A Certain Slant of Light

The particular quality of today's wintry afternoon brought to mind the first two lines of this poem by Emily Dickinson. I couldn't shake the sound of these words in connection with what I saw; each time I glanced out the window, I found them poured into my spirit. 

Enjoy....

There's a certain Slant of light,

Winter Afternoons -

That oppresses, like the Heft

Of Cathedral Tunes -

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us -

We can find no scar,

But internal difference,

Where the Meanings, are -

None may teach it - Any -

'Tis the Seal Despair -

An imperial affliction -

Sent us of the Air -

When it comes, the Landscape listens -

Shadows - hold their breath -

When it goes, 'tis like the Distance

On the look of Death -

Friday Five: Pets

Friday Five: Pets

(Per Sophia over at RevGalBlogPals...) My son's tiny beloved lizard, Elf, is looking and acting strange this week. His skin/scales are quite dark, and he is lethargic. We are adding vitamin drops to his lettuce and spinach and hoping and praying that he is just getting ready to shed his skin--but it's too soon to tell. Others in the ring have also been worried about beloved pets this week. And, in the saddest news of all, Songbird has had to bid farewell to her precious Molly, the amazing dog who is well known to readers of her blog as a constant sacrament of God's unconditional love. 

So in memory of Molly, and in honor of all the beloved animal companions who bless our lives: tell us about the five most memorable pets you have known. 

MINE ARE ALL CATS - Purrrrr

1. My adoring (and quite spiritual) Puck - aka: Sir Puck the Sage - has been with us for 9 years, and he is the essence of love in so many dimensions.

2. And Teiresias (Tei, Tiger, Obnoxious-Morning-Cat), who joined our family about 8.5 years ago, is spiritual in his own way: that is, he's the epitome of joyful playfulness. 

3. Asphalt (Azzy) was the healer who helped me through those tumultuous teen years - we'd lay in the sunshine together for hours. Azzy also cared for all the neighborhood kids, letting them pick him up and carry him anywhere, joining us for parties at the neighbors', and being an all-around easygoing guy. He just died a couple years ago of well-lived age.

4. Midnight - beautiful, long-haired, long-clawed cat! He made my move from NJ to PA so much smoother than it may have been in that transition from elementary to Jr. High School.

5. Peppy was my childhood confidante. She's the only female feline in my long history of beloved cats. Peppy was a "Pepper" colored calico who delighted me with both playfulness and love - and we seemed to always get into a lot of trouble together!

Thank you for this wonderful Friday Five! It's the perfect reminder of those amazing creatures who've shared so much love in my life (some of whom I've not thought about in a very long time).