Life in the Slow Lane

Contemplating life, faith, words, and memories

The Wild Swans at Coole by William Butler Yeats — October 26, 2023
flock of swans, birds, water,

Nick Fewings at Unsplash

The Wild Swans at Coole by William Butler Yeats

/Sherrey Meyer/2 Comments

The Wild Swans at Coole

The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.
 
The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.
 
I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All’s changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.
 
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.
 
But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake’s edge or pool
Delight men’s eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?
 
~ William Butler Yeats
 
Until Next Time,

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Source: The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats (1989)
 
Featured Image by Nick Fewings on Unsplash 
42 Years and Counting! — October 13, 2023
seniors, affection, holding hands, anniversaries

42 Years and Counting!

/Sherrey Meyer/6 Comments

NOTE: A little over a year ago I began writing this post in celebration of our 41st anniversary. At about that same time, I walked away from my blog and stopped writing. When I returned to writing the blog, I came across this draft post. Even though our anniversary date has passed, I wanted to share this with you. 

On August 15th, Bob and I celebrated our 42nd anniversary. You may already know this because you know us or saw a Facebook post. But there are a few things you likely are not aware of that we’ve been having fun talking or texting with others about our anniversary.

Bob and I met in 1981 while attending the same Methodist church in a suburb of Nashville, TN, called Hermitage. Yes, they named our little burb after the home of Andrew Jackson.I must confess here that I don’t remember what month and day signifies our first date, but I remember what we did. Continue reading →

Receiving Kindness — September 28, 2023
acceptance, accept, welcome, assist, help

Attribution: Remi Walle on Unsplash

Receiving Kindness

/Sherrey Meyer/6 Comments

On June 1, 2022, I shared a post on kindness, summarizing how we can offer kindness to others. In reading that post, I’ve thought back to my words and the quotes I used to make my point. Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, my thinking made me realize that I’m not a good receiver of the kindnesses of others.

Yes, receiving is definitely not the easiest thing I do in my life. It taught me to give—give of myself, what I have, and the talents God has given me. That is one thing I remember about Continue reading →

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver — September 14, 2023
grasshopper, rainbow grasshopper, sitting on conifer twig

Rainbow Grasshopper by Ray Bilcliff on Pexels 525533

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

/Sherrey Meyer/6 Comments

This has been one of those weeks. You know what I mean, don’t you? Whatever you had planned somehow did not get done. I dislike weeks or even days like this, but now and then something grasps your time and snatches it from your keeping and you lose control.

During weeks like this one and the one just before, I often lose my timing for my Wednesday blog post. If something comes to mind that I can share with you, I’ll post it on another day and hope that you derive something from it. Continue reading →

Before … and After — August 23, 2023
Maui, Napili Bay, Hawaii, nature, Pacific Ocean

Napili Bay on Maui, Hawaii (2023) | Photo by Andrew Bain on Unsplash

Before … and After

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Pictured above is a beautiful island. The photographer took this image before a wildfire destroyed much of Maui and all of Lahaina. For days now, I have thought of the people struggling to rebuild their lives. For many, everything before is gone. Everything after needs construction from the ground up.

During the summer of 2020, wildfires did similar damage to an area in Oregon. Many residents lost everything, and those people are still living in motels and apartments while attempting to re-establish their homes. Their before and after seem so similar to our neighbors in the Pacific. Continue reading →

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