Friday, November 30, 2018

bargains


just because
they are continually on sale,
doesn’t mean fear,
anger, vengeance,
are bargains we need
to snatch up before anyone else does.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Thursday, November 29, 2018

how?


God, how is it
you find it so easy
to give away so much,
when we are fearful
we won’t have enough
for our cup of coffee, if
we help someone on the street?

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

brrr


how cold is it?
it’s cold enough to break out
hope-insulated grace, to warm others
frostbitten by the frigid words
of the fear-mongers and isolationists.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

cost


when we see compassion
   as a commodity,
grace as only a tip
   for good service,
hope as a discard
   for the thrift store,
life becomes private enterprise,
not a force for good and change.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman



Monday, November 26, 2018

cyber monday


building sand castles or snow people,
raking leaves or walking in woods,
reading to older folks or mentoring kids,
steer us towards all the things
we could be doing today,
offline,
O God.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Saturday, November 24, 2018

saturday grace


not in the frenzied crowds,
but the warm hand of a little child;
not in the pile of packages at the door,
but in the kitten in our lap;
not in the record-breaking sales,
but in the caring of the most vulnerable,
will we find the grace you offer.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Friday, November 23, 2018

Grace Friday


more than a framed cross stitch,
grace is that worn soul,
patched with pieces of hope and love
gifted by those around us,
stitched together by the tensile threads
woven from the Lamb’s wool.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

fourgrace


more than just a word,
grace begins when we set down
our anger to share hope,
when we see strangers as us,
when we seat the hungry at our table
not just drop off a box at their house.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Tuesday, November 20, 2018

grace3


more than just a bagpipe’s
drone, grace is a grandmother
crafting wooden toys,
children’s whispers about santa letters,
a dad humming while making a pie.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Monday, November 19, 2018

gracetoo


more than just a hymn,
grace is amazing when kids
welcome outsiders,
when refugees start foodbanks,
when felons are offered jobs.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Sunday, November 18, 2018

grace


grace is more than just
a few words mumbled before
rushing through a meal,
it is the twinkle placed in
our hearts by the one across the table,
the smile etched on our eyes
by their welcoming soul.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Saturday, November 17, 2018

this day


may we break our fast
embracing justice;
may we share a sandwich
with hope at lunch;
may we offer peace
to neighbors and strangers
as we settle down for the night.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Friday, November 16, 2018

sleepyheads


on mornings when the
warm bed clings tightly to us,
grab us by the hand
and pull us out to join you
serving those shaking from fear.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Thursday, November 15, 2018

whisper


too often,
we choose grumpiness
over graciousness,
whingeing over
whispers of hope.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Saturday, November 10, 2018

grateful


in this season of gratitude,
challenge us, God of hope,
to notice those who
hand us our lattes,
hang up the clothes we leave in fitting rooms,
pick up cups we toss aside in races,
deliver packages to our doors,
and so, so much more.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Friday, November 09, 2018

baker

may justice not be like
a pretzel, twisted and with salt
rubbed into the wounds, or
a breadstick, so stale so quickly,
but a Celtic knot loaf where grace,
hope, and peace intertwine,
never ending, always beginning.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Thursday, November 08, 2018

raking


if only we could rake
worries, doubts, hates, and angers
to the curb for pick-up,
but we just turn them into
one big pile and keep jumping in,
over and over and over.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Wednesday, November 07, 2018

the day after


and now,
let us turn our yard signs
into symbols of hope;
our disappointment
into caring for the broken;
our jubilation
into wiping the tears of others;
and may a wave of grace,
healing, and peace cleanse
us of all our bitterness.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Tuesday, November 06, 2018

tikkun olam


when the voting is over,
let us begin to repair
our brokenness with acts
of specific kindness,
overflowing love, and
welcoming arms and hearts.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Monday, November 05, 2018

mentors


may our role models
become those who give from
scarcity, not wealth;
who give others their warm coats;
who seat strangers at tables
and offer them the guest room.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Sunday, November 04, 2018

neighborly


if we truly love
others, we need to open
our hearts to them,
not just seek to use them as
pawns in political chess games.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Saturday, November 03, 2018

apology


worn out from trying
to win the Angrier-Than-You
sweepstakes, i don’t have
the strength to love you, God.
sorry

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Friday, November 02, 2018

and the second is like the first


remind us, mercy’s Heart,
that we are called to love folk,
not hurl hate at them.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Thursday, November 01, 2018

help


when people look for
helpers in times of heartache,
we pray they see us
running towards them with our
arms full of hope, peace, and grace.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman