Writing has been a kind of saving grace for me throughout this pandemic. I have spent many hours focusing on a China memoir that I hope will be done before long. Other tasks like writing a Lenten reflection, keeping a…
willowoak520
Neighbor Talk
Like snowdrops emerging, the warming sun this week has drawn neighbors outside and allowed us to chat without freezing for longer moments than in previous months and weeks. I could not resist crossing the street and yard boundaries to see what was happening in others' lives.
A Year of Lent
What am I giving up for Lent? This year, that question seems weirdly out of place like a pot of mud on a dinner table. It seems like an artificial exercise for those who are privileged. I would be ashamed…
Ephemeral
In this month of February, Black History Month, I also think of the short but significant lives of Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, and others who sacrificed their lives to speak truth and promote justice. Though their lives were brief and lovely as the snowfall, their words still resonate, flowing through time like the stream in the forest. I want to believe that it will also be so for many others whose lives were cut short by the virus.
A Birthday in Time of COVID
Flowers from my husband The first indication I had that a birthday was coming up was a card from the local retirement center. Wait! I thought. How can I be old enough to be hearing from them. Somehow, I have…
Sunken Cities
How would I celebrate my birthday this month in the midst of the pandemic, I wondered. Getting on a plane was out of the question. Finally, I settled on doing short excursions not so far from home. So Wednesday eve,…
Snow Cookies and Little People
One casualty of COVID has been the absence of children in our lives--with a few exceptions. During a lovely snowfall a few weeks ago, our neighbor's children set up a "kitchen" to make snow cookies. As the snow became a…
Wreath Stories
This wreath had its beginning in my sister-in-law's back woods in Minnesota in October. She encouraged me to find and wrap my own grape vines while she gathered hers. The circle of vines traveled with us in our car back…
Sustaining our Souls
The brilliant moon rise over Massanutten mountain last night lifted my spirits, assuring me once more that not all things that can be touched by the virus. Beauty in tangible form continues to awe. And where the sources of beauty…
A Taste of Hope
Like the flash of blue gray-- the flutter of wings-- among the yellowing leaves of the willow oak, we catch only a glimpse of what could be, what might be in this still unsettled season-- carried on wings of hope.…
