Hello blog friends,

The high desert of Arizona has a beauty all its own. As a newcomer, I'm often in awe of my local surroundings. Colleen Chesebro invites us to reflect on our natural environment as it changes through the seasons. In our area, those changes can be dramatic. Last Saturday it rained, then hailed, and by late afternoon, we had sunshine. 

I've three tankas to share. This first poem focuses on a crabapple tree in our front yard. The second poem reflects on a cactus cluster that I walk past every day. And the third tanka is a playful take on the geese that now visit. 

​I hope you enjoy my wanderings. 

Have a lovely week, dear friends. ❤️

Hello, blog friends. 

The high desert of Chino Valley in Arizona is ablaze with evidence of Spring. Flowering trees and wildflowers fill yards and line the local trails. Yesterday I watched children play with the puffs of dandelions in the open park area. These youngsters took me back to my childhood and inspired the tanka below. 

Colleen Chesebro invites us to consider Spring in our home area. I've tried to capture this beautiful season with phrases like: dandelions dance, pastures green, and puffs of seeds. I hope you enjoy it. 

I hope you have a wonder-filled week. ❤️

Hello blog friends,

Last week I shared a bit of the backstory for The Soul Whisperer's Decision, and I promised that I would do the same for each of my books. Since I've already shared with you about The Gift on an earlier post, today my focus is Redemption, a Father's Fatal Decision.

Every major religion speaks about redemption, and each has a staircase of steps toward that goal. My book doesn't focus on those steps, instead it looks at the choices made by a father with a questionable past. 

The book opens with a quote by Khaled Hosseini: "True redemption is...when guilt leads to good."

Within these eight words is the assumption that a person is sorry for his or her misdeeds and acts to remedy the harm done. It is a relational process. 

The book is a thriller focused on a seemingly average family. It opens with the father being shot. From that point forward, the two adult children work together to unravel why he was targeted. The process takes them into Connecticut and several cities in New York. As they journey, they learn about a man they thought they knew but then realize they did not. 

​The conclusion of the story brings the reader back to Hosseini's words: "True redemption is...when guilt leads to good." The reader decides if that 'good' occurred. 

What motivated me to write this story? I suspect all of us have struggled with forgiveness at one point or another. Certainly, I have. Maybe we were in a bad relationship, or we had a critical boss, or perhaps a friend let us down. Hurt is something everyone experiences. Forgiveness is what we know we should do, don't want to do, and struggle to embrace. It's a haunting virtue, but it leads to redemption.

In closure, I'd like to share a personal story. My dad passed at 97 years old. At the funeral, the space was packed. I knew the relatives, but not the others. Several unfamiliar men came up to me and told me how my dad had helped them - by giving them a job and loaning them money for their family. As I looked into their eyes, I saw my dad as a kid during the great depression in Oklahoma. He suffered unimaginable deprivation, including the death of a few of his siblings. I believe his early harsh experience shaped the man he became. Dad was a farmer and worked hard all his life. We lived very simply, but unbeknown to my siblings and me, dad privately helped those in need.

I mention the above because sometimes out of darkness comes great light. That darkness takes many forms. In my book, it is criminal activity. For my dad, it was deprivation. Either can lead to redemption - depending on our choices.

If you read Redemption, A Father's Fateful Decision, I'd love to know what you think.

​Have a wonderful week! 

Hello blog friends,

Recently, a neighbor asked me why I write what I write, and the question evoked a great conversation. Like most, I write from what stirs deep within. 

What are these passions that drive me to sit at my desk? To answer this question, I'll offer the backstory for each of my books. Today I'll begin with my most recent novel: The Soul Whisperer's Decision. 

The story begins with a tragedy. A father loses his little children in a car accident that almost kills his wife as well. The young man is a veteran, and he's pulled back into his struggle with Post Traumatic Stress. 

Why would I choose to have a suffering veteran in my story?

For a decade I worked with Marines and soldiers from all branches of the service, returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The proximity of the military bases brought many new vets to the college where I was an administrator. 

I soon discovered that most of those who were boots-on-the-ground, suffered from Post Traumatic Stress - in addition to physical injuries. At that time, the college had no place for these new veterans to congregate to process their experiences. It was assumed that they would simply adjust. 

Because of the distress I saw in these students, I transformed my large office complex into a Veterans' Center. I used a small room at the back for my work and another for my assistant. The larger space quickly filled with veterans - some of whom are in the photo above.

Keep in mind that overnight, these vets went from war to a classroom. And not just any classroom. The area in which the college is situated has a very large Middle Eastern population. As one struggling Marine said to me, "A few days ago I was fighting them, and now I'm sitting next to them." 

Working with these veterans was the highlight of my career. I have deep respect for each of them. But knowing that 20 or more veterans commit suicide every day, saddens me profoundly.

In The Soul Whisper's Decision, two veterans walk the El Camino de Santiago with the intention of healing their past. Where did I get that idea? One of my friends, an Army veteran now retired from the San Diego Sheriff's Department, has walked the Camino multiple times. This friend is in his late 70's, but he doesn't let age deter him. One day, I asked him why he makes this journey. He explained, "I feel at peace when I walk the Camino. My mind is finally at rest."

My passion? I'd like to end all wars. Since that is highly improbable, I reach out where I can. Through my stories, I try to illuminate the commitment we make to our young men and women who fight on our behalf. We each have an important healing role. 

Below are a few YouTube videos that may be of interest. If you've the time, I think you'll appreciate the stories. And, if you have a personal experience you'd like to share, I'd love to read about it in the comments. 💚

These two clips are focused on PTSD:

Do you have a special location where you sip and dream? I'd love to hear where that might be. One of the places I enjoy might surprise you. It's Panera Bread in Prescott, AZ. This fast-food chain is located high on a hill overlooking much of the area. The mountains and the change of seasons are particularly glorious from this elevation and always capture my imagination. 

I hope you have a wonderful week and find time to revel in the morning light. ❤️   

Hello blog friends!

I've another poem to share with you. Colleen Chesebro invites interested readers to write about their experience of the Solar Eclipse. In Arizona, we only have a partial eclipse, so my tanka reflects this limited viewing. 

It seems clouds dominate across the eclipse path through the United States, and this is true of my area. The photo below is not mine, but it is similar. 

I hope you have an extraordinary viewing point, and I wish you all the best! 

Hello blog friends,

Sometimes life surprises us by responding to our unspoken hopes and dreams. Since moving into the Prescott, AZ area two years ago, I've longed to meet other writers. And then I got an unexpected invitation to read from my book, Redemption. What a surprise!

Aside from a bit of apprehension, I am excited to meet the local writers, of which there are many. Prescott is renowned for its arts -- music, theatre, literature, and painting. To be among a few of these talented folks is a soul gift. 

​With much gratitude, I share: 

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends. 

Hello, blog friends. 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. In my part of the world (northern Arizona at 5,000' elevation), Spring has arrived in all its fickleness. I even risked buying some potted flowers on Saturday to dress up my home for Easter. But, within 24 hours, skies went from sunny and warm to grey and snowing.

Poet Colleen Chesebro invites us to consider the season and write a poem that captures our experience. My two tankas reflect the overnight weather changes in our area.

On Saturday I walked a path close to my home. The normally brown gravelly dirt was covered with tiny pink blossoms. It was entrancing. 

Twenty-four hours later, the same path was covered with snow. Not one visible blossom. Then yesterday it warmed up to 50 degrees but dropped to below freezing as night approached. Fickle? I think so.   

Spring flirts with sunshine and budding trees as she ​coquettishly dances through the day. I've tried to capture this experience with words like tiny wildflowers, brisk breezes, spring blossoms, and grey skies. Won't you share your experience of the season?

​Have a wonderful week and let's all enjoy Spring's arrival.