September 7th

"'Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
   that I might come even to his dwelling!'" Job 23:2

we put on our masks and
play dress up with garments 

woven from our fears and worries,

going from house to house 

hoping to find the one where

grace and hope will be offered,

not platitudes filled with sugary promises.

we linger outside on summer evenings

when everyone else is heading in

for an evening of being seduced 

by the mindless pap on all devices,

continuing to gently call out,

'ollie, ollie, oxen free' in hopes

you will rustle the bushes or

giggle from behind your hiding place

so we can join you, enveloped by

your loving arms, as you sing 

gentle lullabies until we fall asleep

and you carry us to our beds,

where we will sleep all night in peace,

while you sit in the corner, the light

turned down low, keeping watch

as you always do, even when 

we think you are looking the other way.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 6th

"Then Job answered: 'How long will you torment me, and break me in pieces with words?'" Job 19:1-2

they were wrong to teach us
that childhood mantra,
for in truth, words do hurt us.

the peers watching us while

giggling behind their hands, might

as well be shouting 'loser!'

the friend who suddenly shares

all those secret fears and doubts

with folks i barely know, breaks

my heart into a million pieces like

Humpty falling off that wall.

and the family member who 

cannot seem to be able to keep

from bringing up that epic fail

every time we gather for holidays

keeps ripping the scab 

off my soul, just when i think

it is finally starting to heal.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

September 5th

"'where then is my hope?

    Who will see my hope?'" Job 17:15

if you notice the single parent
at the sports event of their child
who, when it ends, kisses them
and then heads out to a second job
so they can keep living in their home.
if you catch the teenager who goes
through the neighborhood, stopping
at the homes of the oldest residents
to mow their yards, walk their dogs,
set out their garbage cans for the morning.
if you drive past the empty parking lot
where a community's grocery store
used to be before corporate closed it, 

and wonder about the knot of folks
gathered to offer meals to any one

who just happens to show up,

well,

now you know from where 

my hope

comes.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 4th

"'my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.'" Job 14:17

every day, you come by,
tapping on the door, and
as you holler, 'housekeeping,'
you step into our lives, 

stripping the beds of the sheets

damp with those tears of grief

over our lives not turning out

the way we thought,

dumping the ash trays

where we snubbed out 

the embers of our faded hopes,

using the broom to sweep up

all the broken promises which

we let fall from our lips and

shatter on the floors of another's soul,

stacking the washer with the glasses

and plates of another meal of misery

warmed up in the microwave, and

as you carry the bag out to the curb,

you turn to whisper, 'i'll keep coming

back to help, even if you hang the

do not disturb sign on your heart.'

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 3rd

"God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." Psalm 7:11

it is not just at night any more, 

that you wake up calling for

Jesus to bring you a glass

of cold milk or for the Spirit

to bring you some antacid tablets.

the heartburn you experience

while you watch our hearts grow

colder towards those who are

ignored by the powerful (which 

are most of us, in truth) and who

are forgotten by the privileged

(again, us when we look in mirrors)

churns your stomach into a 

cauldron of aggrieved acid which

sticks with you every day.

so,

may we be the healing YOU need

by becoming more compassionate

more caring, more gracious, and

more just, so the ulcers we cause

will finally go away.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 2nd

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
   nor the hope of the poor perish forever." Psalm 9:18

we gaze at the night sky
and think of your skills

as an incredible astrophysicist.

we watch tiny little ants

carry loads far outweighing them

and marvel at your biological acumen.

we take note of the rich variety

of plants, of minerals, of birds,

of animals, of humans all around

and are stunned by your imagination.

but

when we listen to the songs

of Hannah and Mary about

your overturning our orderly ways

and rearranging pecking orders,

when we pay close attention

to the people Jesus chooses

to hang out with all of his life,

we can't help but conclude 

that you see your sole vocation

as being that of caring for the

forgotten.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 1st

"If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness reside in your tents." Job 11:14

when we want to reach
out and hold tight to the hand

of temptation as if we 

were teenagers on our first date,

slowly loosen our fingers, 

helping us to flex them so

we can stroke the fur of a

frightened dog who shakes

every time the thunder rolls.

when we think the best route

is to turn our souls into 

airbnbs for the knuckleheads

of cruelty to rent out for 

as long as they need, gently

whisper in our ears that we

might want to turn them 

into shelters for the grace,

the hope, the justice which

has been kicked to the side

of the road by the privileged.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman