On May 22, “Inspiring Your Best” weekly post turned five years old. I began sharing words of joy, kindness, happiness, and hope during the dark days of the COVID pandemic. The world had enough bad news, and I wanted to counter the morose cycle with lighter and more [...]
I watch for little signs of hope. I hear a new birdsong, a visitor to our feeder found his way and stopped. I wish I could hear more songs and less shouting, yelling, anger-filled voices. February seems to revel in bewilderment, moving seamlessly from ice to gentle breezes, and then, [...]
Weed? Flower? Who can tell? Delicate yellow petals dance in the morning breeze. Mama calls them weeds. “Pull them up!” “Oooh, these are so pretty,” I say. “Look! It has friends!”, Six golden sisters sway. Flowers. I’m certain! I pick each one just for Mama— a perfect bouquet. [...]
Sparkles danced across water holding magic. . . . When the sunlight glints across the water, I am always spellbound. Time and again, I’ve tried to capture the magic. Today, I held it in the lens of my camera waiting to share and feel the wonder only [...]
New Beginnings: A New Year Every set of eyes holds a dream, a hope a new beginning. I ponder what the year promises, what wonders, awe, and magic lie hidden within each day’s unfolding. On this, the last day, the ending, We remember moments, laughter, fears, and longings buried [...]
I’m working on building my gratitude muscles keeping them firm and steady. The first line of the poem "Two Weeks After a Silent Retreat" by Heather Lanier gives a gentle indictment of the times I lose my love, even if for a heartbeat. Lanier’s poem is one of many [...]
I don’t remember the first poem I ever read, but I have vivid memories of the first poems I heard. My mother read from the Little Golden Book of Poetry. The images hidden in the words took me to far-off lands, and the rhymes filled my young head with music. [...]
I fumed after reading my doctor’s note following my annual wellness visit. “Lose weight.” His advice? Eat more protein. Been there. I’ve passed through the hallowed halls of every diet plan available. My shelves are full of books, cookbooks, gluten-free, low-calorie, no fat, no sugar, no carbs. No. No. [...]
Three bodies wiggled in close. “One more, please, mommy, read one more!” The educator in me delighted in the interest my children took in the picture books we read every night—some every night. They each had a favorite. Tired from a long day, I enjoyed these quiet moments, but [...]
“Thirty days has September, April, June, and November.” 30 Days of Poetry The perfect number for any 30-day challenge, but April’s poetry marathon of 30 poems in 30 days consumed every creative moment I could squeeze into those days. Will I make this an annual event? Last year I [...]
