There is a secret peace
to be found in ordinary pleasures
The mundane and the profound
The jewels lay out before you
Stake your claim
It was always yours
You are sacred.
The creative process
The creative process is a return to wholeness
It is a journey and often I surprise myself
The twists and turns appear before my eyes
It’s a beautiful thing to be exactly as you are
And here I am, being exactly who I am meant to be
not supposed to, ideals, or outside dictation
of what should or ought to be
But just me. A woman and her pen
playing with words and seeing what shows up
wit or wisdom, I never know
until the pen is done scrawling across the page
and my heart reaches out to tell you so
The challenge
It is a challenge to find your footing
when all the weight of the world feels piled on your shoulders
Yet we go out there and perform like a circus act
Day after day whether we want to or not
Some days feel easy breezy
Some days it’s hard to get your foot out the door
The energizing sun brings the spotlight
We don’t get blinded by the vastness or our greatness
We steady ourselves with the faith to do what is necessary
And do - we do - in due time
Today it’s my turn
Tomorrow yours
We walk a fine line but we are never alone
A blizzard of epic proportions
Snow descended from the sky
white covered our heads, land, and air
Everything came to a standstill:
no work, no school, nowhere to go
We huddled and waited
warm arms and hearts
Yet my winged neighbors could not be still
They lunged at the feeder as it spun
clutching on for some seed
I’d like to think I helped them
survive the storm with purpose
Our windows were covered in white snow
making it almost impossible to look out
We had to wait for the worst of the worst
before we could venture out
wind howled and I held my breath
watching the cardinals and sparrows gave me strength
if they could weather this storm
– outside no less –
I could and would too
Finally we opened the front door
Snow greeted us and dropped
onto our heads and carpeted floor
Determined with shovels in hand
we stepped out into this three-feet snow-covered land
to dig our way out and back into the world
Fury and Might
Bright blue sky with a half moon
Snow stubbornly clung to the limbs of the maple tree.
The winds howled in fury and might.
How will all of nature’s critters survive this long night?
Their fluffy feathers and huddled flock
got them through the darkest of the dark
and in the morning they greet me still
They nibble and grab the seed in my feeder
and gather their strength once more
Despite the fury and might
We might just get out of this blistery cold without a fight.
The fright is aplenty as any can show.
I still enjoy the spectacle of snow
The fire’s aglow and it keeps us warm.
I dare not step outside again
Come spring we celebrate
the darkest of the dark we weathered
and grew in wisdom and time
Inner resilience and self-reliance
can get us through this storm
Lunar New Year Blessing
Each day is a gift:
a moment to pause
and notice
the many gifts all around us.
The web of interconnection,
The magic of energy
that surrounds us.
The quiet of silence,
A wing and a prayer
of wishes and glad tidings.
A shift in perspective
creates peace in our hearts
to love, to feel joy.
That belonging and wholeness
we all crave deep inside
the jewel of our chest.
The spark of life force
This is a gift to behold,
to marvel and wonder.
there is no limit to
the many gifts that surround us
envelope us in their light.
A warm heart and opened arms
We take flight in this safety
hearts sing and
Love soars and
propels us to
what’s next in our
journey we call life
unknown
and unfolding
possibility
with joy
An Artist’s Life
An artist’s life is not just
a pie in the sky scheme
It’s a lifestyle
To catch the word
to speak the sound
to alchemize thought into visual medium
The canvas is mine
my tool of choice, a pen
armed with these two tools, the world opens up wide
new discoveries, personas, and story
brought to life
I am one of the trusted scribes
A persistent life of art is a good one
quiet, calm or filled with beauty
the words scrawl across the page
I am an artist,
a scribe with her pen
I make meaning of life
Life has more meaning
I feel grounded and connected
and I get to share my gift with you.
All is held
All is held here
a buried treasure inside
Nature’s patterns tell the story
The answer lies within
each leaf, branch and twig
strong yet bending to the forces outside
a rip, a tear, a break
Everything has its limit
the trick is to go to the edge
before it cracks
to have the strength and know when
to back off and let be
Landscapes
I.
Landscapes and borders blend
pitfalls, unknown, lie ahead
with stable footing I step forward
to peer over the edge
eternity and reality converge
one point just out of focus
trance-like, translucent
I breathe in this space
Place out of time
in its own rhythm and rhyme
We all have these seasons
There doesn’t need a reason
Just allow it to unfold
The blending will mend
what needs tending.
trusting the process
I look over the horizon.
dreams become reality
II.
deep tones
light and shadow
swim in the sea before me
culminating a crescendo
of sound and fury
a powerful force indeed
III.
Blend and meld
We are one
Where I end and you begin
is just a figment of the imagination
Words are Spells
Words are spells
silence is complacency
Words can uplift and inspire
a promise for progress
We can be the change we seek in the world
with positive, cooperative speech
It is not toxic positivity or ignoring reality
it is creating a constructive discourse
to get from here to there
without remorse or regret
Today we stand at the threshold
between what was and what will be
my words can shape a future
to be proud of, where my children
and grandchildren will thrive
The choice is ultimately mine.
Silence is not golden.
Silence is complacency.
We stay in the dark with silence
Words are that beacon of light
of hope, of remembrance, of what could be
The world is filled with beauty
and opportunity
and I will be silenced no more
My words will not divide but defy
the status quo to stay small and quiet
It is an inner rebellion that ripples out
Remember, words are spells
Healing Insights 