“It is the image in the mind that links us to our lost treasures; but it is the loss that shapes the image, gathers the flowers, weaves the garland” ~ Colette
Sometimes, when I’m really listening, I hear the sound of my mom’s voice calling my name from the distant past. I picture her tilting her head back with her chin to the air, her beautiful long chestnut colored hair framing her face and letting out a breathy laugh. I see my mom wearing her red apron tied around...
Make it Your Own. Honoring Tradition: Family Rituals & Recipes
Is there a scent that takes you back to the sweetness of your childhood? During the holidays did your family share a traditional meal together? Is there a holiday movie you watched ritually each season, like Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, or Home Alone? Do you crave the taste of a traditional family recipe from your or someone dear to you?
Traditions are stories or rituals that are passed on from generation to generation. Traditions give us a sense of...
If I envy anyone it must be
My grandmother in a long ago
Green summer, who hurried
Between kitchen and orchard on small
Uneducated feet, and took easily
All shining fruits into her eager hands.
That summer I hurried too, wakened
To books and music and circling philosophies.
I sat in the kitchen sorting through volumes of answers
That could not solve the mystery of the trees.
My grandmother stood among her kettles and ladles.
Smiling, in faulty grammar,
She praised my fortune and urged my lofty career.
So to please her I studied- but I will remember always
How she poured...
Publishing isn't Everything: Writing Regardless of Outcome
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”—John Lennon
I am going to go dive right in and ask some questions - Have you ever pondered the somewhat uncomfortable question, “what is your purpose in life?” Are you restless about your reality and what path you chose? Do you think about what you could have done? Are you so busy being busy that you forgot about dormant hopes and dreams from a younger and more hopeful past? Do you...
I Forgot My Mantra
The phrase “I forgot my mantra” is from 1977 Best Picture winner and my favorite Woody Allen film, Annie Hall. Jeff Goldblum made a cameo appearance, giving this famous, solitary line.
In my late 20’s, I watched Annie Hall for the first time and rewound Goldblum’s scene over and over again. This brilliant bit depicts a man who is struggling to grasp the motions of a solution that’s eluding him. It resonated with me because it mirrored my life--desperately seeking more love and attention...
