Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

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

Word of the Week: Weary

August 20, 2014 By Sandra Heska King

weary

 

weary – adjective\ˈwir-ē\

: lacking strength, energy, or freshness because of a need for rest or sleep
: bored or annoyed by something because you have seen it, heard it, done it, etc., many times or for a long time
: causing you to feel tired

Upper Peninsula

This morning I took Grace to the eye doctor, an appointment rescheduled because we forgot an earlier one in life’s flurry–in spite of a reminder.

Her eyes have changed a bit for the worse. Not much. But enough that she needs new lenses to help her see.

I still need to reschedule my own forgotten cardiology appointment, and my mammogram. And I hope I don’t forget more things I’m supposed to do or places I’m supposed to be.

When I got home, I turned to the news. Jim Foley’s parents were speaking, and I dissolved into tears right there at the kitchen counter.

He’d been a prisoner for almost two years. I’d never heard of him. He was a son, an uncle, a brother. A writer.

I am so weary.

So weary of trying to keep up with the everyday of my own life and exhausted with the world’s chaos and cruelty.

Horrified at the brutality of this man’s death, beheaded–with a knife,they say–and now the threat of another journalist who may face the same end.

I can hardly bear it.

Can anyone?

I’m getting emails and messages from friends who are also overcome with the news of the last couple weeks. “Please pray,” they beg.

We are all undone.

Saturated with sadness.

A reporter asked the Foleys how they were finding their strength. “We’re in the moment,” they said. They went on to affirm courage in prayer cover.

They told of a son who “found my passion.” Who, his mother said, was compelled to tell the stories of those who suffered. Who, she said, was moved with compassion for others and often held his younger cell mates close when they lost their own strength.

He “gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people,” she wrote.

I am so weary.

So weary of the divisions and the suffering, heartbroken over the hate and anger and judgement, tired of the talking heads, paralyzed with all the pain and brokenness. I’m frustrated over my inability to do something–and that I don’t even want to know about any of it.

Last night I dreamed I floated with others on a big, round plate in the sky. The clouds gathered and swirled around us, spinning faster and faster. Someone slipped through the barrier that surrounded the platform’s edge and fell. A stiffish, dirty cotton ball swallowed me, and I could no longer see.

God, give me new lenses to see the world lit differently and the compassion to keep caring. Keep numbness far from me.

But for now I just want to sit in silence, to be in the moment. I want to go among the trees and let all this stirring settle, to find a place where hate won’t grow. I need you to remind me you’re still in control of a world that seems to be spinning out of control.

I want to make the grand girls spaghetti and laugh at the dogs and watch the corn tassels dance and eat watermelon and find animals in the clouds and watch my Tigers win a game.

But in this moment, God…

I am so weary.

Word count: 529
weary

 

In the stillness,

Sandy

Linking with Charity and Jennifer

In Your Own Words

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Filed Under: Blog, stories

Comments

  1. Sharon O says

    August 20, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    I so agree. life has been hard. I pray for you to find rest and peace once more.
    We feel so torn between the silence that is so needed and the need to know… just enough…to know how to pray.
    Let us encourage one another in this ‘process’ of finding hope.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 11:10 am

      Thank you, dear Sharon. There’s always strength in the stillness.

      Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. ~ 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NV)

  2. Pat Baer says

    August 20, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    Bless your tender heart of flesh, Sandy. It’s seriously doubtful you’ll ever be at risk of entering a place of numbness. Your heart is too tender to become calloused, brittle or numb. Rest in his unwavering sovereignty and present involvement, no matter what circumstances look like.

    I know God will meet you in your still place amongst the trees.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 11:26 am

      Oh, Pat. Thank you for that. xoxo

  3. Diana Trautwein says

    August 20, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    I am weary with you, friend.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 11:27 am

      Then we need to hold each other up.

  4. Charity Singleton Craig says

    August 20, 2014 at 9:17 pm

    Sandy – I feel the heaviness in your shoulders and the sadness in your tone. I feel it too. In the world, in our country, even in our community. How long, o Lord. How long?

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 11:27 am

      In His time. Until then, we wait. And rest. And pray. And love.

  5. Angela says

    August 20, 2014 at 10:03 pm

    It is indeed easy to get weighed down in this world. When I am wise I go to scriptures like Psalm 73 for comfort. I like where Asaph says in verses 16-17 “But when I considered how to understand this, it was too great an effort for me and too painful, until I went into the sanctuary of God.” And it ends beautifully: “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.”

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 11:29 am

      “When I am wise.” Yes.

      The other day my 4-year-old grand girl was praying out loud. You know the first thing she said? “Give me wisdom.”

      Thank you for your encouragement, Angela.

  6. Trudy says

    August 21, 2014 at 9:37 am

    I am weary with you, Sandra. All the pain and violence can be so disheartening. Praying you will have silence among the trees where God will whisper, “Yes, I am still in control, and I will never leave you or forsake you!”

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 11:30 am

      Yes, Trudy. We need to cling to the truth that He has always been/is now/and will always be in control.

  7. Martha Orlando says

    August 21, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    You speak for all of us in this, Sandy. Amid the anger, hatred, and chaos, we must remember our God is bigger than all of it. He is still in control.
    Love, blessings, and prayers for all who are suffering.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 10:33 pm

      He. Is. Bigger. Hanging onto that.

  8. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says

    August 21, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    You have put into words what I, too, have been feeling lately. It seems, at first glance, that evil is winning this spiritual battle, but the truth is that God is still in control and that He is always good. Know that you aren’t alone in your struggles. We are all praying and our God is listening. Thank you for the beautiful post!

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      Thank you so much, Heather. We can’t see what’s going on in the unseen places. There’s a battle raging. And we know who wins.

  9. Lynn Mosher says

    August 21, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    Oh, sweetie, it is all becoming a heavy weight, isn’t it? All week long I’ve told God I’m worn out. Not only the news and happenings all around, but also all the things swirling around our family. A couple of days ago, we received four crucial phone calls. In one day! Stress is heavy at our house, too. I’m praying for you, my sweet friend. Love you!

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 21, 2014 at 10:38 pm

      Oh, friend. Praying. Four calls in one day. 🙁

      We are all tired, yes.

      But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
      They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
      they will walk and not be faint. ~ Isaiah 40:31

      • Lynn Mosher says

        August 22, 2014 at 10:16 am

        Yes, amen! And I’ll be your backup singer if you’ll be mine! 😉

        • Sandra Heska King says

          August 22, 2014 at 6:13 pm

          Deal!

  10. Jillie says

    August 23, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Oh Sandra, so beautifully said, for I too am weary. I’ve allowed the burdens of this world’s present happenings weigh on my shoulders. It is hard, sometimes, to remember that God is still there, still in control, yet so much of what’s happening makes no sense. We wonder, “How much worse can things get before Christ returns?” And yet, Scripture says it WILL be much, much worse. I guess that’s the part that weighs heaviest because, to our human hearts and minds, this is pretty bad already. As was stated by ‘Charity’: “How long, O Lord, how long?” Creation groans. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

  • 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

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final t “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” ~ Philippians 4:8 

#fall #southflorida #hope #thoughts #philippians4 #dayafterelection
“My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in th “My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.” ~ William Wordsworth in “My Heart Leaps Up”

🌈🌈🌈

From my back door and then from the patio. A phone can never capture the true glory of a rainbow. I hope my heart never fails to leap at the wonder of one.
We were monarch parents a couple years back, but o We were monarch parents a couple years back, but our food was not enough to support all our “children.”
🌱
But some were better parents. And next month @tspoetry is celebrating with a garden party. And you are invited. 
🌱

✨ An evening poetry celebration with Dheepa Maturi, Laura Boggess, Jules Jacob, and Sonja Johanson
✨ sign up today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/year-of-the-monarch-garden-party-tickets-1005650847757
✨
This is called a sweetheart plant. I bought it at This is called a sweetheart plant. I bought it at a farmers market in Ponte Vedra in Feb 2023. And it hasn’t done a thing except not die. I did repot it a few months back just cuz I thought it might need it. A few days ago I noticed it was sprouting a sprout. And today—10 days after having my aortic valve replaced and the day after having a loop recorder inserted—it has UNFURLED!!! A new heart. 🩷
Looking west this morning. “Sometime, enough o Looking west this morning. 

“Sometime, enough of us should plan
to gather and form our own
luminous cloud.” ~ Luci Shaw in “The Weight of Air” (from The Generosity)
Security is on the job. Security is on the job.
So after 13 years of checkups and annual echos, it So after 13 years of checkups and annual echos, it's finally come to this. One week from today I will have my aortic valve replaced. Eeeek! I know it's done all the time--piece of cake. But that's to other people. 😂 Speaking of cake, I've always hoped to blow out 100 candles (at least), and I keep singing this line in my head...

"And my heart will go on and on." Thanks to @celinedion. 💕
Hi! Long time, no post. So… I grew this from a Hi! Long time, no post. So…

I grew this from a pineapple top. We repotted it again over the weekend. Still no fruit, though. Our neighbor has a baby growing on a small plant, though. What’s up with that?

(Also, I do not have a green thumb. Currently the only things still living are this, an avocado, and a little Boston fern.)
We got out here early today, but it was already so We got out here early today, but it was already soooooo hot (later on the"feels like" was 110), and I was just plodding one foot in front of the other wishing I was still in bed. There was not much to see--except the crane family, some blackbirds, a dove. And it was buggy. And a deer fly bit me on the forearm, and it swelled up, and I still have a 1- x 3-inch reddened area. But then... a pink parade.
Just snapped a couple photos of a normal looking s Just snapped a couple photos of a normal looking sky from my back patio with my iPhone! I grew up in Michigan and never saw them before! #northernlights #westboca #southflorida
“So they took branches of palm trees and went ou “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” ~ John 12:13
🌴
🌴
PALMS

He had a date with them. ~SHK
🌴
🌴
~ Six words I wrote on my blog in 2015 as part of a daily “One Word Less for Lent” series.
🌴
Photo taken in Israel, 2022.
Dressed for success... Dressed for success...
“Sing, hope, to me” ~favorite line from “The “Sing, hope, to me” ~favorite line from “The First Spring Day” by Christina Rossetti via Every Day Poems and @tspoetry in my email this morning. 
❣️
Whole poem (with lots of favorite lines) here:
❣️
https://open.substack.com/pub/everydaypoems/p/the-first-spring-day?r=3acod&utm_medium=ios
❣️
Wild red poppy anemones from our spring trip to Israel in 2022. And, of course, red is the color of hope. 
❣️
#dipintopoetry #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetsofinstagram #tweetspeakpoetry #everydaypoems
Sweet baby colts. Just one parent. Apparently the Sweet baby colts. Just one parent. Apparently the other was hit by a car. 😭💔
Bufo serenade AKA the Ballad of the Bufo Bufo serenade AKA the Ballad of the Bufo
South Florida is confused. South Florida is confused.
“Somehow she learns to breathe.” ~ @gyoung9751 “Somehow she learns to breathe.” ~ @gyoung9751 in “The mermaid breathes,” a woven poem from tweets. In my email today from Every Day Poems via @tspoetry.
🌱 
#dipintopoetry #everydaypoems #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetsofinstagram #poetsofig #tweetspeakpoetry
"You have what you need / is what the birds sing a "You have what you need / is what the birds sing all morning" ~ Annie Lighthart in "Conditions of Happiness."
🌱
In my email this morning from 
Every Day Poems via @tspoetry.
🌱
#dipintopoetry #poetry #poetrycommunity #everydaypoems #poem #poetsofinstagram #tweetspeakpoetry
If you’ve made it this far, the rest of the week If you’ve made it this far, the rest of the week should be a snap. #wednesday
Stay behind me. I’ll protect you. No worries. So Stay behind me. I’ll protect you. No worries. So will all those shots. Mostly.
🦝
D still has PTSD from the Great Possibly Rabid Raccoon Brouhaha of 2021.
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 © 2025 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in