V.J.s Weekly Challenge #3: Nurturing Wonder

June 18, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our sense to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats Travelling across North America and back this past winter, every day was filled with discovery, awakening new passion for life. The challenge, I recognized, as our trip wound down, would be to keep this sense of wonder […]

Reflections on Synchronicity

June 17, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

First, a thank you to all who participated in this week’s challenge, and to those who took the time to comment. This interaction means so much to me – maybe more than I can ever articulate. Up until 2004 – when I returned to university to become a teacher – I practiced an examined life: […]

#FOWC: Gumption

June 16, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A six-year-old, intent on exerting independence, exerts gumption (Fandago’s word of the day prompt is gumption)

A Photo a Week Challenge: Opening

June 15, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Some openings are inviting. Who can resist? Some openings signify emergence: light after dark. Some openings reveal the unexpected: this case it was what wouldn’t open that brought about this adventure: (A Photo a Week Challenge is hosted by Nancy Merrill Photography. Thanks Nancy!)

VJWC #2: Synchronicity Part I

June 14, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

An orange flash dipped in front of the truck, with no time to veer. We arrived at our destination to find a Baltimore oriole embedded in the front grill. I was heartbroken. At any other time, the appearance of an oriole would be auspicious. Usually showing up in pairs, these birds arrive in summer and […]

Currently Unavailable

June 13, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I apologize if my attention appears to be lacking, but I am currently immersed in creativity and the ability to focus, otherwise, has plummeted. (Inspired by Daily Addictions daily prompt: plummet)

CFFC: Columns and Vertical Lines

June 13, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Arizona State University aiming skyward: Totem pole in Sydney, BC: San Antonio – look out below! (Photos in response to Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Columns and Vertical Lines.)

The Light Fades

June 12, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Light fades, the sun’s optimism giving way to darkness’ shadows my eyes are drawn to hidden places warily seeking the source of this creeping sensation what beasts inhabit crevices, what creatures lurk and are these merely trees that loom over me or the incarnation of trapped souls taunting my passage? (Written for All The Shoe’s […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #2: Synchronicity

June 11, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

“Synchronicity is the Universe’s way of telling you that you are on the right track.” – Delores Krieger “Coincidences connect us across time, to one another, to ourselves, and to an […]

VJWC Shift Response

June 9, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

I decided to shift my blogging practices this week, and it turned out to be just the remedy I needed to reduce stress and increase my readership. Who knew? I had read all those blogs about how important timing is for posting, and that consistency is key. So I have tried to set my posts […]

Relevance of Story

Stories have power. Parents, teachers, public speakers, and therapists understand that the secret to engaging an audience or connecting with others is through illustration: storytelling. I see it in the eyes of the my grandchildren, who love to hear tales of family history. I’ve seen in the eyes of students, when recognition and understanding light […]

Is This War?

“War is hell. You can’t photograph a flying bullet, but you can capture genuine fear.”– unknown The bomb has droppedcontrol slips from our grasp We pray for a parachutefor someone to pull the cord numbers escalate,lives plummet We offer encouragementisolated voices faltering moment of impact imminentthe implosion inevitable impact reverberatesresponsibility moot. ( Image my own.)