“Mom,” my daughter says as she nestles next to me, as if a chick under the mother hen’s wing. She couldn’t possibly get any closer. “I wrote a new poem. Read it.” Elya drove an hour on a Sunday afternoon to draw strength from being around family. She hands me her phone and I read …
Life Pauses
When life pauses, rather than fill in the silence, become someone you can be proud of. Sometimes life pauses—forces you to be alone, suspended in a season void of purpose. You go through a divorce, lose a job, encounter an empty nest, or have a friend move. At other times, a life pause is as …
Become a Hermit for a Day
I often wonder when I became a hermit. Not, actually, in real life, mind you, but in my heart’s home. I used to be an extrovert, drawing energy from the crowd. Now, I sip on a sunrise and savor the silence. A day alone delights me. Even though my husband is off to work on …
Promises to Keep
"Besides, I have promises to keep." This sentence from Christine M. Grote's recent post, "Why do I Do This," captivated me. I poured over her words and then sucked them into my soul as if nectar from heaven. Here is an excerpt: "This is one of those days where I wonder why I do this. Do …
Save the World One Painting at a Time
This post features my daughter's idea for merging her passion for painting with her desire to change the world: What is your passion? What is your dream? When I was a little girl, I wanted to save the world. I didn’t know what that even meant at the time, but somehow I knew that it …
An Ache to Paint
Sunday evening before I drifted off to sleep, I had a scene from the movie, “The Notebook,” in my mind. In this scene, the main character, Allie, is sitting in the art studio that Noah, her lover, designed with her in mind. Joy radiates from her face as she holds a paintbrush to the canvas. …
Lazy Rivers of the Mind
Have you ever wanted to be… a person of calm someone who floats with, instead of fights against the current? Two summers ago, my best friend, Barbie, and I decided to do just that. During a visit with her in beautiful Colbert, Washington, we decided to float down the Little Spokane River that flows across …
Hold onto the Feather of Fate
I once found a little feather in my classroom. From out of nowhere, the feather floated down until it landed upon my desk. I immediately thought about the movie, “Forest Gump,” and the little feather that floated around him as he sat on the bench. I understood the floating feather to be symbolic of the …
Leoness Vineyard Part II
This is the second post about the Leoness Vineyard in Temecula California. You can read the first post by accessing this link: Leoness Vineyard, Temecula Wine Country. I wanted to post a few more photos of this amazing place and the delectable food. READ THE ENTIRE POST...
JoDee Luna Art 