They say that life is for the living, so live! Go! And don’t over think!
There is always a sky.
There are roses and hummingbirds that captivate and other animals to show us joy who are content with our time, nothing more, and with this, they are teachers.
There is the ocean’s heartbeat that calms our souls and the mountains that humble.
So I will live if you will, but not without questions. I have so many questions.
Lauren Scott is a Pushcart Prize nominee who enjoys small-town living in California’s Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Although their daughter and son live out of state, frequent visits and modern technology keep their family of four close. Lauren is the author of four poetry collections, a memoir, and a children’s picture book. She has been a guest on several podcasts and her work has appeared in eight anthologies. Her poetry and prose has also been featured by Spillwords Press and Literary Revelations where she has received several honors. Lauren is a member of the Redwood Writers chapter and Marin chapter of the California Writers Club, and she is currently working on a new poetry collection, a short story collection, and an early chapter book for children.
I see the tears rolling, slowly, but with purpose. Will you let me dry them? Your invisible scars are as visible as words of anguish in your eyes. But there is no room for shame even though time swiftly moves while memories remain.
No, you don’t know me well, and I can’t relate to the nightmare that stole your self-worth, and we haven’t exchanged a friendly conversation over tea, but you can trust me. I only wish you kindness in your unfair moments of nothingness.
Please don’t let your soul accept blame – fingers point in one direction, and the compass lies in the palm of your hand, leaving blisters of terror as evidence. I’ll help you pick up the pieces from your shattered heart. I’m not afraid of a cut. If you’ll let me be your glue, I’ll fit them gently back together.
You wear the mask beautifully because you are beautiful, but isn’t it time to let it fall to the earth like a raindrop? To heal cracks on the inside and approach life on the outside?
Allow your soul to sing with melodies of celebration. Allow your soul to dance in elation, for you have walked through hell, felt the burn beneath your feet, but you have reached the other side and welcomed the reassurance of light.
You have one decision that is yours alone. No one will take it away… so how do you want the world to see you?
Have you ever wanted to swat away anticipation like a mosquito buzzing around your head in the dead of night?
Don’t you loathe how it makes you feel? Correction…how you allow yourself to react? Reactions in any circumstance inform consequences.
You and I have a choice, but sometimes, our own beloved minds and bodies conspire.
Courage is yanked out from under you like a rug. Nerves in your body join forces, jumping out of control.
And when your mouth dries up? Words become stuck as though they’ve plunged into quicksand, one by one – any resolve begins to sink. Your throat feels dry as dust. Just one sip of water please.
Maybe if you and I focus on staying calm, yes, staying calm, keeping our heads level…
*Side note: A young, handsome paramedic once told me years ago in the wee hours of the morning that staying calm is key in any situation. I’ll never forget his sage advice.
Last Wednesday morning brought us a stunning sunrise and double rainbow. I wasn’t able to get photos, but a friend of mine grabbed her cell phone and captured these! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Who says miracles don’t happen?
I’m sharing a poem from my recent poetry collection that ties in with the miracles of rainbows:
Darker than the Deepest Sea
Life is like a package wrapped in festive paper. The matching ribbons fascinate in their delicate, entwined company, fingers gently unravel, heartbeats increase from excitement. We lift the lid, peek inside, letting our inner child frolic to the forefront of our minds.
But unlike recyclable paper, the gift of life cannot be tossed back into the universe. There is no spare awaiting on the sidelines, and we should be mindful that the contents require tenderness with instructions solely for each one of us individually, because as visible as a ruby rose in a garden of white daisies… we are beautifully unique.
Once we follow these with gratitude and vivacity, the purpose of our gift will reveal itself as naturally as moonlight on a night darker than the deepest sea. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you leave my site today, please remember how precious life is, and how beautiful you are!
And as Maya Angelou said, “Try to be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud”. ❤️❤️❤️ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a fun Friday, I’m trying something new, and honestly, I’m not sure if my attempts are right! 🙂 I learned about Tautogram poetry on Luisa’s blog, Words and Music and Stories, and she suggested I give them a try. So I did…
The tautogram is best explained by its Greek root words of “tauto” meaning “the same” and “gramma” meaning “letter.” Basically, all words in the poem begin with the same letter.
Here we go! I inserted Friday inspiration and a little bit of Copper!
I hope you enjoyed these tautograms! They were fun and a bit challenging, but I’ll keep trying! 😂
By the way, I’ll be hanging out with hubby at our favorite lake in the Sierra Mountains next week, and beginning on Sunday, I’ll be off the grid. So, have a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead! And I always appreciate your visits and feedback. Hugs, Lauren ❤️
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! ❤️
