Each morning when I arise, I get a cup of coffee--French Roast, black-- and head outside for a walk. This is the prayer that starts my day: "In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly." Psalm 5:3 NIV Photo by Jonathan Petersson on … Continue reading Sweet Anticipation
faith
Happy 300th Post!
Hard to believe but this is my 300th post for this blog site that I launched May 31, 2017. I started this after attending the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers' Conference where I pitched my memoir to literary agents. The prevailing wisdom was authors needed a platform to build a following of readers who would … Continue reading Happy 300th Post!
Cultivating Our Lives: From Seeds to Harvest
Today, I talked with my younger son, Ross who's thirty-five. Over the past year, I've watched his growing interest in land and eco systems, specifically the history of types of indigenous trees and plants that grew on my childhood farm, purchased by my great-grandparents in the 1800s. For the first time, Ross has planted twenty … Continue reading Cultivating Our Lives: From Seeds to Harvest
Hope: The Feathered Thing
"Hope is the thing with feathers- That perches in the soul" I wish I could claim those words as my own; but I'll give the credit to American poet, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Those are the opening lines of her work (254) that she wrote in 1861. This is the poem in its entirety: Hope is … Continue reading Hope: The Feathered Thing
“Will You Forgive Me?” : Online Dating
We'd met through an online dating site at the end of December. It was easy to talk with him from the very first message. We shared a love of music, activities including dancing, family, faith-- and surprisingly, words--me, primarily with writing and for him-- public speaking. We laughed easily and had a similar energy. The … Continue reading “Will You Forgive Me?” : Online Dating
Return of the Heron
We're three weeks into 2022, the New Year's celebrations now becoming faded memories. For some reason, it seems my old Big Blue Heron friend keeps showing up at the nearby ponds. He reminds me of this time last year and the post I wrote New Year, New Beginnings: "I remember again the lone blue heron standing … Continue reading Return of the Heron
A New Thing Springing Up in 2022
Last April, when I was feeling in a low mood and finding it hard to see any progress in my life, I came across a verse of scripture I'd written on a notecard: "Forget the Former Things Do Not Dwell on the Past See, I am doing a New Thing Now it Springs Up: Do … Continue reading A New Thing Springing Up in 2022
Year of Waiting
2021 has been a year of waiting; the coronavirus has forced changes around our world, impacting us collectively and personally. We've waited for news of improving conditions, for the lockdown to be lifted, flights to open up. We've waited at bedsides, outside of windows of elderly nursing home residents, at the safe-six-foot-distance in grocery lines. … Continue reading Year of Waiting
Bandstand or Soul Train?
When I was a teen, Saturdays were spent doing chores and waiting for American Bandstand to come on television. Watching that show, I got my first dance instruction-- like most kids back then. Wikipedia describes the show like this: "American Bandstand is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 … Continue reading Bandstand or Soul Train?
Happy Divorce-ary
It's been one year since our divorce was granted. Recently, when I was looking through greeting cards at Walgreen's, it occurred to me that there are no cards for acknowledging that benchmark in your life. There are Happy Anniversary cards that celebrate another year of making it in a marriage-- but nothing to note the … Continue reading Happy Divorce-ary