My original pondering idea was this poem I wrote on Easter Sunday morning.

Pray for all who are fighting, surviving, living, dying. May God hold all souls in the palm of His hand. May his angels rise and surround, protect, and give cover. Be with us all today. And pray.

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Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:12 (ESV)

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

A friend sent me today’s picture. It was the first thing I saw that morning. It pinged in at 7:19 a.m. Along with the text:

Sometimes I think God is showing off.

I replied

He does every day - and He should. It’s His artistry. Most people don’t see, or they don’t recognize His work. LOL. Have a beautiful day. Love you!

I should have also included:

Thank you for sharing.

or

Thank you for sending something so spiritual.

or

Thank you for sharing God and for feeling safe enough to do so.

It was a wonderful start to my day. Not so much because of the photo, though it was beautiful and God is a masterful artist, but because I knew that a friend was comfortable sharing God with me. I think that’s hard to do these days. Share simple acts of God as often as we share funny moments, family issues, silly stories, or heavy ones.

My friend and I have wonderful, pondering talks about our faith. We talk of God in a normal, human way—sharing pictures, spotting angels, having great conversations that often begin, “What do you think about…” — and then we have dialogue—pondering dialogue. It’s wonderful, a gift.

Being open enough to reveal spiritual joy and vulnerability is a blessing. As Christians, not trained pastors or worship and Bible study leaders, or anyone with some Biblical training, but children of God, it is a vulnerable place to live — asking questions, pondering, and seeking a back-and-forth about our supernatural creator. Trying to make a Christian life feel like everyday life. Isn’t that what it should be? Not all conversations around the Lord have to be about theologian-type stuff from a proven theologian. It can be about sunrises and sunsets. Finding lost things. God winks.

Sharing faith. Talking about Christ. Asking questions. Seeking answers and searching for meaningful purpose are in our DNA, but it feels hard these days to have the inquiring discussions. The world feels more asleep now than at any other time I can remember. Maybe it’s just my 60 years, and I’m more dialed in as my days get shorter.

I do recognize I used to sleepwalk my faith. Humanize certain things so I could justify actions or places other sleepers, including myself, thought or believed. Then God asked me to choose. A friend called seeking help with her cancer-stricken sister, my childhood friend. He gave me a choice. Be busy and say I’m so sorry, keeping myself asleep. Or say when. Where.

I chose the latter and the journey I took with her, walking the road to her death — watching her come to terms with it, having friends share stories of her interacting with folks who didn’t seem to be in the same room as they were, or listening to her say how beautiful it was wherever she was — I saw her faith reawaken. The belief that had been planted in her youth came out of slumber and grew exponentially, not into fear, anger, or regret, but solace and excitement, eager anticipation for what was to come.

It made me ask myself, where am I in my faith, my belief?

I’m better at speaking about my Christianity with words on a screen than in dialogue with a friend, acquaintance, or stranger. Probably easier for me to hide a bit, too. Since COVID and the world shut down, the isolation and separation that the pandemic created have made conversations almost obsolete when differing opinions are at the center of any discussion. I fully admit to being an emotional person. I pick up the energy others project onto me, and then I project it right back. I get too emotional when I speak about God face-to-face because I do believe in Heaven and Hell. I do believe the Bible is the divine instruction manual for living a moral, Christ-like life. I don’t believe it’s filled with metaphorical stories. I believe it is the word of Christ, and I believe we are such screw-ups that God created a very simple plan to get us home.

Believe in the one – his son.

Believe that his sacrifice was our cleansing

Believe he rose from the dead.

Everything else, everything in between, is muddled. It’s blurred. Side shows to distract. Sleeping pills to make us slumber. Poisons to make us sick. All with the goal of Lucifer claiming his prize – us.

Life is God versus the Devil. God extends his hand, saying, “I want you,” and Lucifer grabs our ankle, saying, “But I got you.”

A God circle of everyday folk talking about the everyday God moves us closer to living a cleaner life. Not everything is meant to be understood. It is not meant to make one feel uncomfortable either, as brothers and sisters seek deeper understanding.

I am blessed to have friends who include me within their God circle, freely sharing their faith. God flows in and out of our conversations. This gives me courage — the opportunity to practice getting comfortable speaking easily about the one so dear. As strongly as I believe I am saved, I am still guarded in sharing. I haven’t figured out why. It’s an internal battle that baffles. Even as I write this, I am nervous, cautious, overthinking how others will read it and respond to it, when all God asks for is courage to speak it. Do my best to live it. Be open to discussing it. Grow.

We are in the Holy Week. Churches will fill with believers - asleep and awake. Which are you? Which am I, still? Do you have a God circle? Feel comfortable enough to be in one? Start one?

Sunday morning church and Bible studies are important. And I need to be better there, but having a group of friends who can talk about God and what He is doing in their lives as easily as they can chat about what they are currently binge-watching is a place I hope all can sit one day, conversing organically, stress-free.

I pray for that. I want that. I seek that, and it may actually start with something as simple as a picture. A beautiful sunrise from someone who trusts another and who openly claims their belief.

<><

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. I’m back next Wednesday with our weekly morning pondering.

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:5 (NIV)

HAPPY EASTER!

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Spring is awakening.

May your beautiful self

blossom

with magnificent color,

bringing joy

to those

blessed

by seeing

you.

God shares beauty in the simplest forms. We, too, are his creations, capable of sharing His glory through our colorful selves. Be a hibiscus for someone today. Surprise them.

<><

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. I’m back next Wednesday with our weekly morning pondering. Enjoy the day as the world awakes.

Hibiscuses are Bill’s gardening. Photos by Kim.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

The light catches something just right.

And you see it.

Floating.

Wings spread wide, or so it looks.

Then it’s gone.

Here – and then gone.

Floaters.

With distinguishing features.

Are they just protein markers lost in the retina of my eye, or dust particles floating in the sky?

Could they be?

Might they be?

Something more, seen by me,

When God’s eyes came into me,

The day I was baptized.

Discernment. God’s wisdom. His insight. His eyes. His heart - all come into us when we invite Christ inside. Take Him in, through baptism. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are baptized. And whether sprinkled or submerged, transformation occurs by way of the Holy Spirit.

He enters to guide. Counsel. Reason, and see. So consequently, I ponder. Are those particles of dust just hovering free, or is there more in front of me?

Is what I see, shown to me because I am willing to believe?

To trust

Retreat or return when I walk too far away, or get lost along the way.

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2: 38 ESV

Baptism.

Is it one and done?

Requires nothing else.

A dome of protection?

Or must we

keep feeding

the energy it needs?

As with any education or career, there is a necessity to continue studies. Jobs require our continued education. Often, placing a set requirement upon us to achieve. Would not our faith-building journey need the same?

We are babies in Christ after our baptism, toddlers in our steps toward living out our faith. Falling down often. Throwing temper tantrums on many occasions, fighting what we know we should do, when it is not what we want to do. Being defiant if what our Father tells us is different from what we think or feel.

So, once we are saved — accepted the death and the resurrection — are we done?

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 21:17 (NIV)

Maybe the world is seen differently between friends and family. Husband and wife, mom and child, sibling to sibling, because of how dialed in one or the other is, because of how much time is put into their continuing education hours.

I don’t know.

But on a beautiful afternoon, with the door open and the sunlight just right, a speck of something, tiny, resembling an angel, floated freely in the sunlit room, barely visible. It sparked an interesting pondering stream.

Perhaps it was just a moment to show me that my house needs a clean, or the sun was too bright for the floaters in my eyes. Maybe it was a brief moment for the guardians, who hover nearby, to reveal themselves — offering comfort, floating about, hoping I have the gift of sight.

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Floaters are protein fibers from the gel-like substance, vitreous, found in the majority of our eyes. As we age, they can clump together and form tiny particles that block light entering the eye, creating shadows.

They come in all different sizes and shapes, specks, dots, circles, or lines. Cobwebs. Mine? They are winged. Resembling a moth man or an angel.

I lean towards angels, and I like the fact that I can see them. Instead of viewing the pesky little things as a nuisance, I believe they are reminders of what stands guard in and around all day long. And I am thankful when I get a glimpse of them.

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. I’m back next Wednesday with our weekly morning pondering.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

If we repeat tomorrow

what we did today,

are we moving forward

or simply stuck —

where we stay?

On the sidewalk of a path near my home, there are ruts in the concrete -- deep cuts on a narrow passage. They lie in wait as I ride my bike in the early hours of the morning. I always cautiously approach, worried that my wheel will fall into the set-in-stone tracks and determine where I’m gonna go.

That’s what ruts are. Places in our lives, beaten and worn, trampled upon, blindly followed - without much thought — to create pathways we easily slip and fall into.

On the mornings I ride toward this section of the trail, I steady myself and prepare for either sliding into the cracks or bumping right over. If I am lackadaisical in the approach, it is easy to find myself locked into the premade tracks, forcing me to go in their flow or, worse, to be caught unaware, overcompensating for the jolt, and, well, I don’t want to go there.

I don’t realize where my ruts lie or when I made them, but once embedded, they’re embedded. Often just deep enough to control and determine which way I will roll if I do not intentionally navigate and manage. It’s easy just to let things fall where they have always fallen. Footsteps, butts in a chair or couch—tracks in concrete—all weathered by the comfort of doing the same thing over and over.

I wish all of my ruts were as viewable and avoidable as the ones I find on my bike. I wish I could see them coming. Be reminded to be careful and intentional, so as not to fall into their trap and instead, avoid, manage, and coast right by — leaving them far behind — accomplishing my ten-mile ride; not being stuck on some roadside.

<><

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. I’m back next Wednesday with our weekly morning pondering.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Many stopped, parked at Brookshire’s parking lot, and got out. Chatted. Goofed around. I just drove and waved. I always felt safer in the car. I lived on the cusp of popularity, sort of in that indifference zone. Folks liked me. No one disliked me. Just enough recognition to be acknowledged as I passed, but not quite enough to engage with if I stopped. Still, it provided entertainment. Our cars were our escape. We were living in the era of cassettes and 8-track tapes. Driving was like binging in today’s world.

The drag was a good excuse to grab a soda from DQ or Sonic, which happened to be the other turnaround on the opposite end. Roll down the windows, wave to buddies as we passed each other on the single-lane roads, nearly close enough to touch hands. Gossiping with those in the passenger seat, typically the ones without a car, and often about the ones who just passed. We would discuss life and the promise of whatever lay beyond the town limits.

A few days ago, a buddy texted me to say her daughter was going to my hometown for a youth group trip to a cabin in the woods. We had a lot of cabins in the woods because little ole Winnsboro was set right in the middle of wooded pines and oak trees. Country roads snaked in and around, with small homes sitting far and near along the way—a few mansions. By that I mean a two-story structure with a tad bit over 3000 square feet. Most dwellings were smaller, homes for commoners, in contrast to the larger ones, typically occupied by bank presidents or owners of big businesses, such as Brookshires or the funeral home.

It was those country roads that sealed the deal with my faith in Christ. Therapy sessions between Him and me, as the wind swirled in my car and Amy Grant’s words resonated with a teenager questioning herself, who dreamt big dreams and struggled to discover who she was and what she wanted to become.

I suggested to my friend that if her daughter finds her way into town, she should stop by Dairy Queen. Ask for Shelley. She was a classmate and now owns it, keeping her family business as the generational bedrock for after-school snacking and meals. I also shared that the town has an old historic cemetery — a snapshot of life, long before we were ever formed, dating back to the late 1700s and early 1800s. It sits across from my daddy’s church.

It’s odd how memories flooded in. I only lived there for about nine years, having arrived at the beginning of fourth grade. But those nine years were the concrete that poured my foundation. The classmates folded into the layers of my soul, kneading me into the version of who I would remain — steadfast, even as later evolutions complemented or complicated. My foundation was strong, and while some cracks showed up, nothing was strong enough to break the structure.

Winnsboro had one traffic light and a four-way stop. The country roads that ducked in and out of the main pipelines bore the imprints of my tires. Pieces of me sprinkled along their shoulders or ditches. Each bend, each decrepit barn wears memories of my youth. And in a few short years, full of joy, heartache, dreams, and failures, I was forged in the seat of my car.

The drag.

The car rides.

The quiet, paved lanes and trails held a town together, connecting people to the spirit of the community. Main arteries leading to the heart of the place where miles upon miles brought self-discovery, deeper relationships, and time with God to question, cry, and praise. My DNA is found in the sun-beaten, oil-tarred roads.

Small-town living is simply one big family. Everyone knows everyone. There is no place to hide. They know your business. Pray for your dreams, hope you achieve more than they did, and unselfishly pour themselves into you. It’s funny how learning that someone is visiting my little place on earth, telling her that her daughter will drive the drags I had driven, opened a chest full of fond, warm memories.

It is in our youth that we, perhaps, solidified who and what we are. Often done in the cab of a four wheel vehicle, exploring long, winding, country roads, willing to drive where ever they lead.

<><

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. I’m traveling next week, so I’ll be back the following Wednesday with our weekly morning ponderings.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

My first instinct: something has happened to Reba, a beautiful Golden Doodle, whom we’d had for only six days. Her crate sat in our living room just under the family TV.

Then confusion and sleepy thoughts.

Was that Reba?

Could she be trying to get out of her crate and knocked something over that sent something flying?

Though, something did hit my hand.

The spouse jumped out of bed as well.

He never wakes up. Something definitely occurred.

“What was that?” we said in unison.

I rolled over. Turned on the light and stood in a debris field. On our bed. On our walls. On the floor. Everywhere there was wet insulation and pieces of the drywall that had landed on my hand, barely missing a sleeping Shih Tzu.

I get where the phrase “the ceiling is falling” comes from. Things build up, unseen, in places rarely visited. Though signs of distress and trouble do try to alert us to the possible mess. Maybe with a leak here or there. Water pouring out of a ceiling fan or dripping from seemingly nowhere. Even walls can shed tears when the pressure builds.

In our case, the AC drip pan overflowed. Three service calls, and each technician thought they had found and fixed the problem.

We tend to do that. Be quick to decide the obvious issue as the only stressor, not realizing there are deeper ones. So, we patch what we see or feel - cover it up, drown it out, empty it. On the surface, the fix seems complete. But when it keeps happening, it’s quite evident nothing has been fixed. By the time it shows itself, the situation is more dire.

On a Friday evening, the poor soul who had gotten the third late-night call said he still wanted to return on the other side of the weekend to do a further dive into the end of the loose pipe he had found. He, however, felt confident that the overflow would not happen again (and, to his credit, it did not).

“No problem,” we said, but we never made it to Monday.

Apparently, after three days of water spilling over and flowing through a ceiling fan, drywall becomes saturated enough that it all comes tumbling down. Waking a sleeping family.

The culprit? A plugged-up pipe, not a loose one.

At some point in our old house, someone thought it wise to seal the AC secondary emergency drain valve. Who would have done that? I pondered. Why spray sealant into a pipe? To stop the flow of something they didn’t want to deal with? Maybe explore where the pipe leads before filling it with an expanding chemical? Spend some time crawling through dusty, old attics, and find why there is a pipe where there is a pipe? Explore. Dig down deep. Get to the source of a random conduit attached to an air conditioner.

However, in fairness, I, too, can plug things up. I can shut down an emotional pipeline. And no matter how many times my inner-self tries to warn me or send hints through tiny tears breaking the surface, I don’t want to spend the time to do the digging, which in many cases has caused a massive overflow of unhandled buildups. So I shouldn’t be surprised by how this came to be.

This isn’t the first cover-up that I’ve found. It seems previous owners often took the easy way out, painting over problems. Burying them. Letting them sit and fester. Until the night, when the weight of the situation became too much, and the ceiling fell in. Leaving one big mess.

<><

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. We’ll be back next Wednesday with our weekly morning ponderings.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

“Backpack?”

“Yeah, Jeff’s,” I replied. “There. It’s what I guess holds value,” I said, pointing to a tray. On it sat a beat-up old iPad, its cover worn and well-used. There was also a small portable speaker. A hard drive, a knife, a corkscrew, and a Pay Square. All of them dirty, used, dusty, and old.

“Summary of a life,” he said back.

Jeff was my karate instructor. I’ve written about him. I earned a 3rd-degree black belt under his training, and had a fluctuating friendship, with ebbs and flows, highs and lows, as I tell my daughter, relationships often are. His passing last August caught us all by surprise.

His backpack had been sitting in our guest bedroom, along with some other items gathered from his apartment, when we shut it down and closed it up. I hadn’t looked in it. It actually, mistakenly, got a trip to Atlanta when some visiting family members grabbed it thinking it was theirs. They returned it on Thanksgiving. And it sat on the chair in front of my front door, until a few days ago when I opened it.

At first, I thought, what if I find something in here that’s really of value? Some money. He sold CBD oil, a traveling vendor, mostly dealing in cash. What would I do with it? It’s been nearly three months since we laid him to rest.

I often ponder what will be found when an event occurs requiring us to search for something that belonged to someone else. Maybe out of necessity, curiosity, or when they no longer need it. A cell phone. The drawers where they worked, or slept, or sat. The little pieces of paper that stick out from books or files. Half-filled notepads full of scribbles. Thoughts. Notes. Bible Verses. I do have some money tucked away in random places—a habit I picked up from my mother, who I often see swiping and poking away at her phone. I imagine the day I look at it, I’ll see hundreds of colored pictures from her coloring app. Bible verses, for sure, and probably a lot of unintentional screenshots.

The random things we collect in the most random places often reveal our unique selves. Hints to the hidden quirks that make us who we are and show what we like or are drawn to. I have a million cloud pictures in my phone. Dog pictures. Beach pictures. Bill. Alex. Mom. Family. Friends. Summaries of my life. Clouds are heaven to me. The dogs are my security blankets, the beach is my escape, Bill and Alex are everything good in me, and Mom is me.

Jeff’s items defined him. He was a worker. His income was in that iPad. His personality was in that knife; he was a hunter and fighter, literally and figuratively. It was part of the outfit with his jeans and boots. The corkscrew, I guess, was the all-in-one tool that every guy like Jeff would have. The speaker and PaySquare were part of the traveling salesman gig, and one day, I’ll plug in the hard drive and see what it reveals.

Very few items, conjuring up images of someone lost, keeping them tethered to me, capturing the essence of who I knew for over 30+ years. In their dust, memories linger, stirring only the good ones, because when someone leaves, the best of them typically rises, and the ebbs and lows slip away.

Some day, someone will open up my backpack, or packs, and find in whatever form — dusty and worn, or password-protected — items no longer needed where I pray to be. Kinda like Jeff.

<><

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. We’ll be back next Wednesday with our weekly morning ponderings.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Perseverance.

Most things I set out to do require perseverance. It’s been that way all my life. Like paying not once but twice for a black belt program while working and in college with money I did not have, before I actually got my black belt as an adult. Always finishing in the back half of participants in any marathon or triathlon, no matter how many months or years I tried to improve my times. Dragging my feet on publishing a book because of doubts about the book. Still having six weeks to finish the “Bible in 52 Weeks,” which I started in June of 2021. And nearly 68 days to complete a 30-day run.

I’m awful at managing the expectations of what I can and cannot get done. I always believe I can do more than I realistically can, so I underestimate the time or the possible obstacles – scheduled appointments, events, the holiday season – that might impede my ability to do what I say I can. It’s a stressor on the backup of what I said, as karate instructor Jeff used to tell me.

This creates hectic scenarios that I put on myself. No one asked me to do the 30-day run in the middle of the holidays, but for some reason, I did. We, as people, often do this. Maybe because we don’t want to let people down, fear of missing out, or simply can’t say no. I find that when I put myself in these situations, it’s not just me under duress; it rolls out to my family, friends, and anyone in the vortex of my chaos. Because I feel pressure, I release that pressure, and it pulls those I love underwater with me. It’s not the best way to manage life. Not the intended way, probably not the way God planned it, or directed it, but if I’m not listening to him, and listening to me, that’s the way it’s gonna be. Yet, if I stick with it, God still rewards me at the end with achievement and newfound knowledge, such as being more diligent in what I say I’m going to do.

It’s in my nature to overplan, overestimate, and set unrealistic goals. But if I keep moving. If I keep going, and give myself the same grace God gives me, I’ll get where I want to go and do what I need to do, even if it’s harder through my own self-made obstacles.

Day 1 - November 12, 2025 / Day 30 – January 19, 2026 - Run completed.

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Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind. We’ll be back on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, with our weekly morning ponderings.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is released on Wednesday mornings. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Ponder Inspiration: Bill and I are back at my happy place, Moon Palace in Cancun. And it is here, I do believe, that a gateway opens. I’ve never seen such rays casting upward and downward through or behind such majestic clouds. It has to be a door to God’s home.

Have a beautiful. Day.

<><

Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

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This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Dusted, or cleaned, house settling, doors shutting, dogs running, I’m not sure what it is that takes something out of alignment and leaves it resting at some degree of an angle. I like angles. My sweet Bill – not so much. His comfort lies in the stability of something sitting as it should. I like the dishevelment of people, places, or things, and for me, where something hangs is just as meaningful.

For instance, my downstairs office space is filled with angels, heavenly or human. They are represented in many different shapes, sizes, and art forms. Tiny statues. Limited prints from a Cuban artist. Photos of loved ones lost and loved ones cherished. If it inspires or reminds me of my passions, it sits near my working space. Nothing I planned it just happened.

In our family room, pictures of a now-grown girl from childhood line the walls. Perhaps still there, trying to keep what was present, but knowing what is – is just as beautiful. There are also quiet moments between a husband and wife. One always stands behind the other, fully hidden behind her protector, as he willingly stands his guard, aware of the confidence he provides her. He holds her hand in the center of his chest.

Our other spaces feature family art, touches of generational photos, and a cross painted with the musical notes of a father’s favorite hymn, “How Great Thou Art.” I’m sure it’s heard often from the heavens he now resides.

The places we’ve seen, beautiful spots we have locked in time, lull us to sleep. Our game room is a hangout, a smorgasbord of who we love. Who is dear to us. Those who live in the well of our hearts.

And nearly all of them cannot remain straight. They cannot seem to stop fidgeting on the wall.

I used to try and adjust a few here and there, but finally, I gave up. I see crooked photos as life itself. Not perfect. There are always disruptions that shake things up. Rattle them out of place. There are moments when we are aligned, and moments when we are not. Times we sit where we are meant to be and others when we do not. There is an undercurrent pulsing within us, either physically or as a one-dimensional, stagnant, frozen copy of a moment from life—flat surfaces of joy and pain, love and heartache, laughter and tears. They throb, pulse, beat.

Crooked photos remind me that what I have isn’t perfect, but what I love still lives within them. So much so that they move.

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Ponder Inspiration: I had guests coming over for dinner and I was doing the last minute of tossing things in a closet or out in the garage, and one last pass attempting to straighten what refuses to be straight. They were all over the place. It was in that moment, that I realized, so am I.

Two kindred spirits, disheveled, trying to present themselves as presentable. We are who we are, and that’s how we hang.

Have a beautiful week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

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Photo taken by Bill Knights at Playa del Carmen, 2024.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Ponder Inspiration: The state of the world over the last several years, and the discourse we are living in. People are committed — whether right or wrong. They believe they know right from wrong, and want to protect that which they deem needs protecting. By acting impulsivly, each side cuts, like a thorn and draws blood.

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Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

Photo by Kim. Outside her door. March 24, 2023. Even these rose bushes became tainted, infected by something, and died in 2025.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

From your wooded perch, you sit and stare

I wonder what you're pondering from there

Do you see the woman who sits inside

Are you wondering if you should run and hide?

Of this, I know, you have no fear.

At least from my vantage, that seems quite clear

You sit and watch, and stay quite a while

Flirting or laughing - is that a smile?

Eye to eye, we often peer

I wish your thoughts I could hear.

Stay as long as you want to stay

I enjoy our visits throughout the day.

Ponder Inspiration: I often write about two squirrels that run free on our property. I’ve named the Bobby and Betty after my father and his twin. I’ve watched them since they were babies. One of them, or both, run up and down and all around the tree that sits in the middle of the window in front of my desk. Their jungle gym. When they stop and peer right at me, I just want to know what they are thinking. Do they see me? Am I just a creature to watch? Do I entertain them as they entertain me?

I wish we could visit, the stories I bet they could tell. They are quite helpful, though, providing exercise for my precious pups as they tease them as much as they tease me.

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Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

Photo by Kim. Outside her desk, Jan. 2, 2026. But here are a few others.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

We live in a kaleidoscope world of pieces He created.

Ponder Inspiration: A photo. I needed to write something, so I took a beautiful frame to see what I saw. This is it.

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Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

Photo by my Billy. Jamaica. May 2025.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Fortunately, the store was closed on the early morning I visited, which kept me from partaking in something I did not need. Yet, every time I scroll through the pics on my iPhone, I stop on this one. It captivates me. The image of something that I am inherently not attracted to teases me and makes me want to venture in, seek it out, and indulge.

Isn’t it amazing how many things are dressed up in a way to lure us in, capture our attention, call us to them, and yet, be something not needed, wanted, or sought? If only, each time temptation came, the doors would be locked, the shop closed for the day, saving us from what we, in the moment, humanly desire.

Ponder Inspiration: This is one of my favorite pictures. I love the color. The display was beautiful and it is true, every time I peer at it, I want to try the Macarons. I had to Google the image to find the name of the cookie. That’s how much I know about desserts or sweet-tasting items. But these call to me.

I ponder why something so simple as a Macaron tempted me into craving something that I didn’t want or need or actually like. Yes, this is a light-hearted metaphor, but there are many temptations, presented in ways to entice us towards indulgent, unneccesary, distracting or debilitating things. We must find something to help us resist until God reveals the way out of it, which for me - on this day - was locking the door.

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Have a great week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

Photo by Kim. Brugess, Belgium. June 29, 2025.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Through the window I saw

where it quietly lay

beautifully, peacefully

I bowed to pray

lift its life

high to the sky

take this beauty

to where angels fly

innocent and broken

from a wayward flight

it now sleeps sweetly

a forever night.

Ponder Inspiration: I came home from running errands and found a tiny, little, bird on my porch. Beautiful. Appeared to be sleeping. But I knew it was not. I hoped it was only knocked out. Concussed from hitting a very high window that fooled the creature into thinking trees sat where it wanted to fly.

We found another one a few mornings back. Bill had to take care of it, because my heart ached a bit. But this one, I found while Bill worked, and I couldn’t bring myslef to pick it up. So, I left it, though I returned often, peering through the distorted panes of my front door, hoping, praying that the little one would have flown away. Having only knocked itself out, not - well you know.

Nothing about the tiny bird looked distorted or broken. It just looked like it was sleeping. Resting. The ache of my heart returned. I imagined the yellow-breasted, feathered angel, had launched with confidence for the limbs of a tree that only existed in a reflection. Never thinking it would be the last flight.

Death comes when its least expected. Even mid-air on a warm, winter day. Yet in the loss, there is something peaceful, as it now lays motionless and I wait for Bill to come home to take her away.

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Make the week count. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

I follow a very cool lady on this social media app, and this morning, this verse came to me by way of her post. It resonated. Sometimes, you don’t need many words to ponder a topic or share a concept. You just need the Word of God.

Ponder Inspiration: Apparently, there’s a running theme this week of pondering.

I had high hopes when I paused my 30-day run for the holidays that I would use the two weeks — it was supposed to have been only one, but the ponders were not, are not, rushing in, so I extended it to two — to bank the remaining posts. Have them ready to go. Written and scheduled, waiting for their release date. It didn’t happen.

With my case of writer’s block, it appears trusting, releasing, and following are just not words, they are necessary action. Since Monday, each morning, the day before my ponder is due, the only way I put sentences (or fragments) together, is by trusting that God will deliver the words to me, even if using other voices to spur mine.

Practice what I preach? Act on what I’m pondering? A direct message, perhaps? Not sure.

Let’s see what He feeds. Eight more to go.

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Have a beautiful week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

do not abandon

when the rapids come

the boat

Often, when the waters are roughest, we instinctively seek a calmer place, swim for what we deem as safer shores. And we abandon the boat, believing we can save ourselves. Yet it is the guide, the one who knows the river, who traverses and navigates its flow daily, that is the lifeline to our safety.

Life turns. Rapids appear. Water rises quickly, crashes, and slams against the sides of our vessel, our kayak, and if we panic, if we do not trust the one at the helm, the one sitting in the back who knows where the rapids lie, we make our journey more treacherous.

Trust the one behind you. The one in the boat with you. The Guide. He will always get you out of the rocky mess.

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Ponder Inspiration: After Monday’s winding-river post, Bill offered that I should do one about rapids. He had just taken a look at all my Norway pics from July 2025, which featured quite a few. Photos are as much a part of my pondering as words are, and I had thought about mentioning rapids and dry beds in that original post, because we all know a river is fluid, subject to objects that fall, weather, and erode away. All metaphorically similar to the path of our lives. Often, when writing something for us to ponder, the hope is that an image will linger and serve as a catalyst, a reminder, or an inner self-reflection to keep us centered where we need to be. Such as:

A winding river - go with the flow and find peace while trusting God.

Brunt of a joke - ponder how others might perceive our intended actions

Stay in the boat - if stressed or feeling overwhelmed, don’t give up on God. A simple mantra of “stay in the boat” might give that little bit of respite, till it all calms down.

Have a beautiful week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

Photo taken by Kim. Flam, Norway. July 1, 2025. Same day and place as Monday’s winding river. Rapids were not far away.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Bill stumbled upon this post a few days back. He read it out loud to me, and we both had a little giggle. A few high-profile names immediately came to my mind. But. Then. Just as quickly - as if someone whispered in my ear - I wondered, am I one of those people?

Reflecting back on the past year, would I have inspired someone to be nothing like me? Did my words, my actions, motivate or repudiate? Behavior. Attitude. Body-language. Would folks want to be around me, or would they want to stay away?

Pondering this phrase from the perspective of not being what the writer wants changes the perspective. It opens a window into the workings of the inner self. Places one outside of themselves to evaluate - do people aspire to be or not to be - like me?

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Ponder Inspiration: Last year was hard. My emotions ran a little high. I had some losses. There were some big life-changes. Folks seem to think I can find solutions for all things, and while it is appreciated, it can be emotionally draining.

When Bill showed this post to me, I truly did laugh. We both did, and then in a nanosecond, I switched places with the speaker of the post to pondering it as the brunt of the joke. It placed me in a humbler, more caring space, reminding me that words and actions are interpreted by the observer. The person who is unaware of any factors that might drive that action.

Those around us may not know that we are behaving from a place of fear and frustration regarding things we may or may not have control over such as aging parents, or friends passing away. Family moving on, physically or spiritually. Jobs lost. Money tight. Pressure from working or not working. Discord in the world. Self-pity. These are the causes of behavior. People are not privy to the inner thoughts, or aware of the stressors. They just see what is shown, and this makes the joke no joke at all.

It makes it more poignant. Because we often view others, perhaps, as the issue. When in actuality, it just might be us.

Have a beautiful week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

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Turns out this post’s phrase first showed up in 2023. The author is unknown.

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.

Surrender to the experience of a float down stream. Watch side to side. See what rests or sits next to you. Observe what God reveals on the shores of your life. Listen to the voices speaking around you, some loud, others like whispers. Don’t map out your journey. Be adventurous, have a child-like sense of wonderment and anticipation as to what lingers around the next twist, the next turn. New scenery. New places. See where God’s winding river takes you.

Trust. Relax. Release.

Don’t self navigate. Let go of the planning. Be present within the drift, float with it, and resist any urge to turn and swim against its current.

Ponder Inspiration: A few nights ago, in the wee hours of the morning, in that space between sleep and awake, the image of a winding river presented itself. I’m often surprised what comes to me while my mind hovers in halls and forgotten caves of a resting subconscious. God speaks to me there. He offers pondering phrases or images, which linger with me, and inspire me to explore.

For some reason, at the beginning of every new year, I feel compelled to write something about goals and hopes of what will be different moving forward from what now lives in the past. A new year. New beginnings. Opportunities to adjust, shift the things I want to do better or improve upon. Perhaps acknowledgements of what I deem as failures or weaknesses. I don’t know why I need the end of a year to mark the beginning of a new me.

I believe the winding river image came to me as a suggestion - a reminder - don’t start the year making lists of hopeful change, but rather jump in a boat and let God serve as captain. Go with His flow, at His pace, riding the river as He directs. You would think after 60 years of mistakes and shortcomings, failed resolutions, I’d have learned He has a a better way of doing things, and floating down a river seems like a nice alternative to all the things I’ve tried in the past.

I hope you had much to give thanks for, a Christmas that was merry, and a new year that will fill you with happiness.

Have a beautiful week. Be kind. Look for those who are kind. Together, stay kind.

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We’re back to finish out our 30. Hope you stick with me and find something to ponder.

Photo taken by Kim in Gerianger, Norway, July 2, 2025

This is a reminder that Ponder This is on a 30-day run and is released Monday - Friday. Look for us in your inbox or on the Substack App. And remember:

“Pondering is everything, and everything is worth pondering.” - Kim Knights

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PS - the PT beside each title stands for Ponder This and is my cataloging system. The number beside the PT is the number of ponders written since my launch in October 2021.