This time of year, I remember back to those days of working as a middle school nurse. The long weekend for the Martin Luther King Holiday was followed by the dreaded stretch through gray winter to spring break. I often found myself daydreaming about summer when I'd go on my solo journey. I started taking … Continue reading Like No One’s Watching
Solo journeys
New Year, New Beginnings
Yesterday, it stopped raining and the sun finally broke through. I went outside at three o'clock to walk followed by an interval jog. Unlike my usual pattern of going in the early morning, by waiting until mid-afternoon inertia had set in. I jogged for a while and just wasn't feeling it, but kept trying and … Continue reading New Year, New Beginnings
Thankful for You!
This is my 231st post since I began this blog at the end of May 2017. If it weren't for you all, I would have stopped writing a long time ago. Sitting down to a blank page, to an empty screen is at times overwhelming and is always solitary. Before I start, I pray for … Continue reading Thankful for You!
Rainy Days and Mondays
Last Sunday morning it was raining at Caswell Beach. I sat in this chair on the porch and drank my coffee, watching the water birds diving for their breakfasts. It was very calming to look out and observe nature doing what it does, undisturbed by the pandemic or politics. I lingered longer than usual--because that … Continue reading Rainy Days and Mondays
Come to the Water
This weekend, I took off for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic and headed for the coast. When I long for renewal, the water has always drawn me, especially the ocean, My last trip was exactly a year ago when my younger sister, Peggy generously planned a trip for us when I … Continue reading Come to the Water
Just Enough Encouragement
At almost 91, Mattie Belle is one of my oldest readers. I've known her since I was in ninth grade and became friends with her daughter, Delores. I was so touched when she sent me this handwritten card after she read my memoir. Delores told me that when her mother finished my book, she loaned … Continue reading Just Enough Encouragement
The Next Leg of the Journey
This week I watched Outlander on Netflix and was reminded of the beauty of Scotland. Three years ago I was traveling through some of the land I saw in those episodes. After our time in Paris that I described in last week's post, my husband and I took the Eurail to London, then took ScotRail … Continue reading The Next Leg of the Journey
Saturday Morning in Paris
The chilly breeze yesterday morning, walking in my neighborhood with the tree limbs moving about with leaves edging into fall, reminded me of three years ago in Paris. My husband and I'd flown into Charles de Gaulle Airport early on Thursday morning for a trip that would celebrate my retirement from school nursing. Photo by … Continue reading Saturday Morning in Paris
Trusting in a Safe Anchor
Over the past six months since we've been isolated by the pandemic, I've found solace in reading. Missing the entertainment of swing dancing at the Elk's Lodge on Sunday nights, I've been drawn to fiction. It's a refreshing escape to travel to new places of the novel settings and to explore the lives of the … Continue reading Trusting in a Safe Anchor
Iona: Three Years Later
It's been three years since I was preparing for my first solo journey abroad-- my trip to Iona, Scotland. I wondered then how my week-long retreat at The Abbey, an ancient pilgrimage site, would impact me later. Our theme for the week, "The Pilgrimage of Life" had been part of what drew me. Throughout those … Continue reading Iona: Three Years Later
