Something that is loved is never lost.
The function of freedom is to free someone else.
Ohio-born Toni Morrison (1931-2019) experienced the ultimate tributes given any novelist when she received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her ground-breaking novel BELOVED and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Her many awards and published works were a testament to her gifts as a writer.
Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.
Brene Brown (born 1965) is an American researcher and author. Much of her work has studied courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.
Make a new friend by picking up a book and getting to know it.
Books are just old friends waiting to be discovered.
Carmela Dutra is an American author. She excels as both a writer and illustrator.
I am with lanterns, looking for myself.
To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else.
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet. Little known during her life, Dickinson has become to be regarded as one of America’s most respected poets.
Searching for quiet respite
Following dreams, each detail
Escaping from mankind’s noise
Finding narrative’s hidden trail
Crossing nearby forest bridge
Forgetting work’s last email
Arriving at paradise
Sweeping away narrative’s veil
Discovering prairie ahead
Saddling up, each thought exhales
Envisioning where time stands
Framing narrative’s rhythmic scale
Scanning landscape’s tranquil scene
Treasuring every inhale
Climbing each majestic peak
Flying narrative’s parasail
Grasping reins tightly in hands
Riding forward to prevail
Looking for more tomorrow’s
Writing narrative’s precious tale
Modest home’s hidden treasures
Forgotten for many years
Covered in dusty cobwebs
Docked at legacy’s lost pier
Climbing rickety ladder
Stepping into lifetime past
Lonely attic’s been waiting
Ship’s sails secure at each mast
Granted permission to board
Organized in tidy rows
Yesteryears displayed with love
Past voyages say hello
Quartermaster, our tour guide
Opening one box, then more
Years from long ago, shine bright
Emotions begin to soar
Resurrected memories
Each surprise follows with more
Connecting life’s precious links
Echoes from past come ashore
From a ridgetop garden
Nature’s treasure hides out
Offering its harvest
Flora lives all about
Flowers blooming early
Winter now disappears
Colorful bouquets reign
Sweetest fragrances cheer
Warming springtime sunshine
Changes the ground cover
New, tender shoots of grass
Young deer will discover
Trellis roof shelters grapes
Ripen in summer’s sun
Fill with juicy flavor
Birds enjoy tasty fun
Apple and black walnut trees
Shading nature’s grand shrine
Fruit dropping to the ground
Squirrels and deer will dine
Former home site lives on
Garden paradise waits
Coming alive each spring
Winking back at its mates
All of the photographs were taken during a couple of recent morning walk at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park, which is just minutes away from Canal Winchester, Ohio. The hilltop garden remains long after the house (built in the 1930s) was abandoned. I was blessed to spend several minutes photographing a very cooperative deer while I was quietly standing near a tree.
Originally published July, 2020.
Shifting paradigm
Lifetime of transformation—
Human poles reversed
Sensing empty tank
Journey’s destiny now waits—
Pause life’s clock, refuel
Adding one more thought
Searching for life’s unusual—
Never pigeon-holed
The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds.
Nine tenths of education is encouragement.
Anatole France (1844-1924) was a renowned French poet, journalist, and novelist. In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for his lifetime of achievements.
Writing is the art of discovery.
Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.
Natalie Goldberg (born 1948) is an American author and speaker. In 1986, she published a well-received guide on creating a writing practice which has inspired numerous writers.
Big Sky Buckeye 