River Renga

A few months ago, my cousin Sagan and I started working together on a Renga poem. Although poetry isn’t her favorite, we enjoyed collaborating! I’m sure you’ll agree she did amazing! Sagan is in college in northern Missouri and usually writes non-fiction. If we had more time, our poem would be longer. Sagan’s dad, Jeff (my first cousin), and I shared many great summers on the Finley River with our family! My love for nature is only third behind my Savior and family! I hope you enjoy our *Renga, the River of Life!

There’s something about rivers. The Taneycomo, Buffalo, Yellowstone, & Snake,…Roaring River, Current, the Duwamish, and Rio Grande. Missouri, Mississippi, the Chena, and Payette. North Fork and South Fork to Jack Forks and back home to Finley. Even the muddy James has my heart.

I’m grateful for the river of life flowing through me!

Do you know how loved you are? I pray that the rivers of your life flow free with love & good health. Perhaps even poetically & collaboratively, just like a Renga!

Have hope. Keep the faith, my friends. 💚

***The genre was elevated to a literary art by Nijō Yoshimoto (二条良基, 1320–1388), who compiled the first imperial renga anthology Tsukubashū (菟玖波集) in 1356. The most famous renga master was Sōgi (宗祇, 1421–1502), and Matsuo Bashō (松尾芭蕉, 1644–1694) after him became the most famous haikai master. Renga sequences were typically composed live during gatherings of poets, transcribed oral sessions known as rengakai (連歌会), but could also be composed by single poets as mainly textual works. (Renga, 2026)***

Source:

Renga. (2026, Janurary 15). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renga

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Fall Forecast

Happy Fall, faithful friends.

Today I don’t need flannel, but I’m dressed in faith. The 80 degrees and higher will give way to cooler temps in the west. Without my friends, I couldn’t make this trip (for MANY reasons). ). My fall forecast calls for a season of change; cooler contentment mixed with the colors of calm. I hope to be raking ridiculous results and jumping in piles of promise (well, not that SOON :-). May faith be in your forecast; our Savior soothe your soul.


Timeless Treasure

My local writing guild provided a prompt of a piano for this month’s writing contest. Giving life to an inanimate object is difficult (thank you, Martha, for editing suggestions). Here you go, Mom. My friends, Kelley and Gary, may enjoy this, too. If you grew up around a piano, you understand.

In the shadow, you stand stoic and stately. Shining upon you, a golden light unmasks your aged beauty and warmth. You’re so grand in your upright stance. Your Ivory keys are yellowed; yet your half-steps are still pitch black for Momma to see. C to D to E. F to G, then A, B, and another C.

Your basswood bench was her throne, your pedals shifted the tone. Momma’s hands made the music, she never sang alone. Together we created a musical melody. Momma sang alto, Dad belted bass, sisters sang soprano, and I’d find a harmony place. Momma tickled the tempo tight, and grace became a key. Children’s songs to choruses, “Just as I am, without one plea.”

At age 7 I had my first song solo. With affection, I reflect on the practice times with you. Our devotions matched; I couldn’t detach. “Would the church piano be as great as Momma’s,” I wondered. Nervously, I held the microphone singing: “I saw a blind man tapping along, losing his way, as he passed through the throng. Tears filled my eyes, I said, ‘Friend you can’t see,’ but with a smile on his face, he replied to me.”

From “Hallelujah Square” to “I Want to See Jesus,” you supplied hope and a promise, a love we still share. “It is Well with My Soul” and “How Great Thou Art,” songs linger around you, they stay in my heart. At ten with the lessons, I grasped chords and notes. The yearning to play is a hope that still floats.

Our gathering has dwindled. Longsuffering and composed, you stand serene and quiet. Adorned with family photos, you’re a heavenly piece. Patiently you wait for us to gather around. No matter what life brings, we’ll sing hopeful sounds. Most times you sit alone, dependable, and respected. Our songs have changed, children have grown, Momma’s fingers ache, and some family voices are gone. Through times that were hard, unexpected, and good, you’re more than a piano made with wood. You’re a gift in our gathering and melodies in our souls. The music from you is what makes us whole.

Hearing music from you, I release any strife. You’re Momma’s piano, a timeless treasure, a marked part of my life.

Have faith💚

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Sacred Signs

From the mouths of babes, “Lord, you’ve got this.”
The signs surrounding us are on display,
they're created by nature or man.
What do they mean, what do they convey?
Do they deliver emotion or elicit a plan?

Do they give you relief or make you pause?
Do you halt at a standstill and wonder why?
Reasons will vary, you may not know the cause,
Every so often I just gaze and cry.

Not all the tears drive me to sorrow,
for there's still good on this Earth.
Many miss signs thinking of tomorrow,
the ones from God mean rebirth.

Seeing, observing, and being aware,
providence, planning, and saying a prayer.

K.L. Hale

Encouraged a few minutes ago by teacher, Martha Ann Kennedy, I wrote my first English sonnet. She said to be a writer, you must write. The last few Saturdays I visited local places and festivals (some with friends!). I must take advantage of good hours-to get out, walk, and SEE, not hide. I choose to move and hurt, rather than sit and hurt. Not always an easy thing to do! But there are many “signs” of why I must! Last Saturday, feeling led, I walked into a church by my house. The message was about Ruth. It encapsulated providence, planning, and prayer. Life may not turn out the way you expect. The first thing Pastor Craig Groeschel said was, “You’re not in your final chapter.” We can all write our life as a book with many chapters. Some you might want to leave out. Your story isn’t over. What is your plan, friend? Is your health bad? What are you going to do? Is your relationship in a struggle? What’s the plan? Do you need to have better habits? What are the steps? For many, we’re in a “zone”. You might be busy raising children or hours at work. What do you do when you’re alone? What do you do when all of that is gone? Take a deep breath and know you’re not alone. “Rest in me, my child,” Jesus says to me. Our works can become like devotion and we miss the signs. Maybe we need to put down the phone, go for a walk, smile at a neighbor, and remember to talk. Letting go of that which we can’t control, releasing it to my Savior, so I can grow.

Have you heard of NET, yet?🦓

Friends, the next two months will bring “excused” absences, tee hee. First, a bucket list trip (bubble-wrapped by friends). MANY appointments, another medical test, and preparations for a life-altering surgery. This last nearly year and 1/2 has seemed surreal. What is REAL is the love of God, family, and friends. Looking BACK I can see how I got to here. No, not the disease, but the utter and complete reliance on God.

Thank you to my virtual support group, and friends, from LACNETS.org (http://www.lacnets.org). For without them I wouldn’t have been referred to Dr. Jaydero Del Rivero, who then escalated me to Dr. Johnathan Hernandez. Several of us are going to have changed lives. The hours in pain improve my posture of perseverance (although it has TRIED to get me down—if you see the zebra shoes below, an elevator had opened when I was vulnerable after leaving the dr’s office, she stood there, my patient advocate, with open arms, wearing these shoes). God is working all around.

As for me, right now, my focus will stay on what matters most. I’m reserving every “ding” on my phone for a “Snap” of my grandkids or a message from family. Friends, do you know how loved you are? God loves you and so do I. The signs are all around.

Have faith 💚

For most of my life my faith has been blind. It just existed. I believed. Yet, I appreciate the cold hard facts and evidence. Jesus did too. He provided evidence. And I have experienced it. As shared in devotion by a former atheist, J. Warner Wallace, “I came to understand that the biblical definition of faith is a “well-placed and reasonable inference based on evidence.”

Two on a Tuesday!

A graceful gift arrived

Before summer’s end.

For the Snook family,

it was a perfect blend.

Three became four 

As the family grew.

A precious girl joined

Her brother age two.

The wonder and delight,

The hustle and joy,

Long nights and routines,

A girl and a boy.

The laughter and giggles,

The attention and love.

Exhaustion with grit,

There’s help from above.

Four hands are needed,

To play and to hug.

To feed and change her,

And at times to unplug.

A brother counted

her ten little toes.

And ten little fingers,

The love still grows.

She’s happy and sweet,

And loves to grin.

She’s curious and cute,

With her dimpled chin.

She sees and observes,

to learn and grow.

As an Alaskan baby

she definitely knew snow!

Where does time go?

For now, you're two.

You’re curious and independent

Look at all you can do!

Your brother's now four,

you follow his lead,

Yet you dance your own dance,

Space is all that you need!

A Momma’s angel,

Daddy’s little girl,

Your brother’s playmate

And a family pearl.

You light up our screens,

and shine so bright

You’re our youngest girl,

And a family's delight! 

K.L. Hale (a.k.a. “Grammy K” of Missouri)



Happy birthday, Ainsley Grace.

My 3 delights went from 1, 2, and 3, to 2, 3, and 4! Time. Where does it go? We can all share this sentiment, I know.


Have you heard of NET, yet? 🦓

Friends, my records were sent to the National Cancer Institute several weeks ago. Last week I found out my case had been escalated. Once deemed inoperable, I found out last night that a leading oncology surgeon believes me to be a surgical candidate. Within the next two weeks, we will Telehealth. There are many unknowns. My blood will need to improve. He will need a new MRI. My bone mets can be treated with radiation (I had some external beam radiation on my back, hip, and pelvis last year, but with the aggressive chemo and other radiation, it was too much at one time). Currently, I’m battling digestive issues. Quite possibly a combination of everything has slowed down my system. Do I even move forward with treatment if surgery is an option? As you all know, my blood has a hard time recovering from treatments. When I first learned of this rare cancer, I knew from research (and others that have this) that surgery was the #1 treatment. Due to my metastasis, it was not an option. Until now. I know the unexpected could occur again. We might meet and do more scans; the decision could change. My hope never fades. For when an opportunity arises, in which God aligns, they work for HIS GOOD.

This is a game-changer. A life changer. Do I have fear? It will be a big surgery—but I have a BIG GOD and HUGE FAITH! As a friend shared, I’m at the batter’s box waiting to approach the plate. This could be a home run! Tears stream down my face thinking of this miracle. I’ve taken a 7th-inning stretch and a break at base camp. For years faith has seen me through. With it, I can continue the journey so that my 3 little grands, my two amazing sons and bonus daughters, my parents, my sisters, my niece and nephew, all of my family,…all of you my friends, can see that… faith without works is the only thing that dies without hope.

Have faith💚

K.L. Hale Avatar

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