The celebrations and preparations…

Dear Friends,

It has been a wild, exciting ride with the launch of my new book and all the wonderful support I’ve been given. But in the midst of the excitement, my father-in-law has been on hospice for almost two weeks, and it’s been tough, to say the least. A surreal time, waiting for the inevitable. But his large support circle ensures that he is comfortable and loved, which is most important.

Before he started to decline, we already had our backpacking trip reserved in the Sierra Mountains, but with his encouragement, we are still going. Although, due to my foot issue, we decided that I shouldn’t push it. My foot has been cooperating, but I’d hate to overdo it and take five steps backwards. So, we’re camping. We’ll be relaxing by the lake, surrounded by ponderosa pines and nature’s warm embrace. And this is really what we need. My brother-in-law will ‘hold down the fort’ while we’re gone. He also told us to go. “Dad wants you to enjoy the adventure.” We will have our Spot X satellite device though to stay in touch. And obviously, if something changes before we plan to leave, we won’t go. Always ‘one day at a time.’

So, I’ll be offline next week and will return the following week of the 21st. The photo above is from one of our trips to our favorite Sierra lake, and the poem below is in my book and one I wrote while sitting on the shore in the company of the smooth water, and journal and pen (and hubby, of course.)

The Sun Knows

Evening advances.
The shore wears nothing
but a few rocks
scattered on its sand.
In their quiet space,
a father and son hold fishing lines
hoping their luck will lift.
A lone sailboat glides by
pausing for the unfolding.
With hair the color of an egret,
an older man leans against a stump.

Clouds understand why we wait.
A fine yellow highlighter
has delicately outlined
their smooth edges.
Occasionally, trout jump
out of the still water,
only a few ripples
show their excitement.

Then suddenly the sky explodes
in tangerines, salmons, canary yellows –
brighter with every second.
It’s as though a painter swished
her brush back and forth
on the immense backdrop,
to the left, to the right,
repeating with the grace
of an orchestra leader.
Can the sun slipping behind
downy clouds
be more spectacular?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blog tour will continue when I return and I have to share two more beautiful reviews:

Reading Ms. Scott’s poetry is like roaming the pages of a spiritual book and you can feel a connection. Upon picking up this book I first read “Ever So Gently” and felt an instant connection, as I’ve lived such moments myself during bushcrafting adventures, connected to nature and all of creation. As I continue to read, each poem is equally as deep and reveals not only the writers soul, but my own.
~ Scott MitchellLauren Scott will touch your soul. 5 stars

What an endearing gathering of short poems, some written as Haiku and other syllabic poetry, but all comforting, calming, restorative. Presented in three sections, these verses pose the wonder of nature, the love of family, even the delight of a pet. An elegant medley.
~ Joy Neal Kidney An endearing collection. 5 stars

Β© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.

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49 thoughts on “The celebrations and preparations…

  1. It’s been wild indeed! This is a very surreal time as you say and very hard to wish for any outcome. Take it easy and relax. You need that rest! Sending my most positive thoughts and wishes for an enjoyable break. Love & many hugs! β€οΈπŸ’—β€οΈ

    1. Thanks for your comforting words, Marina. There’s no better word than ‘surreal.’ Hope all is well with you, dear friend. Sending love and hugs back your way. β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈπŸ™πŸ»πŸ™πŸ»

  2. Beautiful poem Lauren. Helping someone labor from this life to the next is exhausting and emotional work. Enjoy your time away, rest, and restore. My love to you, C

    1. Thanks so much, Cheryl, and you’re right. We’ve never experienced this before, so it’s hard waiting for that moment, you know? And we just want him to be comfortable. One day at a time. Anyway, I appreciate your kind thoughts and will try to follow through. Love and hugs to you!

  3. Oh Lauren, I am saddened to hear about your father-in-law. πŸ˜₯ In the midst of your celebration, continue to embrace this awesome gift of life. Take this time to get away, relax and rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit, and don’t forget your purpose. Keeping you and your family in my prayers my friend. Safe travels. πŸ˜ŠπŸ’–πŸ€—

    1. Thanks, Kym, for your loving and compassionate words. They’re greatly appreciated and I will try to live by them. πŸ™‚ Once we’re by the lake, nature will perform her magic. Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead too. Thanks again, my friend. β€οΈπŸ™πŸ»πŸ€—

  4. Such an amazing place in photo to view πŸŒ·πŸ™πŸ‘ happy and safe travels and congratulations celebrations πŸ˜πŸ’πŸŽ‰ the poem so glorious to read πŸ˜πŸ‘ Prayers for your Father -in law’s
    Fast recovery πŸ™πŸ‘πŸΌ grace wishes my friend πŸ₯°πŸ’πŸŒ·

  5. A lovely poem, Lauren. Beautifully indicative of life, and how nature is such a reliable source of awe; awe that can carry us through uncertainty and anticipatory grief. I hope the camping trip goes well for you in this time of transition. πŸ™πŸΌ

  6. Fantastic blog post Lauren and I love the fact that you have launched your new book, that’s amazing. As Writers we need to express our skill by writing books, ebooks, blogs, screenplay and other areas that need written work. I am glad your family is also well and I sure will await to see you back online , your blogs are motivational and the poetry top notch.

    Have a great weekend ahead! I am happy for you about the release of your book and I can tell by this blog, how excited you areπŸ’―πŸ™πŸ˜Š

    1. Hi Yvette, thanks so much for your kind words about my poem, and for your gently wishes for my father-in-law. I really appreciate them. I’m going to be signing off here, so I’ll see you again the following week. Take good care, and don’t forget to breathe in your busy schedule also. πŸ©·πŸ€—

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