Hello, dear friends...

I have a personal reflection and a poem to share. The two are interconnected by the season and the emotions evoked. Melissa Lemay hosts this week's Tanka Tuesday assignment, and for an in-depth explanation, please click on the link above. 

So...first, a brief reflection:

Nature has been my escape since I was a child. If I can disappear into the desert sand, or a forest, or walk the perimeters of a farmer's field, or stroll a seashore, I'm at peace. I listen, and I breathe. It is my way of silencing fear and embracing the Creator's love. Always, the worries and sorrows of the day fade amid this holy exchange. 

As I've shared in prior posts, my parents had nine children, seven of whom survived. I am the eldest. For eight years, we lived in a one-bedroom home with a converted attic for the four girls.

The home was always a busy and noisy place. I share this because I attribute my yearning for silence to my childhood. 😊 Notice the trees behind the house. I'd climb those trees and sit on a branch alone. No one knew I was there. It was my place to dream about worlds far away, and especially about bible stories.
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My poem tries to capture the wonder I feel in nature...​

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, with opportunities to bask in nature's healing energy. ❤️

Hello, blog friends ~

I have a story to share about how life can change in an instant. On Valentine's Day, my loving husband brought me an armful of red roses. My gift was a breakfast at a favorite restaurant. When we got home, tummies full and happy, hubby decided to take a ride on his bike. Shortly after this, a friend ran breathless to our front door to tell me that my husband had been in a terrible accident. Within minutes, the blare of sirens filled the street. An ambulance took my husband to the hospital, where doctors determined he had to be airlifted to a special neuro hospital for surgery.

The happy news is that my husband was discharged yesterday. He must wear a brace for "at least" two months and cannot drive or do much of anything without assistance (mine or the walker). 

While the beautiful red roses have lost their petals, something far more glorious has taken their place - a deep gratitude for life.       

My apologies for being absent from social media. Now you understand why. Plus, there was no WiFi in the hospital. ❤️ I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day, full of laughter and tenderness....and no accidents. I think I'll never look at a rose the same again, for it has become a reminder of the gift I've too often taken for granted. 

​Have a great week and lets celebrate the moments... 

I hope you have a wonderful week, and a very happy Valentine's Day. I'm thinking roses....❤️

Hello  blog friends,

Well, we've survived a tumultuous January, and according to the infamous Punxsutawney Phil, we have six more weeks of winter ahead of us. More storms, more snow, probably more upset folks. 

Yvette Calleiro offers an interesting solution. She hosts Tanka Tuesday this week, and in her post, she explains that the Latin name for February means "to cleanse." (who knew?!) Anyway, Yvette invites us to consider purification or atonement in a poem. What does it mean to us? How do we incorporate that theme in our lives? 

I've shared that I lived in Japan for five years, among the Burakumin. It remains the most transformative experience of my life. My then-husband and I supported ourselves by teaching English. Living in the outcast community meant our rents were low — and conveniences nonexistent. Folks in these communities have very little water. They, and we, used the public baths. It was the 1970s.

When I think of Japan, I think of my neighbors, the nearby temples, the Zen Master I studied with, and the aroma of incense which permeated the air.

Some Japanese clear their homes of emotions or unhealthy energy with incense. And, when they pray, they often use this fragrance. Incense is both a purification ritual and a way of lifting their supplications. I believe most major religions use incense in a similar way, and my tanka tries to capture this practice. 

I hope you have a wonderful week, dear friends. And, if you use incense, I'd love to know what it means to you. 🌞