Wordle Poetry
I’m on the Wordle bandwagon, are you? The online puzzle game that has suddenly grabbed hold of millions has been a welcome distraction from other news and needs. Since I’ve started playing I’ve managed to solve every one within the allowed six guesses (I’m usually a solid 4.) You may be relieved to know that […]
Seeing Clearly
I am spending this week with my parents while my mother has cataract surgery. She’ll need it for both eyes eventually, but today they are beginning with her left eye. Seeing things clearly has been difficult for her for a while. Puzzles are harder. Reading takes much longer. Deciphering road signs is impossible. We are […]
Free French Fries!
Yesterday I got a free cupcake. It was my birthday, and I managed to be in the right place at the right time. Being free somehow made it taste better than if I had paid for it. But I probably wouldn’t have paid for it. It reminded me of a stop my husband and I […]
Losing Days and Paying Attention
I lost a whole day last week. All day last Wednesday I thought it was Tuesday. I suppose that’s either the mark of a really good vacation week or a really bad week all around. In hindsight, it was both. On the vacation front, I unplugged more than usual, took long walks with family, did […]
#AdventWord: Stir
The practice I’ve been following since Advent began has been to choose a daily poem that includes the AdventWord of the day. It’s introduced me to some beautiful poetry written by some brilliant poets. Many are brand new to me: the poems, the poets, or both. Today’s #AdventWord is STIR, and I had a hard […]
#AdventWord: Path
I’m using the words from AdventWord as writing prompts during this season. Each day has one word assigned to it. People around the globe are posting daily pictures, prayers, or writing, and sharing it with the hashtag #AdventWord. It’s lovely to see the variety of ways one word speaks to so many different people. My […]
#AdventWord: Strength
My email inbox is full of rich Advent content, overlapping in beautiful ways. Today’s #AdventWord is Strength. Today’s devotional from The Advent Project at the Center for Christianity Culture and the Arts included Denise Levertov’s powerful poem Annunciation, about Mary’s courage and strength, shared below. (Check out also the unusual painting Overshadowed by Patty Wickman, […]
7 Days of Gratitude
Here in the US, Thanksgiving is about a week away. For years I have said that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My reasons include the focus on gratitude, the food (pie!), the chance to gather with family, and the fact that it isn’t a church holiday, and doesn’t fall on a Sunday. (In my life as […]
The Banquet of Fall
Here in the mountains of North Carolina, fall unfolds like a stroll down a Thanksgiving buffet table. From September’s appetizers at the highest peaks to November’s desserts in the valleys, over 120 species of deciduous trees offer a banquet of beauty. To a kid from flat hot Florida, and a new resident of this part […]
Writing and Reading One True Sentence
Sometimes the words aren’t there. When the empty page, or blinking cursor begin to mock me, I remind myself to step away for a bit. I take the dog for a long sniffy stroll. Make a cup of coffee. Do a mindless but satisfying chore like fold laundry or empty the dishwasher. That can help. […]