Constantly bombarded
By outside sources
A cunning attempt
To create doubt
Are you happy with your appearance?
Wouldn’t you like to be thinner?
Don’t you want to look younger?
If those wrinkles
Around my eyes
And in the corners
Of my mouth
Are tracing the years
Of laughter and tears
Why would I erase them?
If my body is
Telling the story
Of birthing three children
Loving the same man
For more than thirty years
And knowing the grief of loss
Why would I not let it speak?
I am a journey
Of experiences
And emotions
Spilling out
Along the road
For others to see
No apologies
Only grace
Accepted
And shared
Tag: beauty
Simply Sunday
Graduation Day!
Strength and Beauty
Were present
From the start
Kindness and
Consideration
Toward those
Different from her
Emerged early on
The intrinsic notion
That different
Does not translate
Into less than
That we all
Have a place
In this world
And sometimes
An advocate is needed
To help others
Realize their abilities-
Compassion
Turned to passion
Passion to action
Goals set
Challenges
Accepted-
A bright light
In my life since
The day she was born
And to countless others
Throughout her journey
Our sweet daughter, Rachel, graduated from KU today with her Master’s Degree! She is a high school special education teacher, specializing in transition services. We are so proud! ❤️
Take My Advice
Don’t blink
You might miss
Something
I suppose
The helpfulness
Of that advice
Depends on the
Something
Today, for me
It was a tree
First spotted last week
Soaking in the rain
Its leaves shining
Ruby red in the
Autumn breeze
Awake and alive
Capturing the attention
Of all who passed by-
One week later
The color has faded
Leaves have fallen
And yet, the tree
Remains strong
Standing beautiful
Another unseen ring
Added to its heart
So glad I didn’t blink
Simply Sunday
Dirt On My Hands
I am the first to admit I can be a little prim and proper regarding dirt and sweat. I have fun memories of playing in the mud as a kid. Didn’t bother me then.
Yesterday, I suggested we go by flowers to plant in our front bed. My husband agreed. But guess what? They don’t transplant themselves.
My job was taking the plants out of the pots, breaking up the soil, and carefully placing them in their new home. My hands got dirty. Black, rich soil even managed to get under my fingernails.
Before you pat me on the back, this was a short project. Only a little dirt and sweat. 😉 The results? Definitely worth getting a little dirt on my hands.
Grateful Visitor
This trail of dirt And rocks, a Guide calling me Into the forest Each step leading Further into The growing Canopy of green Shade hides the Light of the sun Lessens the effects Of its heat Cool breezes Dance past At the moment Most needed Cheerful leaves Wave from branches Fallen ones create A colorful carpet Birds sing songs In the distance As if calling me Guiding, encouraging Their lyrical invitation- Please come in! Meet some of the Other residents- Buzzing bees and Butterflies flit past As I sit and rest A grateful visitor
Snow Day
Today was the perfect snow day. An announcement was made last night that there would be no school today. That meant no need to set an alarm!
The sound of sleet falling woke me up around 4:00 A.M. Of course, I had no trouble going back to sleep. Our dog, Poppy, was the next to wake me up. Her trip outside was quick, and it was back to sleep again.
Around 7:00 A.M., I decided to make some coffee. This time, snow was falling! The grass and trees were covered with a beautiful white blanket. After a hot bowl of oatmeal, another cup of coffee, and a check of the news-it was time to go back to sleep.
That is the beauty of a snow day. It is certainly not something I can do on any given day. But when the opportunity arises, I don’t pass it up. The truth is, I repeated this coffee/sleep/news process one more time. Minus the oatmeal, of course.
The snow is such a beautiful reminder of fresh starts. Everything gets covered. Given a chance to rest. In a sense, forced to rest. To put away the responsibilities and worries of the day.
Yes, they will still be there tomorrow. But the extra physical rest may be just what I need to approach them with a clear head. Perhaps see them from a new perspective with renewed energy.
But for now, it is still a snow day. And I think it is time for a nap!
Going to Mars
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been fascinated with the moon, the planets, and stars. Being far away from the city lights, able to see uncountable numbers of celestial objects, was something I looked forward to. I don’t even begin to understand the science behind these bodies. What are they made of? How long have they been shining? Will they burn out? Despite my lack of scientific knowledge, my fascination is not diminished.
Today was an exciting day! NASA sent another object to Mars-the InSight Lander. It has been traveling on a seven-month, 300-million-mile journey, and today was landing day! Apparently, it is supposed to spend two years studying the inner workings of the planet by measuring seismic activity. I know enough to understand that means earthquakes on our planet.
My point is not understanding all of the science behind today’s events or their purposes for our society. It’s really about curiosity and how events such a this spur the imagination. Sharing this information with some of my students, watching live while the scientists waited on the landing, their anticipation and excitement were contagious.
Even though we could not visibly see the InSight Lander, there was a countdown scrolling along the bottom of the screen. With each goal that passed-heat shield working-heat shield separating-parachute deploying-students would gasp as if they’d been holding their breath. Once the landing was announced, they clapped and cheered right along with the scientists in that NASA project control room.
Of course, there were some funny moments too. More than one precious kiddo asked, “Are we sending a man to Mars or just a robot?” “Mrs. Morris, I’m so excited about a person going to Mars!” “Not a person…not a person.” Also a few concerned, confused looks. Possibly related to watching too many sci-fi movies or playing too many video games. With a little reassurance and my simplified explanations, they were at least able to understand the basics of what was happening, and know that we were not being attacked by Martians.
I’m sure there will be some interesting conversations tonight if students are asked what they did in music class today. Who knows? Maybe that little detour from our music lesson sparked some new interest. It certainly reminded me of the beauty not only in our world but also in our universe.
We may not be able to see it all up close and personal, but we can appreciate it by simply gazing at the night sky, looking through a telescope, or viewing images taken in space and transmitted back to Earth…from a camera on a capsule…which traveled for seven months…and then landed on Mars.
I can’t wait to show my students the first image that was sent back from the surface of Mars today!
Piano Girl 