Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

Staying in the Center

March 19, 2012 By Sandra Heska King

“What is THAT? STOP!”

He jerks to a stop right there in the road. I fumble for my camera while I keep my focus on Lake Abby.

I snap a couple of pictures of the black and white bird that floats in the center.

We have no idea what it is.

Pastor talks about the church today. And how we are His workmanship, his handiwork, His masterpieces.

One-of-a-kind works of art, each with our own part to play.

Our own place to shine.

Stained glass shimmers, and I think how each of us is stained and broken.

Shattered shards.

Scooped and shaped into works of art designed to do good works.

Not to earn His favor but to spill His grace.

To bleed His colors.

Some days I feel trapped. Glued to a life I didn’t plan or anticipate.

You’d think someone my age would have more freedom.

But I’m not sure how to break loose, to fly.

Or if I even should.

Or want to.

So I just try to stay in the center.

Anyway, After church and lunch, we see the whatever-it-is still floats in the pond.

Waiting for me.

I don high boots to make my way over broken corn and cattail stalks and squish through mud for a closer look. I ignore the brush of teasel that snags my slacks.

A pair of geese sound their disapproval as I approach.

It’s some kind of duck. All alone. It floats and dives. Makes it hard to focus. I snap until the camera battery dies.

Later we look it up in the Audubon Field Guide. There it is. A bufflehead duck–short for buffalo head. A small little guy with an odd-shaped head. Only weighs about a pound, we read. Stunning in its black and white. It paddles and dives in the center of our pond all day.

A masterpiece of creation who could take off and fly away at will. But whose only purpose and work today seems to be to give me joy.

I could take a lesson from that duck.

Counting the Gifts.

A slice of lemon meringue pie.

Summer in March.

Night sounds through open windows. Is this really Michigan?

A pair of mallards in the back yard.

Swinging with a grandgirl.

Yellow forsythia in bloom.

Girls playing with a hose.

More new books.

A tall glass of iced green tea.

Cooking on the grill.

The sound of a lawnmower.

Grandgirl kisses.

An ever-changing morning sky.

The cross.

On In Around button

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. kd sullivan says

    March 19, 2012 at 2:54 pm

    I wrote about vacationing birds today as well…’tis the season…oh, you’ve made me hungry for pie now…thanks.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:50 pm

      Not just any pie. Lemon meringue. I have to confess. There’re weren’t many slices on the buffet table at church, and the real food line was so long, and we were at the end of the line and so–I had to get dessert first…

  2. S. Etole says

    March 19, 2012 at 2:57 pm

    Remarkable photos … and thoughts!

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:51 pm

      Coming from you, Susan. That blesses me. Can’t wait to show you what was on the “lake” this morning. I’m thinking Saturday’s post…if I can wait that long.

  3. Megan Willome says

    March 19, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    You refresh me, Sandy.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:51 pm

      🙂 🙂

  4. Wendy Paine Miller says

    March 19, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Ah for forsythia and bleeding his colors.
    ~ Wendy

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:51 pm

      And soon…lilacs!

  5. Simply Darlene says

    March 19, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    Cool images miss Sandy. I have a thing for teasel, especially talking teasel (that’s another story though).

    And why do you feel trapped? Is this not the place God has put you? I reckon you fly more than you realize. 😉

    Blessings.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:53 pm

      Talking teasel?

      That trapped feeling. Yep, He’s put me here. Or allowed it. And I’m still looking for ways to stay put and fly, too. 🙂

  6. Nancy says

    March 19, 2012 at 7:39 pm

    I love those gifts, given in the moment, that seem to have no other purpose than to give me joy. I know, somewhere in my head, that they probably hold other purposes as well. But in the moment, knowing those isn’t necessary to my happiness.

    Enjoying summer in New England in March as well. Bring it!

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:54 pm

      There are so many gifts given in our moments. We just have to pause to notice, yes?

  7. Linda says

    March 19, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    This resonates Sandy. I thought so many things about what this season of life would hold. We simply can’t know what His plans are, but staying centered….that’s the secret I think.
    The pictures are stunning. I love that sweet duck. Yes, they can teach us so much.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:55 pm

      Staying centered–in the center. Did you notice the cross in the center of the stained glass. And I ended the post with a cross. I didn’t realize that.

  8. Jody Collins says

    March 19, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    Only God could make a buffalo head duck….just to make us smile. I love how you weave wonder in between all those other thinking-hard words.

    beautiful photos!

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:56 pm

      I wonder what Adam would have named that duck…

      You bless me, Jody.

  9. Dolly @ soulstops says

    March 19, 2012 at 10:39 pm

    Keep staying close to Him, and sharing your thoughts and photos with us…Thank you, Sandy 🙂

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:56 pm

      Thank you, Dolly, for your sweet encouragement.

  10. Maureen says

    March 19, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    I love the way you take the moments and seasons and spell out beauty from the “scattered shards.”
    He is an amazing duck – thanks for sharing the gift with us.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks for those words, Maureen. They bless me more than you know.

  11. kingfisher says

    March 19, 2012 at 10:56 pm

    Really love your pics. Amazing that you got close enough to snap them, and that the bufflehead continued to “be in the picture” for so long. What a thoughtful post! We are blessed to have so many God-incidences in our lives, nice surprises to turn our hearts to Him.

    The Lord watch over you today.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 12:59 pm

      Ahhh. I didn’t get all that close. I had my “big girl” camera. 🙂

      I just love this pond. I’ve mentioned before how it’s an “accident.” The result of a broken county drain that we have to pay to fix if we want to farm that spot. But we’re not willing to spend the money. 🙂

  12. diana says

    March 20, 2012 at 1:49 am

    Oh, I have a post very similar to this one just percolating away in here. And you KNOW I just love bird (and duck) talk. Lovely, lovely, Sandy. And reading your list of things to be grateful for – well that puts me right smack in the center: swinging/grandgirl kisses and glimpses of summer. Yes, that’s just about right. And every piece of that helps with that trapped feeling somehow.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:01 pm

      Do you think God knew we needed an early spring to raise our souls from winter?

  13. Jerralea says

    March 20, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    I like what you said: created to do good works. Not to earn His favor but spill His grace.

    So often we are trying to earn what we already have …

    Love your list of blessings as well… of course, now I want pie … and grilled food …

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:02 pm

      Trying to earn what we already have…That’s deep and wide, Jerralea.

  14. Kathy says

    March 20, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    I enjoyed the fact that you seek the “center” of things and can focus on what you see and find the beauty of a small duck that brings you a lesson of how to view life and what God wants us in our life.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:02 pm

      I’m trying to develop the eyes that see. So many gifts He scatters right in front of us. Thank you, Kathy.

  15. Alyssa Santos says

    March 20, 2012 at 1:55 pm

    Oh, friend this:

    Some days I feel trapped. Glued to a life I didn’t plan or anticipate.

    You’d think someone my age would have more freedom.

    But I’m not sure how to break loose, to fly.

    Or if I even should.

    Or want to.

    So I just try to stay in the center.

    Thank you. I too, need to learn from the duck!

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:04 pm

      He’s given us a wide open classroom. It’s just a matter of stepping outside and looking. Although there are plenty of places inside to find Him if we center. Love to you, Alyssa.

  16. Shelly Miller says

    March 20, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    That duck is spectacular and you remind me of me with the camera. Stopping at will to get a good photo. And I could use the lesson from that duck too.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:05 pm

      Ha! Today I stopped in the road, accidentally laid on the horn while retrieving my camera, and when I was done snapping, I looked in my rearview mirror to see a car behind me–patiently waiting.

  17. laura says

    March 21, 2012 at 8:28 am

    something about that duck just makes me smile. he’s looking at me. or you. you know, sometimes it feels like the older i get, the less free i am. i’m purposely shaking off those fetters today, Sandy. Thanks for the inspiration to do so.

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:07 pm

      That last picture–the expression on his little cocked head–like he’s asking “what’s up?” or “what are you looking at?”–just tickled me. One of those things you don’t see until you process the picture. That’s what I love about my camera. Why I think I fly with it. 🙂

  18. Christina says

    March 21, 2012 at 11:45 am

    I love the photos! And the analogy with stained glass. I find it hard to embrace the work of art that I am, thank you for this post!

    • Sandra says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:08 pm

      Repeat after me.

      I. Am. Art.

      I. Am. Beautiful.

      I’m saying those words right along with you, friend.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours. Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours.
Just another backyard photo… Just another backyard photo…
From my backyard tonight. From my backyard tonight.
Just another sunset. Just another sunset.
“I would like people to remember of me, how inex “I would like people to remember of me, how inexhaustible was her mindfulness.” ~ Mary Oliver in “ A Little Ado About This and That.”
Current situation. Current situation.
“This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” “This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson in “Ode to a Butterfly”
🦋
We pulled all the milkweed because it just could not support all the caterpillars. They were eating it bare and most of them died because they ran out of food. This one butterfly found this one lone volunteer.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright futur "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." ~ E.B. White (as quoted on today's page in my Franklin Planner)
"May you experience each day as a sacred gift wove "May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder." ~ John O'Donohue in "For Presence" from To Bless the Space Between Us
🌴
Tri-colored heron stalking breakfast in my backyard.
“. . neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes “. .  neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes. They are moving in a week. They say a family from Belarus bought the house. I hope they don’t care much for mangoes.”
**
“Beautiful Sweet Things” at https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/
"People do not grow old. When they cease to grow t "People do not grow old. When they cease to grow they become old.” ~ Emerson

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog. Like 3 years. But I just wrote my first post on Substack. Come see?

https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/p/ten-years-ten-things
Spent a couple hours this morning with friends fro Spent a couple hours this morning with friends from @spanishriverchurch picking up beach trash. Little bits of colored and clear plastic, big bits of plastic, bottle caps, broken glass, strings, ropes, straws, socks, fast food containers, paper, cigarette holders and filters—and a couple unmentionables. Took extra care around the turtle nests. Last count was about 70 pounds, but there were also some bigger things like an abandoned chair and a plastic tent. And a big piece of burlap or something with a fishing lure and giant hook attached. D found a Macy’s gift card that he almost tossed in his bucket. But we brought it home to check the balance—$24.60! We should be able to turn that into something useful for someone. 😊
H Already dead, I am living my afterlife here in t H
Already dead, I am
living my afterlife
here
in the form of a human.
~ Xueyan from Time Peels All to Original White

Thanks to @tspoetry for introducing me to this beautiful collection via an Every Day Poems selection.
The cats attacked the window all night. The dog wo The cats attacked the window all night. The dog woofed all night. This morning we discovered the would-be burglar imprisoned between the screen and the glass on our bedroom slider. 

When I stepped out to release it (no bail), I was surprised by this brief bit of backyard beauty.
For most of us, knowledge of our world comes large For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson in The Sense of Wonder
#prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michigan #prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michiganstateuniversity
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faith Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana in the background until I downloaded the photos. That, I believe, is the one that got caught in one of the openings in the neighbor's chain link fence. We tried in several (safe) ways to dislodge it without luck and could think of no other option but to leave it. Somehow it apparently dislodged itself. We also believe this is the pair that was getting into another neighbor's garden. We haven't seen either one since the last cold snap, so we are wondering if they survived. 
🌱
Thinking some may have tumbled from their perches last night. Pretty sure it will be raining iguanas tonight since we are under a frost advisory. It's cold. And windy.
Just sing... sing a song... Singing our way into Just sing... sing a song... 

Singing our way into the weekend.
"We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramse "We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramsey in Rembrandt is in the Wind
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in