Moments of Glory

On April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, PoetryLeave a comment

So many times

life in a large family

is like swimming in the ocean

tossed about by salty waves,

trying to catch your breath between tantrums.

Then there are those moments of glory

when your kids are all getting along

and the baby is sleeping while your eldest girls

do a duet on their ukuleles.

That moment is one of perfect rest,

like you’ve climbed upon a wooden raft,

the waveworn wood smooth against your skin,

the sun’s warm weight on your back.

At that moment you question nothing.

Self-doubt sinks below the waves

and you float there

–happy–

trusting for that moment

that everything is grace.

First Canadian Shower

On January 31, 2019 By Anna EastlandIn travelLeave a comment

It was with some regret

that I washed the salty windswept wildness

from my Hawaiian holiday hair

and cleaned my sea-spattered glasses,

hesitant to send any lingering remnants

of my joyful January trip

down the drain into the chilly pipes below,

letting the island warmth

sleep into the cold Canadian soil.

Haiku 4

On May 21, 2017May 21, 2017 By Anna EastlandIn Poetry, Writing2 Comments

Ocean’s salty tongue

licks and laps the motorboat–

rise, fall, rise, fall, rock.

Embracing the Waves

On September 17, 2016September 17, 2016 By Anna EastlandIn Poetry1 Comment

I feel like a ship on waving waters
tossed about and slightly seasick,
but all is not chaos
and I won’t be lost
if I keep firmly anchored in You, Lord,
my bedrock.

I can toss and tumble,
but I won’t drift off course
so here in the jumble of waves
I’ll be happy.
The dry land with its steady stillness
is not for me now.
Perhaps when I retire,
I’ll dock at a nice sunny spot
near the shore.

But for now
the waves and sea storms for me—
the ups and downs,
the splashing crashing waves.
I’m surrounded by little rowboats and seagulls
but anchored in hope Lord,
because I’m anchored in Your love.

Toes in the sand

On May 11, 2016May 11, 2016 By Anna EastlandIn Photos, StillbirthLeave a comment

Inspired by Carly Marie, I wrote my daughter’s name in the sand the day after Mother’s Day. It was beautiful to have a peaceful afternoon at the beach…quiet time to honour her memory as my other kids played in the sand. Being there under the giant sky with the ever moving ocean I felt timeless…connected to eternity, and to my little baby girl who entered it before me.