Home

On April 17, 2015July 27, 2018 By buildingalifeofhopeIn Home, Life's Journey, memoir, poetry2 Comments

Credit: www.nickischroeder.com

Sometimes I want to retreat into that quiet

The space between the noise and the chaos

Abandon the trivial

Embrace the meaningful

The world whirls around me

And I stand in its eye

I want to leave the misery

and embrace only the joy

I want to sit in the early morning quiet

and listen as the earth wakes up

I want to hold close my loved ones

and soak in the ordinary moments

that give life to extraordinary memories

Small pieces of smiles

and laughter

loving tears and deep embraces

Day 16. Late, way past my bedtime. A lovely night at home with family. Enjoyed a delightful dinner with a bit of spirits. These are the days I will always remember.

Capturing a New Day

On April 15, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn poetry3 Comments

Last quarter moon in the first part of the day

Still high in the Eastern sky

The day is beginning to burst

The pond is composed

Presently unoccupied

Bullfrogs as yet to call their mates

The stream across the way

bubbles in contrast to the easy

manner in which her mother rests

Her brother runs faster

Rounding a bend in the road

Gliding over rocks and under

fallen trees who lay across

his banks in a final surrender

Back home a view of our sweet land

Snow hanging on in the back forty

Sunlight kissing the maples and birches

The bonfire pit anxious for a conflagration

And shoots of fresh grass

winning over the sleeping earth

Day 15. I woke up to see the last quarter moon outside my bedroom window. These photos were taken with my phone. Took the easy workout this morning, walking for an hour watching the golden sky light up and taking pictures of pretty places near the homestead.

Small Matters

On April 14, 2015April 14, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn Independent Woman, Love, RecoveryLeave a comment

Hi Folks! This is a post that I wrote when my blog was in its infancy stage- 4 months in. Per request, my soul sister, Emily asked that I re-post it. That’s the necklace she made in the photo! She is a talented metal worker and silver smith AND she is making the bands for my wedding in June! So fabulous to see how life has changed for the better. Enjoy the story!

Building A Life Of Hope

Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~ Scott Adams
Last week’s severe storm in my region had me thinking about the importance of small things in our daily lives. I was lucky to have been spared the worst of the disaster having lost power for just three days and not sustaining any property damage short of fallen branches. I missed my morning coffee that I brew in the pre-dawn hours and sip while getting ready for my day. Luckily, I live close enough to a Starbucks which opens at 5 am. What a treat! I drove there in the early morning darkness in my jammies and hoodie and savored each sip. I missed drying my hair but I was getting my haircut on day two anyway. My hairdresser does such a great job that my hair…

View original post 813 more words

Emerging Emergence

On April 14, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn poetry4 Comments

Credit: www.rgbstock.com

Yesterday I heard the spring peepers

Mother Nature’s front line amphibians

The cacophonous infantry that beat back Old Man Winter

The lone bumble bee also sounded the call

A buzzing scout announcing His final retreat

A butterfly dances across my line of vision

in search of a sip of succulent nectar

Today’s morning run doused my exposed skin

in the green scent of a warm shower

Precipitation that precedes the budding on the sleeping branches

Birds sang in a chorus

Chirps and twirps and rata-tat-tats

drowning out train whistles

and the early morning bustle of whooshing traffic

in the distance

We’re no longer afraid to hope…

Day 14. We’ve kept ourselves in a semi-permanent brace against the cold and snow since late January. I think we can finally let go and enjoy the flow that only Spring can bring!

Off the Hook

On April 13, 2015July 27, 2018 By buildingalifeofhopeIn memoir, poetry2 Comments

Shell seekers

Collectors of sand

Between seasons near the shore

Faces to the sun

Soaking up long lost rays

Mother Light

Solar Sister rides high in the April sky

Toes dipping in the Atlantic’s low tide

Water bluer than blue

Dogs romping

It’s their playground ’til summer starts to call

Day 13. A lucky day. Spent the morning at Plum Island with my oldest son gathering bits and pieces for June’s big day.

Heaven’s Newest Star

On April 12, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn poetry2 Comments

Credit: drearoblivion.blogspot.com

An afternoon stroll

Spring Sunday just beginning to reveal its glory

A walk with the tribe

My small band of pilgrims paying homage

Honoring a life well-lived

In the grief a sprinkling of joy was present

Certainly love was winning the day

Though you lived many years you left us too soon

A memorable woman whose heart beats within us

Day 12. A dedication to Barbara. A long time member of our faith community and our town whom we lost 3 days ago. Married for 6o years, mother to many, she leaves behind a legacy of love and kindness and earthly wisdom.

Skin to Skin

On April 11, 2015April 12, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn poetry3 Comments

Credit: en.wikipedia.org

When he first held her she was all skin and bones

Rail thin

Emaciated

Drawn looking with hollowed cheeks

He held her gently for fear she might break

She seemed as delicate as bone china

Seeds of romance were planted

Enriched in the soil born from gracious tending

Seedlings took root

Then were transplanted

Growing stronger with every lustful union

He wrapped her in white downy covers

Cocooning her and feeding her with the sweetness of his love

She began to bloom

A lustrous buttercup flower

Rounder

Displaying curves and small handfuls of flesh

She’s bursting

A luscious garden

Born again

Sown from seeds of love

Day 11. Inspired by one word: fleshy

What If I Missed It?

On April 10, 2015April 11, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn poetry1 Comment

Credit: www.dailybulldog.com

I thought I’d take a walk between the raindrops

A daily morning amble bordering on an obsessive need for fresh air

No walls of snow nor cold spring precipitation can deter me

A funky forest scent greets my nostrils- a deciduous odor-somewhere between death and rebirth

No one is near to rousing from sleep

The raw gray keeps their wakefulness away

I turn the corner passing a small grove

SNAP!

Branches breaking?

Squirrel scurrying?

I gasp, covering my mouth in whispered surprise

A trio of does meets my eyes

We stare in respectful silence

The whole world seems still

Morning mist begins to soak me

The air wraps me in its chill

Signs of life at last arrive

Cardinals cheerfully chirping

Mourning doves cooing their greeting

along and among and amidst

broken bows and mailboxes

bent from brumal blizzards

Though these days remain anemic and ashen

Small glimmers of a golden vision are emerging

My heart is anticipating a new inauguration

Day 10. Written at the end of a whirlwind of a work week. Happy Friday!

Roots and Routes

On April 9, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn poetry2 Comments

Credit: www.penandbell.com

Roads, paths, byways and highways

Places I have seen

People I have met

Those whom I have loved

They are beginning to exist in my memory

Dwelling in a happy space of a life well-lived

The long flat road of childhood

Pathways of the campus

The bustling avenue of a young woman

The winding lane of a small town

and the rolling hills that I have run upon

Streets pushing the strollers that carried my babies

The muddy country road in the mountains

and the long highway to John’s Island

Road trips, day trips, field trips and side trips

Mystery trips to the notches and beaches

I see them in my dreams

I have not yet reached the mountain top

and gladly so

Now I hold hands with my beloved

We stand at the gateway

Our eyes fixed on a new direction

Our hearts following their own path

Day 9. A dream scape poem that needed to be written.

Invisible Woman

On April 9, 2015 By buildingalifeofhopeIn poetryLeave a comment

Credit: vi.sualize.us

Kept out of sight

Shielded and veiled

Would the taste of sweet freedom ever prevail?

Used for another’s purpose and pleasure

She learned to keep secret her own inner treasure

No voice of her own

Living in fear of his twisted ire

She learned to tamp down her simmering fire

No voice of her own

Her movements dissected and judged

Her body reflected his ideal

Her intellect she learned to conceal

No voice of her own

‘Til one day she burst forth

A near nuclear force

Her voice shouted out

Now in plain sight

Unshielded and Unveiled

Her voice shouted out

Her treasure no longer hidden

No need to do his unending bidding

Her voice shouted out

Her world was on fire

No longer stuck in the muck and the mire

Her voice shouted out

The whole world could hear

No Fear! No Fear! No Fear!