Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. We are not handed a guide at birth entitled Fail-proof Steps to Living This Life. As such, I’ve lived most of my life through a lot of trial and error–heavy on the error side. I’ve also learned that sometimes I just have to take the next right step and … More The Next Right Step
Great Egret, Ardea alba, Summer 2017 Lake Pine, Apex NC “Through these woods I have walked thousands of times. For many years I felt more at home here than anywhere else, including our own house. Stepping out into the world, into the grass, onto the path, was always a kind of relief. I was not escaping … More The Arena of Delight: Meeting the Great Egret
“Why love what you will lose? There is nothing else to love.” ~Louise Glück I said goodbye to my brother this past weekend. Bill, who wasn’t my brother by birth but by choice and childhood proximity, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer. The doctors told him he probably wouldn’t survive past Thanksgiving. He did. … More Love, Family, Joy, and Grief: Saying Goodbye
I’m thinking of my mom today. It’s hard to believe she’s been gone nine years this month. Somehow, it seems like she is both still with me–only a phone call away–and also that she’s been gone for a lifetime. Both statements are true. It has been a lifetime ago. I’m not the same person that … More Mothers, Daisies, and Time
Originally posted on Giving Voice to My Astonishment:
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” This quote by Thich Nhat Hanh is one of my favorites. It always reminds me of the fairy tale, “The Ugly Duckling.” The duckling claims his…
“Through these woods I have walked thousands of times. For many years I felt more at home here than anywhere else, including our own house. Stepping out into the world, into the grass, onto the path, was always a kind of relief. I was not escaping anything. I was returning to the arena of delight. … More These Woods
it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world. ~Mary Oliver~ Photo taken by me at Fearrington Village, Pittsboro NC, October 2016.
I’m going through a time of transition. I wrote about resetting my compass in my last blog post. Boy, have I been resetting my compass, changing directions, and feeling a little windtossed, uncertain, scared, and excited. In my time of need, who helps me to feel brave and confident that I am stumbling down … More In the Meantime…
“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.” Mary Oliver, A Poetry Handbook I agree with Mary Oliver: Poetry is as necessary as food. Poetry is also a life … More Poetry for the Journey
This is the lake behind my house. Every time I walk past here I see something new, something beautiful, something that stops me in my tracks and makes me slow down to take notice. It’s a smallish lake, but when intentionally observed, it seems rather large. The day I shot this video on my iPhone, … More Mother Nature Showing Off
Giving Voice to My Astonishment 
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