Every ending has a new beginning My new beginning started with a question:  What shall I place in my small but expandable circle? Before long I had new items.  Cool water to splash on my face each morning. My morning coffee, rich, dark and bold. Songbirds. Egrets and herons. And this: Let not your heart…

Week One: Something ends and something begins Like you, I saw my circles of life activities shrinking.  In the week before COVID 19 caused nationwide school closures, and cancelled sporting events, I was meeting friends for lunch, going to the gym, the pool, the library, playing music in my ukulele clubs and of course, dancing…

Congregating in groups of sunny yellows and perky pinks, my summer garden in Central Florida welcomes you.  Standing shoulder to shoulder are varieties of annuals and perennials. Kissed by a lemony sun, they burst with life.  Not cancelled are: Pallets of colorful pansies with Mickey-Mouse faces. Not cancelled are: Handfuls of Ruby-Red Gerbera Daisies reaching…

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.  (Natalie Sleeth)  . . .Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can…

If Separated, Bonded Swans will Return to Familiar Places to Reunite  A pair of trumpeter swans return to my pond each spring.  I dubbed them Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennet. I wondered if they, like Jane Austen characters, faced challenges in their courtship. So, I began to research swan behaviors. I learned that swans imprint on…

Last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. Whose voice will that be? T.S. Eliot It is early January. I had just returned from several mundane errands. Hurrying, for no apparent reason, I turned off the car, and gathered my shopping bags in one hand. But just as…

It began like previous Christmases, with a determination to avoid the frenzied trappings of the Christmas season. But all too soon, the familiar stresses began to mount. There were schedules to keep, errands to run, and online and store deals to chase, plus the ever-vigilant financial constraints. Each day brought multiple to-do lists; some items…

Christmas memories are mixtures of carolers, colorfully wrapped presents, frantic shoppers on their missions, sparkling silver tinsel hanging single file on the arms of Christmas trees, and the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin pies.  Contrasting with the more typical seasonal events is my family’s annual trek into the Pine Barrens in Southern New Jersey.   We…

A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. Henry David Thoreau. Bill Wranich captures the natural beauty of the Pinelands of Southern New Jersey. I am inspired by his work. .

This is a special thank you to Melanie Redd who posted my story of grace and self-forgiveness on her website: Melanie Redd: Inspiration. Encouragement. Hope. You can log in to her site and subscribe to receive uplifting messages.