noticing the beauty around us today.

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    1. I’m not sure I’ve got the hang of it, either, Jerusha, but I’ve been at it for quite a while, and really enjoy it reading it and trying to write it. Thanks for stopping by!

      Like

  29. “Familiar glories” – what a wonderful way to put it. Sometimes I love to look up at a blue sky with fleecy clouds or the birds feeding outside my window or the flowers in the planters and just soak the moment in, perhaps in spring and fall most of all.

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  32. I so enjoyed “The Familiar Glories”!
    Over the past year or so I’ve acquired a growing love for poetry, both reading and writing poems. Wanted to mention a wonderful website called TweetSpeakPoetry. There are tons of poems, prompts, articles and even interviews. It is truly a treasure trove of all things poetic.
    So thankful for your writing:)
    Gratefully,
    Katie

    Like

  36. I love savoring the unique characteristics of each season, especially spring, which is really more like summer where I live. 😉

    Thanks for linking up your thoughts at Literacy Musing Mondays!

    Like

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