The poem below is a new discovery for me. I came across it on Facebook a few days ago and was fascinated by the insights that the poet, Rose Milligan, was able to present in these four stanzas. I was curious to find out who she was but there wasn’t a plethora of information available on her. Dust If You Must Dust if you must. But wouldn’t it be better, To paint a picture, or write a letter, ...
My Gratefulness Newsletter arrived in my inbox this morning and there were reminders there that the year is still new and full of promise - which I had all but forgotten. It’s hard to believe that twenty-two days into the new year, I would have settled into old patterns and ways of thinking and being. A poem by Anne Hillman called “We Look with Uncertainty” was shared in this newsletter prefaced by these words: “At the beginning of the year, we stand before new doorways, and the vastness of yet unexplored passages stretching out before us, no matter how old or young we are. Beckoning us are all the moments and opportunities of our future lives in ever-unknown measure, and the only response is a wholehearted “yes.” In this spirit, how grateful we are to Anne Hillman for sharing this tender and inspiring vision through her poem: ...
“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” (Betty Friedan) Life happens. The day has come that I am officially a Senior Citizen. While I’m looking forward to receiving my monthly pension cheques and all the other discounts and perks that come with my senior status, this post contains some of my observations over sixty-five years. Sixty-five years is a long life. From the moment we’re born, the process of learning how to live in this world starts. We learn from our caregivers what are the social and cultural mores we are expected to live up to. Each and everyone of them does the best job they can to impact our positive growth and development. By the time one arrives at age 65, it’s alright to admit to oneself, if not to everybody else, that all these well-meaning and trusted souls were imperfect themselves. This means that I can’t be anywhere near perfect or any kind of saint. In our human nature, there are flaws. “Thinking well is the greatest excellence and wisdom: to act and speak what is true, perceiving things according to their nature.” (Herakleitos) ...
All over the world where Native peoples are found, they bring a deep love for the land and creation. They don’t have a “religion” as such but more wisdom and reverence towards Nature. While there are different tribes and different locations of the world where they live, they all have similar words of wisdom to impart. All the images in this collage were taken by me. The background is Niagara Falls with what looked like icebergs to me - right in front of the Falls. It was spectacular! From what I have seen of different kinds of Native art, there are certain similarities. I bought a lovely little book recently called “The Song of Life” and I will share some of the wisdom that was in there. ...