Mary Oliver – the deepening ground

Morning: Mary Oliver’s Antidote for Tax Season #Poem #Poetry #Morning #Taxes #World #Soul #MaryOliver

6 Mar 2023

Between getting the budget lined up for March, paying my regular bills, and working on filing my taxes, I somehow lost the weekend and suffocated my soul. All I wanted to do last night was crawl into bed and just go to sleep, but I took the time to drink from Mary Oliver’s poetry. There’s … More Morning: Mary Oliver’s Antidote for Tax Season #Poem #Poetry #Morning #Taxes #World #Soul #MaryOliver

Mary Oliver Mondays: Thoughts on Coming Winter #Poetry #Winter #Darkness #MaryOliver

19 Dec 2022

In the midst of my series of Advent Tankas, I still wanted to share this Mary Oliver gem that I read a few weeks ago thanks to an email thread I receive at work. Though the snows have already arrived here in Grove City, it’s not until Wednesday that Winter officially begins. As we head … More Mary Oliver Mondays: Thoughts on Coming Winter #Poetry #Winter #Darkness #MaryOliver

Mary Oliver Mondays: Snow Geese #Poetry #Geese #Birds #Busyness #Fall #MaryOliver

7 Nov 2022

Fall and Mary Oliver today. From a wonderful collection of poetry titled Why I Wake Early. Admittedly, waking early isn’t in my vocabulary, save for the demand my job puts upon me as a high school English teacher. But for sights such as these, I would race the sun out of bed, “[t]o love what … More Mary Oliver Mondays: Snow Geese #Poetry #Geese #Birds #Busyness #Fall #MaryOliver

Mary Oliver Mondays: A Lesson from Late Summer #Poetry #Summer #Roses #MaryOliver

19 Sep 2022

Summer draws to a close, a new week begins, and I return to the deepening ground of Mary Oliver’s poetry. Hear the invitation to spend our lives “on some / unstinting happiness,” but not according to the world’s definition. Rather, the simple overlooked gifts that poets like Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry capture so beautifully. … More Mary Oliver Mondays: A Lesson from Late Summer #Poetry #Summer #Roses #MaryOliver

Above All, Remember to Live #Poetry #MaryOliver #Live

5 May 2022

As I sat in bed last night, debating between Marilynne Robinson’s Home, Andrew Klavan’s The Truth and Beauty, or Mary Oliver’s Devotions, I eventually settled on Oliver’s collection of poems. Sleep would be coming quick, so a poem or two felt like a safe bet, especially when Robinson’s novel doesn’t include any chapter breaks (sheer … More Above All, Remember to Live #Poetry #MaryOliver #Live

#Devotions: Another Sampling from Mary Oliver

6 Mar 2022

Spring is in the air! Here in Western Pennsylvania today, the temperature reached 71 degrees. We opened the windows and savored the fresh air and song of the birds. It reminded me of a welcomed distraction from earlier this week when I sat down to breakfast: a finch singing from my neighbor’s porch. And though … More #Devotions: Another Sampling from Mary Oliver

At the End of Summer…An Invitation to LIVE!

29 Aug 2021

And so it comes to a close… Another summer wraps up within the next ten hours for me. Tomorrow morning, I will rise in the dark of a new day, put on my dress clothes, perhaps even don a tie, and head back to the high school where I have served as an English teacher … More At the End of Summer…An Invitation to LIVE!

Rejecting the Busyness of Life

2 Aug 2021

At this moment, I am sitting on the back porch of our rental looking out over Lake Chautauqua as the sun sets. (I’ll include a photo at the end of the post.) My dearest love of 25 years sits by my side, quietly reading. WE HAVE ESCAPED! For four days and three nights we have … More Rejecting the Busyness of Life

Lessons from the Redbreast

5 Jul 2021

A little over a week ago, a dead branch I was cutting knocked me off my extension ladder, causing me to fall seventeen feet to the lawn below. By the grace of God, I broke nothing. Once I got my breath back, I reset the ladder, climbed back up, and finished the cut. I even … More Lessons from the Redbreast

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

the deepening ground

reflections in word and song

Tag: Mary Oliver