Words from the Heart

  Last year, my word for the year was "visit."  Little did I know that 2020 was going to test my ability to re-imagine just what that meant! Shortly after the February first of 2020, I quarantined due to my age and the fact that both Roger and I have health issues that would be problematic if we were to contract COVID.   My last visit to anyone was with my daughters and grandchildren during February vacation.  The pictures I took then have kept me focused on the reason I am not traveling, not working outside the home and not meeting with people except outside and from a distance. For a people person, visiting with others is like air. We need it to live. So, I became adept at "visiting" via Zoom and talking to friends outside 6 feet or more away with masks on. I also found that visiting via snail mail was a joy I had almost forgotten. Letters to and from my grandchildren brought rays of sunshine for both Roger and I to bask in as the days got darker. In addition,...

  As a wordsmith, I have a fondness for certain words. Anticipation is one such word. Just saying it causes the heart to beat a tiny bit faster. Images of something to come begin to fill our minds. Anticipation, I believe, is a perpetual state for humans.  Think about it. We anticipate a birth. Nine months of waiting and planning, hoping, and dreaming until the big day arrives. Then, there is the wait for the first smile, first words, first steps, and so on. As adults, we await raises, election results and sports finals and the latest what's-it fresh from the factory.   However, anticipation can also be a deep longing for something important. Many people around the world long for peace, long for love, and long for equality. These deep longings are felt more acutely during times when anticipation is celebrated everywhere we look...such as now. As the Winter Solstice brings back a lengthening of daylight, as Christmas brings back the message of goodwill and peace to al...