Words from the Heart

Roger often brings me home "treats" from the library.  He knows that I seldom have time to peruse the stacks.  In fact, I usually only go to the library if I know what I need. So, his frequent "findings" are always a delight! Last week, he came home with a real treasure of a book, Find the Good: Unexpected Li f e Lessons from a Small-town Obituary Writer , by Heather Lende . Yes, you read correctly, "obituary writer!"  I was intrigued and delighted from get-go. Heather writes about how being the obituary writer for her small town in Alaska brought her wisdom, which she lovingly shares in this book.  These are great life-lessons like, "Be sure your dog walks you, or Put on a costume now and then, and , one of my favorites, "Listen to your mother," to name a few. In her telling of the lives of the people she knows, loves and respects, she finds the lessons that she relates to her own life.  She tells her tales as one would if they w...

When I was first asked to read Deranged , by Nora L. Jamieson , I was drawn by the fact that the promo for it said it was a book with three stories about three woman. "Each woman wrestles with forces, both personal and ancestral..." the letter read.  I was hooked. Nora Jamieson takes the reader on a journey where paths cross, lives change, time merges and magic abounds. Her characters - Anna, Sophie and Louise - are alive and vibrant.  I know these women!  I connected immediately with the use of "deranged" within the stories.  Not sure if this is a New England term or not (Nora lives in Connecticut; I live in Massachusetts.) but I have heard the word used many times over the years in the same context as her stories. Nora's descriptions of the natural world are alive with color, motion, sound, smell and even the bitter/sweet taste of life.  The reader can get lost in the woods along with the characters, yet feel that they know the way home.  There ...

Tomorrow, we will go to the Clark Museum to see the special exhibit they have on Van Gogh and Nature.  I am so excited! Vincent has long been my favorite painter of all time.  His Starry Night (pictured above) is "my" picture!  When I was little, I truly thought he had painted it for me. At the beginning of this year, I picked the word "light" to meditate upon and use as a creative prompt.  When I think of Vincent's paintings, I think of his use of light and dark.  I haven't seen one in which he hasn't played with both the brilliant, bright colors along with the dark, and sometimes, broody ones. Vincent knew how to paint "light." Over the years, I have honored my favorite artist with a poem or two.  Here, in celebration of seeing his work, in celebration of Light and Dark, in celebration of Vincent Van Gogh, are my poems. Vincent’s Sky    In a life, long before now,  you painted swirling lines of fire,  scattered across ...