I think poetry is WAY underrated in our society. In my literature classes, I always teach students that poetry can capture experiences that are hard to describe in our everyday language. So we always recognize this celebration in April. And I think it is even more appropriate this year. Because this TRULY is the world … More In Honor of National Poetry Month…and Community
Yesterday, September 21, was the International Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations as a day for people all over the Earth to reflect on and commit to creating a culture of peace across the planet. I spent a lot of time meditating and … More International Day of Peace
This post is a follow-up to my most recent previous post, my December 3 post entitled “This Thing Called Hope…or Are You A Sports Fan or a WordleBot?” If you haven’t read that post, please do so before reading this one in order to understand the foundations of what I will be discussing. Click HERE … More A Triumph For Hope
There isn’t much about this current election, at least to me, that inspires hope. I’ve always been someone who considered Voting Day to be a celebration, knowing that voting is a gift and a privilege that is denied to so many people around the world. I vote in every election, even the primaries and the … More Inspiration About Hope from Three Heroes and Three Neighbors I Don’t Know
I was doing my early morning meditation walk this morning. Sunday mornings the greenway is especially quiet; I don’t see most of the dogs I’ve made friends with from my daily morning walks. So I was in a particularly quiet and reflective mood this morning. Then suddenly, something caught my eyes. It was tiny little … More Sunday Reflection
Wow! If that isn’t a true quote, not just about America, but about everyone and everything I’ve ever loved, I don’t know what is! If you are not familiar with Senator Booker, he is an African American and former mayor of Newark who is now a US Senator for New Jersey. Long-time readers know that … More July 4th Thoughts from US Senator Cory Booker: “If America hasn’t broken your heart, you don’t love her enough.”
A lot of us couldn’t agree on a lot of things this year. If there is anything we could agree on, maybe it would be that a 22-year-old black female poet was the surprise hit of the 2021 Inauguration. Well, it wasn’t a surprise to me, but prior to Amanda Gorman’s appearance at the Inaugration, … More Let’s Ring in the New Year with Amanda Gorman’s New Years Poem
North Carolina is known as the Tar Heel State because from the earliest times of our country, it produced a lot of the country’s tar from the numerous pine trees in its forests. So it is no surprise that we are now in what North Carolinians call “The Yellow Season”––the two weeks in the spring … More The Blessing of Pollen
While both my husband’s family and mine (at least on my father’s side) have been in the US since before Revolutionary times, it is hard to consider ourselves much other than Americans. However, both families also had roots in Ireland, so I suppose I’ve got some Irish DNA in my system. However, as I’ve said … More Poetry for St. Patrick’s Day
This morning in North Carolina, it is cool, dark, and rainy. Still, I know that Spring is here. This month I have been studying Persian mythology with the students of my literature classes. In the Persian, now Iranian, culture, the New Year, called Nowruz, occurs on March 21. The picture above displays a typical Nowruz … More Did You Hear that Winter’s Over?
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