Happy Earth Day!

"Today, may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May  you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourselves and others. May you use these gifts that you have received and pass on the the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us." Saint Terese of Liseaux

When we are aligned within ourselves, we can then joyfully and graciously attend to those and the world around us. I hope that Earth Day reminds your of the importance of caring for yourself, your neighbor and your world.  

Low Tide Delights

Hoppy Easter

Happy Easter Weekend

May your heart's deepest longings burst out into the light and may you know that you are worthy, that you are loved and that you are perfect just the way you are in this moment and in the next...

They're Here, They're Here

A flock of 12 Sandhill Cranes just flew over our house....

I Can See Summer From Here

Low Tide Delights

Zip and I took advantage of the -3 foot tide this morning and enjoyed the Spit Beach, where we delighted in the sand, light, warmth and quiet calm.

When my soul seeks comfort
I wander the pebbled shores
Each wave welcomes me home
And I am filled by the sea.

 

Spring Migration - And so it Begins

Geese, ducks and swans are returning and woodland birds greet each morning with song. Our nighborhood has been blessed with a Great Gray Owl pair as well, calling late in to the night.

And so it begins, this resurrection of spring.

Poem A Day - Day 15 - Love and Anti-Love

Love

Tall trees

Reaching ever upward tilting forward

Shedding leaves like a winter jacket

Naked bare, then blooms bursting

Bend and creak

The lifting breeze sways you so

Nesting birds, crawling ants, a squirrel hides chattering chattering

Splendid form with roughened skin where bodies lean

Ancient roots and layers of years

Your life force calling

Calling out to me

Anti-Love

Raging fire

Scorches through the forest

Shaking canopy

Knocking large timbers to their knees

Exposed roots

Charcoal trunks

Leaving a desolate wasteland

Carpet of dark black soot carves a path through the distance

Timbers

Shrubs

Birch and pine

Needles splayed in dying embers

Ancient legacy of primeval story

Smoldering stillness envelopes the woods

Pause

Breath

Dripping sap

Sprouting green

Singing lark

Life force calling

Calling out to me

Camino de Santiago - Still Walking

Buen Camino: A Pilgrim's Journey is my exhibit of photographs from my time on the Camino de Santiago in the fall of 2011. This exhibit will be on display at the Homer Public Library for the months of April, May and June. 

Tonight, I'll give a talk and slideshow presentation during the opening reception. This will be the ninth presentation I've given in various States as well as in Canada on my 500 mile walk across Spain! I'm thrilled that there is such overwhelming response to this pilgrimage. 

There is a new documentary out on the Camino: http://caminodocumentary.org/. I haven't seen it, but it has received good reviews.  Of course, the movie The Way was and continues to be a big hit to pilgrims and the curious.

Two and a half years after my Camino, I'm still walking...

 

Poem A Day - Day 14 - If I Were...

If I were a pencil
I would rewrite pages in the journals
that line my bedroom wall.

If I were a painting
I would hang tilted on an angle
just a bit off to the side.

If I were a flower
I would throw my scent out in to the night
for insomniacs to smell.

If I were a tree
I would bend my branches through your window
and kiss you while you sleep.

Write a Thon Writing - Fun & Productive!

Another fun write-a-thon has come and gone. Arriving in to Anchorage after a five hour drive, with just 15 minutes to spare, I found my seat and began to write.
 
During the four and a half hour writing frenzy, I was very productive, writing three poems and working on a prompt my friend Jackie suggested.  I also enjoyed interacting with other writers as well as the delicious food and drink that was provided - I am still coasting from the caffeine and sugar!

Thanks to everyone at 49 Writer's for hosting such a fun and lively event again this year. And thanks to everyone who sponsored my writing page, lending their support to 49 Writers, while cheering on my writing endeavors!

Poem A Day - Day 13 - Animal

As the sun rises, I lean in to the light

Ever-lengthening rays of spring

Grounding me gently, firmly

Planting roots in to warming soils

This heart reaching ever upward

A song of thanks, whispering caught on the wind

Carried beyond the horizon, beyond the clouds

Dancing, rising, soaring

Throat caught in the soft belly of my human animal

Upward into the ebb and flow of all that was, all that is, all that will ever be

Missing Henry

Henry passed away one year ago today. He is loved, missed and thought of often...

Homer Sunset and Moon

The view from our deck last night.  Imagine the beauty when it's actually a full moon.  Ah yes, we're blessed...and soon, the Sandhill Cranes will make their annual return and grace us with their haunting calls, delicate beauty and joyous flight above our house.

This is spring in our neck of the woods.

Poem A Day 12 - City

City Sounds that Frame my Days and Nights
(or: An Ode to Brooklyn)

Every morning they come

Rolling their carts up and down the empty streets

Plunk, plunk, plunk go the wobbly wheels

- These bottle pickers

Every afternoon they stroll

Bouncing their orange globes down the dusty sidewalks

Wham, wham, wham go the basketballs

- These young athletes

Every evening they ride

Revving their engines throughout the neighborhood

Boom, boom, boom go the stereos

- These hefty bikers

Every day they drag me from sleep

Pluck me from work

Keep me awake

-       These welcoming sounds