May you have a blessed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!
Merry Christmas!
Valentine’s Day: A Reality Check
I wrote Valentine’s Day: a Reality Check because I felt most of the things we’d swear we’d do to prove our love when we’re dating are pretty useless. Wonderfully romantic but useless. After fifteen years of marriage, I want promises that at least shake hands with reality.
Once upon a time you promised you’d …
Climb rugged mountains,
Cross the wildest seas,
Crawl through burning deserts
To prove your love to me.
That’s nice. But what I really need is someone who …
Suffers my uncle who never stops talking from the second he walks in,
Endures my bachelor brother who knows the best way to parent,
Puts up with my grandmother who hasn’t said a kind word in years.
If you can do all that, then I won’t promise to …
Brave a tornado,
Hack through the thickest jungle,
Battle a blizzard
To prove my love to you.
But I will swear to …
Suffer your mother who thinks no one is good enough for you,
Endure your sister who is always trying to convert me to her latest cause,
Put up with your stepfather who sticks to his favorite subject: him.
… and we will live happily ever after.
Writing Tip — Just for Fun
A haiku for the month. Sometimes our most significant victories are the quietest.
Writing Tip — Just for Fun
On Friday, I posted on my Facebook and Instagram pages that when I took my morning walk last week, the gloomy weather and the shortening days inspired a poem. I had to do some work on it, but some parts seemed to write themselves. It sums up my feelings for December.
And the way through the woods was dark.
The way through the woods was cold.
But I followed the path. I had to
Although it was faint and old.
The way through the woods grew darker.
The way through the woods grew colder.
But I trudged on. I had to
Though the cold weighed like a boulder.
The way through the woods went black.
The way through the woods disappeared.
And I stopped and stared. I had to
As my heart thudded with fear.
Then a light through the woods flamed on.
A light through the woods shone warm.
And I gazed at the light. I had to.
My only hope to find home.
The way through the woods was still dark.
The way through the woods was still cold.
But I walked on. I had to.
That light was better than gold.
Writing Tip — Just for Fun
This poem distills the essence of what October means to me. What are your favorite things about October?
