“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 …
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 …
Ruffled Feathers
A red-breasted robin builds her nest in a rusty metal light covering outside. I’ve perched my chair next to the sliding glass door so I can snap photos. Morning dew dances upon blankets of green grass and pine trees stretch their branches into the blue sky. My husband and I are on a hotel finding adventure …
The Heron of Hope
My brother tells of a heron that is hunting squirrels around his barn. He sees the big bird in his mind’s eye as he describes this odd occurrence to me at a family gathering. “JoDee, there’s a heron hanging around our barn. It’s this tall I tell you.” He motions with his hand. I wonder …
The Treasures of Family
Easter was a wonderful day spent with family and a couple of our close friends. We milled in and outside of my parents’ home, warmed by the sun that danced upon the green Leona Valley hills of my childhood home. I noted the simple, rich moments through the lens of my camera. My brother lifted …
JoDee Luna Art 