A few days ago, a friend of mine surprised me with flowers and a card with such beautiful and thoughtful sentiments. I was truly touched, and the first thing that came to mind was gratitude…for so many things in my life. So, I’m sharing the flowers with you today and a poem from one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver. Her words will give you something to think about…
The Summer Day
Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean – the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down – who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Thank you again for all the love, hugs, and prayers. Please know that your kindness means a lot to me. The pain has either been silent or less intense this week; it’s so unpredictable, but I’m starting treatment soon, so I pray it will make a big difference.
Happy Friday, and I wish you a wonderful weekend ahead!There is no way to go but forward!
I had every intention to read blogs this past weekend, to ‘get caught up’ as we all say often. But last week I received a new diagnosis and the symptoms decided to bark loudly instead over the weekend. Concentration was far from reachable, but I took advantage of moments when the symptoms rested, and that’s when I put thoughts to paper in my journal. Please know that my transparency is not for sympathy. If you recall, I shared about a health issue that began last year, well, this is new, but the doctor thinks it’s all connected – ten months later, the big picture has changed. So, below is my catharsis in the form of a haibun (or similar to one with an extra haiku):
Compromised
The rain and wind collaborate for a stormy Sunday. I look through the window, a deluge of raindrops plummet to the street and lawns, and the tall oaks and firs bend unnaturally. Inside, the house feels safe and warm, but this new presence feels like a knife in the gut. What used to be an infrequent timeline is now an everyday visit. What used to be mild is now moderate, or sometimes, severe. A relationship I don’t care to nurture. Pain closes in, becoming more intimate, but not the intimacy that makes my heart skip a beat. No, this type, and where it could lead, paralyzes because fear sidles up beside it. A duo not to be reckoned with. Cancer hasn’t knocked on my door, nor has a death sentence. But the ability to walk long distances or hike on a mountain trail, slips through my fingers like tiny grains of sand.
My body feels broken – not fully – but broken – because my feet and legs take the brunt. I miss the ‘me’ I used to be. And then there is sleep, or lack thereof because of throbbing and/or electric shocks, thieves in the night that rob me of those dream-filled deep slumbers. The persistence is like a doorbell gone wild. Negative thoughts push their way in for the spiraling, mirroring the stormy weather, but my inhale and exhale create a brick wall – blocking them from breaking me more. Although, no easy ‘fix’ heads my way, so each day I struggle to keep hope beside me. Focus on what I can do, they say. I try. Ask questions. Get answers. My mindset waivers, but the support encircling me helps keep my sky blue.
an MRI shows narrowing from wear and tear nerves agitated
he says it’s common not comforting to body spinal stenosis
(I’m exploring all treatment options, such as injections, meds, surgery, physical therapy, etc.)
I don’t know how this week will go or how much time I’ll spend blogging, but I’m hoping for quiet nerves. The weekend was yesterday; today is a new day. I also hope to get answers to many questions this week. Please know that I appreciate you all!
I’m writing this post as Friday evening is upon us. The sun hasn’t dipped behind the trees yet, but the photo above is one of my favorite images from ‘our’ lake in the Sierra Mountains. I will never own enough photos of sunsets and sunrises. Do you feel the same? It’s parallel with never having too many photos of our kids and pets. 🙂
Anyway,here’s a little update for those who haven’t heard…I did not win 2023 Author of the Year at Spillwords. However, I am super happy for my friend, Cindy at Unique Times, who did walk away with this award. Way to go, Cindy! Please check out her post to read more! I always leave her site smiling! She exudes joy no matter what she writes about.
And thank you to those who voted for me. Your support means more than you know, and it encourages me to keep on writing! Not to mention, being nominated felt like winning in itself. So, Congrats again to Cindy, to all nominees, and to winners in all categories! 🎉
Now to change the subject! I read some wonderful books last year and wrote reviews that I’m late in sharing, so here are a couple :
Neema the Misfit Giraffe by Robbie and Michael Cheadle
Robbie and Michael Cheadle are a talented mother/son duo writing team who have published several children’s books. Neema the Misfit Giraffe is their latest accomplishment, but although this book was written for children ages 2-9 years old, adults will enjoy Neema’s touching tale. All ages will benefit from the lesson Robbie and Michael incorporate through easy-to-read rhyming verse. Neema doesn’t fit in with the crowd that she deems as normal. She looks different than the giraffes she wishes to befriend, but they don’t like her simply because of this difference. Instead of letting kindness lead, they allow prejudice to dictate their behavior.
The notion of judging a book by a cover is unending, but we know this isn’t fair to anyone. Everyone has a story that deserves to be heard. Not only is the cover gorgeous, but the story of Neema is accompanied with lovely photographs from the duo’s personal adventures, along with Robbie’s incredible artwork. Video footage is also included that will take you to You Tube to watch these graceful animals in their natural habitats. You’ll enjoy the giraffe fun facts at the end of the story which offer an educational element.
I bought the paperback because I’m in a book-collecting mode. But I also love the feel of the pages as I progress to the end. So, this lovely book comes highly recommended for children and adults who enjoy a good life lesson, a reminder of the wonderful ripple effect of showing kindness. And I highly recommend the paperback to fully appreciate the beauty of this book.
Locker by Michelle Ayon Navajasis a collection of 57 flash fiction stories with poetic ingredients sprinkled throughout the prose. I am familiar with the author’s beautiful and evocative poetry, so to read these fiction stories was truly a treat that enlightened me to the scope of her talent as a writer. Locker, the title of this collection, obviously infers a compartment where personal possessions are safely kept, and a key is required to unlock it. But the word locker can infer a variety of meanings, such as “the realization of another unlocked dream” as stated by Navajas in her introduction.
The stories can be read as stand-alone, but the commonality in each is the array of emotions the reader experiences that sometimes parallel with reality. Navajas touches on love, death, loss, betrayal, miscarriage, and abuse. As much as these fiction stories effortlessly drew me in, the Introduction alone was compelling. Navajas informs the reader that she is a dreamer, but her actions demonstrate that she’s not only a talker but a doer. And she is not afraid of a challenge; in fact, writing fiction was her subsequent dream following the writing of poetry. However, flash fiction is not as easy feat. The author must condense the essential storytelling elements into 1500 words or less. Navajas convincingly executes this requirement. And her desire to learn a new form of writing would inspire any author to do the same.
I read Locker over the course of several days, taking my time and savoring each combination of fiction and poetic elegance. Not to mention, I intend to reread this collection. When I love a good book or movie, I delight in those second readings or viewings for new takeaways, components that were possibly missed the first time around. Additionally, in most collections of poetry or fiction, I dog-ear the pieces that stand out, and this book with its vibrant, amazing cover is dog-eared from the beginning to the very last page. A few favorites are: “Kiss”, “Alone”, “Withering Heights”, “Photographs”, and “Growth”.
Locker is for anyone who doesn’t mind a soft nudge into revisiting their own ‘locker’ while realizing that they are not alone in feeling the emotions that encompass their hearts and minds. The uplifting tone also offers encouragement to move forward after enduring the challenges and heartbreaks that befall us. Slowly savoring this story collection is highly recommended!
And now I’ll leave you with a song that has a timeless message, and it just might transport you back a few years. 🙂
Happy Friday, have a lovely weekend, and thanks for stopping by! Cheers! ❤️🥂 P.S. More reviews of amazing books coming soon!
Time is flying, minutes are passing by at lightning speed, the days are staying lighter a little longer, and tomorrow, Wednesday, January 31st, is the last day to vote! Again, thank you to Dagmara and her team for publishing my work. I’m honored to be nominated for this award, and to be among wonderful friends who are amazing writers! As far as I’m concerned, we’re all winners! 🎉🎉
To vote, you’ll need to log in, and I know this can be challenging. But I do appreciate your time, effort, and support! I really do! 🙏
In order to cast your vote, simply clickhere. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤️
I’ll leave you with a poem from my book (the poem from which my book found its title) to guide you through today and days to come.I’ve shared it before, so enjoy for another reading!
Ever So Gently
Sometimes we get lost in our thoughts… losing focus of the stars lighting up the night sky. We tumble too deeply into the frontal lobe, allowing negative thoughts to awaken, to throw a tantrum.
Remember, the breeze carries burdens down rivers and across oceans, majestic trees sway with joy, sheltering from shadows, and the light shines even if only a slight glimmer slips through.
Its glow will grow ever so gently into a bright beacon of hope rising with the golden sun bringing clarity to our vision.
What a surprise I discovered last night to find an email from Dagmara at Spillwords Pressinforming me that I have been nominated for Author of the Year for 2023!
The following nominees for Author of the Year are:
SmithaV Michelle Ayon Navajas Cindy Georgakas Lauren Scott Suman Pokhrel Verity Mason Nial Crowley Vidya Venkataramanan Caroline Ashley Adele Evershed Rob Wilcher Dawn DeBraal Ernie Stricsek
So, this is the time when I ask for your vote, and voting begins today and will end on Wednesday, January 31st. You will need to log in to vote, but all I can do is ask. You may cast your vote by clicking on this link: https://spillwords.com/vote/
This past Christmas,Santa brought me an inspirational journal with some coloring options. I haven’t owned a coloring book in decades, probably since my youth. Maybe I joined in the fun with my kids when they were young. I honestly don’t remember. Anyway, I thought I would give it a try because it sounded relaxing. Well, after the strawberries came to life, my neck began to bark at me. Who knew that coloring could be tough on the body! I sat at the table with my head down, all concentration geared towards keeping the red within the lines. I suppose with any activity, some part of our body will begin to bark sooner or later. So, baby steps, right?
For any goal we set, we begin by taking baby steps. No one starts out at the top. Everyone finds their starting point at the bottom then the climb begins until the destination is reached. This doesn’t mean we won’t stumble, but we will press on. So, I’ll return to this beautiful image, and soon the blooms and leaves will come alive in their wardrobes of oranges, yellows, purples, pinks, and greens. One small step at a time.
So, be kind to yourself, be patient, go slow in whatever you set out to do – believe that you will get there! You know you will because you’re awesome, because you’re YOU!
Even baby steps will move you forward!
The path will shine its light showing you the way. Wear confidence on your sleeve to begin the gift of each new day!
Have a wonderful day and thanks for dropping in to my little corner of blogland! ❤️
The constellations the moon the sun the whispers in the trees the breeze around our faces the waves kissing the shore They all knew before we did…
When we first met, the future gave no intimation as to what it held for us, but what evolved was a love without a finish line, deepening as we basked in each moment spent together.
Thirty-five years ago, I gave my heart to him – He gave his heart to me, trusting, knowing something exceptional was happening.
Whatever path we chose in the past, whatever path we choose in the present, we walk hand in hand facing the unknown, facing the adventures.
His life is built around mine. My life is built around his.
I wrote about how we met here. But how we’ve stayed together is an entirely different chapter in our book. Of course, love is the key component, but the other significant elements that follow love are friendship, unselfishness, wanting each other to be happy, communication, and listening. And though we’ve had disagreements, we’ve never had turbulent fights, nor have we stooped to name-calling. My mother-in-law gave us a card that had sage advice for newly married couples. One piece of advice was never to go to bed angry. We never have. So, we feel proud to reach 35 years, but we also feel fortunate to have found each other to share our lives with, and we hope to celebrate many more anniversaries to come. ❤️
He and I became us.
Thank you for joining in the celebration of our35th wedding anniversary! Have a wonderful week ahead! ❤️
He had just entered the world his body tiny and delicate a bundle needing to be loved His skin darker than theirs but this made no difference Joy danced in their hearts when he became family
but with each passing birthday the skin color confused him, badgering his emotions like poison flowing through his veins causing him to act out in unforeseen ways
their circle was broken when he walked out the door
leaves on the trees changed their wardrobe, falling over and over and over again his silence shattered their world
until he walked through the door realization in his heart realization in his soul embracing them for the love, for the home they gave him
skin color irrelevant they were family reconnected
Just click on the image to purchase your copy, and if you enjoyed this collection, please consider sharing a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Reviews are like hugs. 💚
Baydreamer Writes ~ Lauren Scott, Author & Poet 