I began 2010 thinking I would write a poem a day. That didn't happen. I have always loved poetry and try to read some everyday. It slows you down. Makes you think. When I worked in bookstores I had the privilege of meeting some wonderful poets. The bookstore supported local authors and also helped aspiring writers by giving them a place to read works in progress. We had poetry slams. We had "poetry in public"; a program where poets would leave their work around town in restaurants, banks, even restrooms. We supported each other. We had community. I've only shared my poems with a few people. Now that I am trying to live a literary life and not be afraid I thought I'd share a poem from January 4th, 2010.



A NEW YEAR
A neighbor has come with shovel in hand
and removed last night's snowfall from the driveway
making a path to my front door.
He did not knock at this early hour
but worked quietly.
I awakened to the sound of a shovel scraping against the pavement.
The snow crunching underfoot.
Sound fading as he worked his way down the drive.
I sat perfectly still in my house.
I did not want to open the front door for fear of breaking the spell.
let acts of kindness fall like snowflakes today.

A Sacred Pause

I have had many false starts with this blog. My inner critic tells me I'm wasting my time . I should be doing other more productive things with my time. It's a type of narcissism to sit here and write my thoughts, poems, short stories for others to read. I am by nature insecure. Lately, I have been wanting a writing life; whatever that may mean. I used to think I needed the perfect place. A writer's retreat. A cabin in a beautiful setting filled with books and art. Tastefully arranged. I want to look out the window above my desk and see a mountain or a lake. I have a book called A ROOM OF HER OWN by Chris Maddon. It's filled with stories and photos of women's personal places of retreat and creativity. All I need to do is leaf through this book and I am transported . Books do that to you. I am working on my own "room of her own". I am working on a creative life. I hope to share what I'm working on here. Things I've written, things I'm reading. Bookstores I've visited. Authors I've met.

Yesterday, I was gifted with spending part of the afternoon with Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr. She is a writer, poet, mystic, retreat director and Benedictine nun from St. Scholastica Monastery in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. She is the author of six books: A TREE FULL OF ANGELS, SEASONS OF YOUR HEART, THE SONG OF THE SEED, GOLD IN YOUR MEMORIES, BEHOLD YOUR LIFE, AND THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. Her most recent work is SEVEN SACRED PAUSES. It is a book of reflections on the monastic hours of the day. It is an ancient way of mindfulness and a way to honor the hours in our days .The sacred pauses are vigils or the night watch, lauds or morning prayer, terce or the third hour, sext or the sixth hour, none, the ninth hour, vespers or evensong and finally compline or night prayer.These are the real pauses that refresh our spirits. Sr. Macrina's books are full of refreshment and gentle guidance. She is a good companion on the journey. I enjoyed our visit. Heart(our deepest self) speaks to heart.

I started this blog more than a year ago. It was to be a place to send my signal to the world. Inspired by the words of writer Jon Katz ( who was quoting the poet, Mary Oliver) I thought I had a signal to send but I didn't. Now I'm beginning again. I hope to post some poems soon.

Sending my signal to the world

My favorite blogger of late is the author Jon Katz. He writes a blog about his farm in upstate New York called Bedlam Farm. Some of you may be familiar with his books about his dogs and hospice work and basically about his life journey so far. he says to send your signal to the world. So here I am.