Words from the Heart

(c) 2018 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas For the past five years, I have picked a word that I have used as a focus for the coming year. To pick the word, I have put various words in a hat and picked one out; randomly opened to a page in a book and used the first word I saw; and chosen a certain numbered word of an email. This year, I used a random word for the year tool online .  This year's word is "know."  What I find interesting about this is that last year, my word was intuition. The ability to intuit things is different from knowing. Intuition is about trusting feelings around something; whereas, "to know," according to dictionary.com means: to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty: I know the situation fully.   to have established or fixed in the mind or memory: to know a poem by heart; Do you know the way to the park from here? to be cognizant or aware of: I know it. My intuition tells me I have a lot ...

Halfway to through the 30 Days in November! Challenge. As promised, this year, I am writing poems for each and every person who donates to my page as my thanks for believing in me. This poem was a joy to write. Hannah and I became friends through the friendship of our daughters. The minute we met, something clicked. We "knew" each other even though we had never met before. For me, this is a special kind of friendship...one that I believe comes from above when we most need someone who understands us.  Thank you, HH for all your support, love, understanding and kindness over the years we have known each other. You are a special Light in this world. Shine bright, my dear sister!!  Now, here is your poem:  Ties That Never Break  From the moment we met,  friendship - kinship wrapped  an intricate knot around us.  We are sisters of the soul,  best friends forever,  kindred spirits,  who giggle over cups of endless tea,...

November is only a short couple of days away and I am anticipating with much joy the challenge of writing poetry every day of the month. Those who know me know who much I love poetry. This challenge allows me, as I said in my profile, to promote "Liberty and Literacy for All!" Won't you help me by donating to the challenge?  A typical donation is $30 (a dollar a poem) but you can give whatever you can - every dollar helps and it won't go to waste!  Go to this link to learn more:   https://cnam.org/civicrm/pcp Here is a little glimpse of what you can expect through November from me.  This one is from the first 30 Days I participate in when I first joined Center for New Americans. AIRMAIL  I whispered -  an ocean away-  to la Luna Bella  hoping that you -  standing on another shore -  would hear the message  only meant  for the ears of  my “querido amigo”  © 2013  Linda M. Rhinehart Neas ...

The Suicide Letters of Jack Monroe  by Mary Maurice is a psychological journey travelled through the letters of Jack and a woman named Susan Jordan. From his first letter to Susan, the reader is drawn into a web of intrigue and mystery. Who is Jack and why is he writing so prolifically to Susan?  Why does she take so long to answer him?  Author, Mary Maurice's poetic prose of her descriptions of the Southwest cast a gentle light on the weighty subject of suicide. The letters read as if someone is speaking to you, personally, pulling the reader into the drama.  If you enjoy psychological mysteries, this book will certainly get your Jungian sensibilities peeked. I enjoy mysteries, which is why I signed up to host this book for its maiden blog tour.  A warning, though: as I read through the chapters, I quickly realized that this was also a psychological drama that might cause issues for those with PTSD. There are portrayals of the suicide of a pare...

Me on the occasion of my first birthday! I am at the end of my natal anniversary and thought I would share some thoughts and wisdom from 65 years on this beautiful, blue planet we call home with gratitude to all who have traveled this journey with me. I would love to share 65 bits of enlightenment, but perhaps we will go with nine as that is my favorite number and the number of my birth month as well as the total number of my birth day and year.  1. Love is the most powerful force on Earth. Never let time pass without telling those you love that you love them.  Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. 2. Children are our greatest asset. We are all responsible for maintaining and healing our Mother, Earth for them. 3. Dancing at random moments in the kitchen or out in the driveway or in the grocery store aisle with the one you love is such a gift, to yourself, your partner and anyone who gets the privilege of witnessing the dance. 4. Never - NEVER - forget to say ...

Some days, it feels like I am walking in the fog. (c) 2011 LMRNeas In this post, I will be discussing the pros and cons of a silent illness as it appears with family and friends. Since I cannot speak for every person with a silent illness, I am inviting those who also suffer to add their voices to this post by sharing their stories. When we tell our stories, we help ourselves as well as others. ~~~~ I began having arthritis symptoms as a child, after several bouts of what was then called, "scarletina."  My knees would become hot, swollen, and enflamed. My hands would ache. However, blood tests for rheumatoid arthritis always came back negative.  I remember being told by family members to "stop pretending" that I was sick.  As a child, when the adults around you don't believe you, it leaves scars that take years to heal. As I grew older, I would get strep throats so bad that my throat would close. I would be rushed to the hospital for massiv...

There have been times in the lives of people with silent diseases, illnesses, or syndromes when they have heard, "You're sick, again?" in a tone that lets them know that the person speaking these words is done. They can come from family, friends or from those at work. How can you respond to this? First, let me say that hearing this is like someone running their nails down a blackboard. If a person with a silent illness hears this regularly, it can cause emotional and mental stress, which then leads to a host of other issues. Having someone to talk, someone who understands the condition as well as your history, is key to staying on an even keel. Additionally, knowing how to respond, what to say and how to explain your condition so that others can understand is very important. This takes courage. Too many of us simply shut down. We either walk away, give some cursory answer that does nothing to enlighten the speaker of the irritating words, or explode from pent up ...

My decision to write a post about fibromyalgia isn't to start a pity party. I am writing in the hopes that this will bring some awareness to how conditions such as fibromyalgia, MS,  endometriosis , migraine and a host of other disease/conditions are not obvious. The victim doesn't "look" ill, and yet, they may be doing all they can to put one foot in front of the other without screaming. I have fibromyalgia. This was diagnosed close to 25 years ago after years of being in pain and having mysterious symptoms that the medical field could not diagnose. When I was given the diagnosis two things happened.  First, I began learning everything I could about this condition and how to keep it from taking over my life. Second, I promised myself I would not let this condition get in my way. I will tell you, this has not been easy.  For years, I was told I was either lying about my pain to seek attention or I was a    hypochondriac .  I am neither.  ...

There are certain things as a teacher that I can't help doing. I knew these things for years before I got my teaching degree, but in taking coursework to get my M.Ed., what I knew was affirmed.   I knew that being kind was essential to having a life that was truly successful. Kindness was one of the easiest things you can give to others. I learned that to lead well a person must be willing to share - share the work, share the praise, and share the bounty. However, he or she also needs to take responsibility, which means that "the buck stops here." When there is fault to be found, a good leader takes responsibility for what has gone wrong and does not pass it on to others, even when they may also be at fault. One of the most important things I learned, though, was to always question. By questioning, we learn. Therefore, I try not to take things at face value. I ask myself a series of questions.  Who said/did that? What was it that they said or did? W...

Families Belong Together - Rally - Greenfield, MA Some reflections now that the air has cooled and I have had time to ruminate. These are the things I saw that touched me: Children laying in the grass coloring signs that read, "Families belong together." Elderly women standing in front of me with signs that read, "No Baby Jails!" A woman on the street that commented on my tree of life pendant, showed her Jerusalem cross, then with tears in her eyes and voice cracking said, "Next year in Tel Aviv!"  Families of all types standing together. There were songs sung, most of them written by the singers. I had wished the PA system was better because I couldn't hear most of what was sung.  I know that one of the songs was about the Statue of Liberty. There was a refrain about holding her torch high, but I couldn't really get much more than that.    One of the most passionate speeches was from by a woman who told of how her fami...

Today, I welcome Wendy Brown-Baez, author of Catch a Dream, as a guest blogger. Catch a Dream weaves a story of love, the search for self, pain and descernment, all of which happens in war-torn Israel. Written in the first person, the heroine, Lily, captured my attention immediately. I fell in love with this character and wanted to know how her dilemmas would resolve. I believe most women will see a bit of themselves in Lily. After reading her book, I asked her to answer the following questions. How do we live within contradictions of  loving someone, who is not good for us ? How do we let go of the hold of a bad relationship?  Wendy wrote:  These are a tough questions. How can we love someone and yet keep boundaries? I once shared my frustration about someone I loved and my friend said, “Just because you love him doesn’t mean you have to live with him.” But this is easier said than done when the heart takes over. In Catch a Dream, Lily is mesmerized by Levi’s ...

"Worlds Apart" - (c) 2018 LM Neas I have sat on the sidelines listening to the many revelations that have taken place since the "Me, too!" campaign began.  How heartbreaking to learn that so many people (both men and women) have been sexually assaulted or abused.  However, in listening and watching, what I find disturbing is the McCarthy-istic trend into which the media seems to be heading. The desire to keep the news fresh and  scintillating should not overshadow the responsibility of checking facts or remembering that people are innocent until proven guilty.  What I am seeing happening is that leading news organizations, as well as tabloids found beside the check-out counters, are grabbing at every bit of inappropriate behavior, hyperbolizing much of it, ruining careers, and causing more pain and anguish. Don't get me wrong. I believe that those who have used sex as a tool for power and gain should be held responsible for their acts. But, ...

Catbird at the suet feeder outside my window I love learning about nature. For last several years, our garden has been the home to a catbird family. I had been told that local farmers consider them a nuisance because they love to eat blueberries and raspberries. I must say, I took little notice of them...until now. This year, we put up suet. I found one that had fruit in it and thought it would be a treat. (The package said it would draw songbirds!) Early one morning in April I spied the catbird with his  distinctive  chestnut colored patch under his tail. He and his mate love the suet!  This surprised me, so I did some research.  Catbirds are actually quite amazing. They winter in the tropics amongst Mayan ruins and in Florida as well as the Caribbean. No wonder they like fruit! They are also quite talented singers. Early in the morning, when I leave for work, they are singing. They mimic other birds and, of course, make cats sounds. Since our green b...

Way back in the last century, I was a journalist for the York County Coast Star. During that time, I wrote about the happenings within the villages of York, Maine. Often, I would begin my column with a commentary on something that happened in the world or within the town. At that time, George and Barbara Bush were in the White House. Their local paper was the York County Coast Star.  On several occasions, I wrote about the Bushes. Once, when the president had told everyone he disliked broccoli and later when 150 seniors at Wellesley College protested the fact that Mrs. Bush was to address the graduating class saying, "she is not the type of career woman the college is educating," because, while she attended Smith College, she did not graduate. She left to marry George and begin a family. The broccoli column was a tongue-in-cheek lament on what would mothers across the nation do to inspire their kids to eat broccoli , now that it was known that the president disl...

In the early 70's, I was treated to dinner at Josef's Restaurant in Copley Square, Boston. Josef's was under the management of Locke-Ober's, another famous Boston eatery.  The fare included New England favorites but also culinary delights from France, Germany and beyond. I had  Vichyssoise for the first time that evening. But, this is not the story I want to share... On April 10, Google memorialized the actor Omar Sharif, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Zhivago. The minute I saw the Google Doodle, my mind flew to that night at Josef's. My supervisors were taking me out for a special treat to celebrate the work I did with young children and my upcoming graduation from Baystate College (at the time known as Baystate Junior College for Women). I was dressed in my very best mini dress with hair  coifed  to perfection. As we entered the restaurant, I was telling a story in my usual hands-flaying-in-air-not-paying-attention way.  Without bre...