This morning, the silver half moon dressed in a gauzy pink gown looked down on me as I drank my coffee. I have been troubled lately by the sad vicissitudes of life. Sometimes, my good fortune and all my skills for staying calm and happy are not enough to hold my life in place. But, when I can’t calm myself, I turn to Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sky. I find my ancestors among the stars.
I long for snow today, but so far, we only have drizzle. There is something so peaceful about snow. And so beautiful. I have a book of Monet’s paintings of snow that, in lieu of snow, I’ll open and enjoy today. I also have a book of photographs of snowflakes. Meanwhile, I’ve got a fire, a cozy chair and Sweet and Spicy tea. It’s wonderful writing weather. I have a new job writing book reviews for Psychotherapy Networker. This month I am reviewing Dacher Keltner’s “Awe.” It’s an excellent January-in-Nebraska read. Happy New Year, dear friends.
A wonderful read, and a wonderful idea!![]()
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How an unconnected phone on a nature trail is bringing comfort to grieving people | CBC News
www.cbc.ca
Deer Lake's "wind phone" is helping people feel connected to loved ones they've lost.
Some time ago, I was invited to speak at the new Crete library. I no longer do public events and I turned down the kindly librarian. However, to my surprise, I kept thinking about Crete. Eventually, I asked the librarian if I could accept her offer.![]()
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In the mid-1950s, when my family lived in Dorchester, my mother had hospital privileges in Crete. I would wake early to ride along with her. Then, while she made rounds, I’d sit in the waiting room. Sometimes there’d be babies in a window that opened into the nursery. I’d watch those babies and wonder about their future. ![]()
Last Sunday I drove down to the library. It was a beautiful facility built on a hill. I spoke in a light-filled room with tables for the audience members. When the librarian introduced me, she mentioned that the new library was built on the site of the old hospital.![]()
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Suddenly I understood why I found myself in this place. I could see my mother with her white doctor’s jacket and a stethoscope looped around her neck. As she walked toward me, I could hear her high heels clack along the hospital’s linoleum corridor. I embraced her the only way I could. With my words.![]()
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In the great kaleidoscope of time, a doctor dies, a girl becomes an old woman, and a hospital becomes a library.
(With the caveat that I am NOT a poet...)![]()
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The season is turning.![]()
The last of the orioles and hummingbirds have flown south.![]()
The rabbits’ fur has thickened.![]()
The mums and the pumpkins sit on the porches.![]()
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And what about us?![]()
We dig out our heavy coats and find the windshield scrapers.![]()
We turn from walking trails to libraries,![]()
from salads to stews.![]()
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We return from our travels and ![]()
See the faces of our old friends. ![]()
They are our down comforters who will keep us warm ![]()
against even the harshest of winters.