Words from the Heart

Easter is upon us and as families around me prepare for this holy of holy days, my thoughts are lingering in the past. Now that my daughters are grown with families of their own, there are some things about Easter that I truly miss . I know that it may seem crazy, but I miss the joy of creating special outfits for them each year. Most of the time, I made their dresses, trying to pick just the right color fabric for their individual personality rather than dressing them identically. In addition, I would immerse myself in the pattern books, searching for something that could be individualized with different collars, different sleeves, or different trim.  I even enjoyed recreating their Easter bonnets each year to match their new outfits. Another task I miss greatly is picking out flowers to bring or send to my mother.  Momma almost always got hyacinths from us, but every so often we would find tulips or daffodils that were so unique that we just had to get those, i...

Yesterday was the first day of spring.  What a glorious day it was! The sun was shining and the garden was showing signs of Nature's re-awaking. Daffodils and crocus were pushing through the brown leaves left from last fall.  But, last night winter stormed back in like a spoiled toddler that wants to stay longer at the party leaving an inch or so of white stuff all over the green of spring sprouts. My heart sank as I walked to my snow-encrusted car.  I want spring! Then, as quickly as it came, the snow disappeared.  By the time I left work for home, the snow was gone...completely!  In its wake were more buds, more green, more spring life bursting forth! At that moment, I remembered what a dear friend had told me... spring snows are Nature's vitamins for the Earth.   May we be like the tenacious spring blossoms that in spite of unexpected snows still burst through with their beauty.  Bloom where you are!   Blessings!!

Photo Credit: (c) 2014 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas With the feast of St. Patrick quickly approaching and my book on Ireland still "in the works," I decided to share some of the inspired poems from my time in the Emerald Isle.  Nestled in the Ocean     Tectonic plates slammed together,  creating a land of mountains and valleys  so rich, so green that once there  the soul is changed forever.  Glaciers gripped the land,  leaving behind treasures that  still boggle the mind of those  who study the comings and goings  of stones and minerals.  Fifty-three and a smidgen degrees North  Six and a speck degrees West,  surrounded by wild blue ocean,  covered in heather and peat,  my ancestors lay silent,  part of a historic fabric sewn  in blood, sweat, tears and rainbows.  LMRN © 2014     O’Riordan –The King’s Poet When I was half-past six years old,  the wo...