Reflection and Remembrance

At this time of year when the weather is chilly and winter settles in, I reminisce about life. 

Five years have passed since we moved to our newly-built home in Virginia. For the past twelve years I have chosen one word, to help me guide my journey. Now, I stand at the precipice of life, wondering how to move forward without grief nudging every day. 

In January 2025, I chose the word, renew, to guide me. I believed that this one word would move me from what faded to newness. Then in mid-February, an explosive event turned everything around. Some of you may know the story. My husband entered the hospital to later found out that he had a rare form of cancer. An incurable tumor was lodged in his pancreas and metastasized to the liver. Within less than a month, my husband passed into the eternal silence. Just before Christmas during a restless night of sleep, I heard my husband's voice calling my name. The poem below is my remembrance of that night.

Life moves on with the drop of the NYC Times Square Ball. Minutes change from 2025 to 2026  and so I will move forward.

While I am late for the Poetry Friday Roundup with our host Catherine Flynn, I add my blog post. Catherine offers an inspirational quote and an original poem on January.

"And now we welcome the new year. 

Full of things that have never been."

Rainer Maria Rilke

#YouAreHerePoetry

As summer rolls on, so does nature's changeable weather patterns. Meteorologists consistently offer news that challenges our patience. What is the best time for a relaxing family vacation before school doors open? We wonder and plan but the weather reports are not always accurate. 

I was intrigued by The Inkling's challenge for the first Friday of August. Host Catherine Flynn presented an invitation for everyone to join the 2024 Poet Laureate, Ada Limón’s Poet Laureate project, “You Are Here.” You can read more about the project on The Library of Congress website. The prompt asked that poets and non-poets respond to the question that asks, "What would you write in response to the landscape around you"? 

I Am Here

In the steamy "dog days" of August,

Summer salutes life with

golden streams of morning bliss.

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Here, I find the historical presence of Cape May, NJ,

esteemed as the oldest seaside resort in America-

my place to pause and relax.

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I find solace in the imperfect weather

where a billowy, marshmallow

pattern transforms the sky.

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Droplets descend.

Nature shifts her perspective as

sunlight peeks through clouds.

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Land and sea rest.

Choice opens a pathway

under nature's canopy.

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I am here at the shore   

renewed by sunshine and sprinkles.

Summer welcomes nature's joy. 

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At each pause, I savor the

artistic presence of vivid sights

when nature meets shore.

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©CVarsalona, 2024, image poem series

The above poem is highlighted with picturesque photos of the Cape May Jersey Shore and my thoughts on the marvelous landscapes that recently surrounded me during my family's beach vacation.

This summer has been a series of medical ups and downs that did not provide enough space for me to join Two Writing Teachers for Tuesday's Slice of Life. Today, I am delighted to write alongside educator friends.

Welcome to "Destination: Summer's End" Gallery

Enjoy a stroll through the museum-like gallery of artistic expressions comprised of image poems (ekphrastic poetry) in different formats of digital designs.

The theme chosen for the Summer 2023 gallery is Summer's End. 

Travel throughout the United States from east to west and on to Australia to see the endless beauty of the summer season as it closes and falls into autumn. 

A range of poetic voices from adults to children splash across the page at the Destination: Summer's End Padlet here.

From there be dazzled by the gallery 2:48 minute slideshow designed in Canva. Click here.

A stream of the Destination: Summer's End playlist music will be a backdrop for the gallery walk. Listen here.

As you enjoy the gallery walk, reflect on your summer adventures that brought carefree days of relaxation and renewal. While we shall miss the the days of lounging at the beach, hiking in the woods, or traveling with the family, we can hold on to our sweet memories of summer "as summer gathers up her robes of glory, and, like a dream glides away."-Sarah Helen Whitman

Thank you for joining the gallery experience that connects two seasons as summer's sun greets autumn's cooler breezes and autumn leaves.

As William Shakespeare said centuries ago:

Summer's lease hath all too short a date.

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Thank you to the poetic voices who added their beautiful words to this gallery.

Linda Baie

Robyn Hood Black

Matt Forrest Esenwine

Karen Elise Finch

Patricia Franz

Bob Hamera (arjeha)

Jane Heitman Healy

Molly Hogan

Michelle Kogan

Sally Murphy

Anastasia Suen

Janice Scully 

Carol Varsalona

Student Voice from Margaret Simon's gifted classes in Louisiana

John-Rober, Adelyn, and James

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Adieu Summer!

into the wind

summer goes

without a worry

without a woe

Then, curtsies

to fall and all

Adieu!

©CVarsalona, 2023, quick write draft

photo of the LA sunset by Devin Hartnett

And so, Summer may be over but it is not forgotten.

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.

-Celia Thaxter

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For another poetic experience, travel with me to the Poetry Friday Roundup. Our host, Catherine Flynn, is ahring her thoughts on Irene Latham's new book filled with poetry, The Museum on the Moon: Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface and an original poem(You can read my book review of this amazing book here.)

Thank you to the many poets, writers, artists, friends, and family who contributed to the various summer galleries I created. See the list below and click on titles if interested in the Who's Who of the Galleries of Artistic Expressions.

2014

Unveiling of Summer Serenity Gallery

2015

Unveiling of Summer Splashings Gallery 

2016

Unveiling Summerscapes Gallery

2017

Sunkissed Summer Gallery Unveiled

2018

Unveiling of the Art of Summering

The Art of Summering Mini-Gallery: Goodbye to Summer

2019

Moving Beyond Summer

Summer's Enduring Beauty

Summer's Enduring Beauty: Part 2

2020

Introduction to Embraceable Summer Gallery

Unveiling Embraceable Summer Gallery 2019

Sending Summer Goodbys from Embraceable Summer Gallery 2019

End-of-Embraceable-Summer Slice

2021

Introduction to Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery

Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery, Poetry Friday Edition

Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery, Section Three

Last Edition of Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery 

2022

Farewell Summer 2022

Trilogy of Thought for 2023

This holiday season was full of activities, ups and downs, a good amount of decorating and baking, and constant motion. It brought joy, happiness, and even stress but it all was worthwhile. The family was together celebrating good news: a new little one will join the extended family this year. Change happens and in our family it brings a small blessing through the grace of God.

Now, in the midst of de-Christmasing the house, the idea of change seems very appealing. There is clarity to my thoughts. I have a new direction ushered in by my days of pondering on a new one word. Hopefully, my one little word will bring a slow-down pace and a mindful flow to the year. My thoughts are clear. 

You may enjoy reading the poems I created this week that lead up to the unveiling of my one word. Part 1 began with my slice of life, Thoughts for 2023. Part 2, Spiritual Journey - 2023 One Word Guide, unveiled my new word, Be. 

Today, I offer:

My 2023 Mantra: "Just Be" - In stillness and peace or strife, reflect on renewing my commitment to change behaviors that need transformation.

My Proposed Action: Prepare daily for change, renewal, and peace. Reflect on my collection of one words: 

openness, listen, believe, joy, hope, embrace, balance, begin, appreciate, and Be

winter stops to look

hovers over a stilled lake

New Year reflection

©CVarsalona, 2023

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Do you know that Bridget Magee, poet, teacher, and editor published a new poetry anthology, Two Truths and a Fib? She is honoring the poets who contributed their poems to her amazing endeavor each day in January. Check out the line-up of poets and their truths and fibs on her Wee Words for Wee Ones  Facebook page. I am grateful to Bridget for adding me to her Two Truths and a Fib-O-Rama. As soon as my copy of the book comes in the mail, I will review it and post my review on my blog. In the meantime, watch the trailer here.

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Finally, I am ready to join the Poetry Friday Round-up at Catherine Flynn's blog, Reading to the Core. It is serendipitous that Catherine has been talking about change with her writing group, The Inklings. I am excited to read each one of their poems on change and find more poetic goodness in the writings of many friends in the poet community. 

Tis the Season to Wonder!

Thanksgiving ushers in December. I move quickly from one family holiday to another, as do others. Am I ready for the wonder of Christmas? Yes and No! My mind is full of ideas but there is not enough time to complete everything I would like to do. The best plan is to slow down, breathe, and wish upon the Christmas star. In the midst of wishing, I feel the need to consider a thought from Spirituality Practice by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat.

"Wonder begins in the senses, comes alive in the imagination, and flourishes in adoration of the Divine." 

How do I awaken my senses, stop ruminating over unreconciled issues, and focus on what is before me? Pause again and turn to the prompt  that this month's Spiritual Journey Thursday's host, Bob Hamera, offers: Accept and Change. Part of the dynamic sequence of creating mantras involves a dash of wonder, imagination, positivity, and belief in Divine intervention. Bob reminded me of a simple prayer from my youth on accepting and changing..

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference…"  

I admit that I have been awed by nature this year. In appreciation of God's lovely creations, some ordinary in stature, others grand, I will continue my practice of finding quiet time to write and share the wonder.

⭐

awestruck

by the power

of wonderment

I sink into the quiet

of a bright December day-

nature's silence surrounds while

fir trees gently sway in morning light- 

I indulge in nature's peace and presence!

©CV, 2022, draft

Blessed is the Great Artist who fills our very being with wonder.

-Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

The donation of a Christmas tree to Rockefeller Center for its lighting ceremony is an annual tradition bringing joy to millions who visit or watch the broadcast on TV.

grand, glistening tree

gifted from nature's rich soil

holiday wonder

©CV, 2022 

Thank you also to Catherine Flynn for hosting Poetry Friday this week and offering a wonderful writing prompt from The Inklings. Please travel over to Catherine's blog post with me to enjoy the poetic goodness.

created by Linda Mitchell

Don't forget to visit the Spiritual Journey Thursday community's responses to Bob Hamera's prompt here.

Wondrous June

Are you surprised that June is almost at its end and spring turned into summer two days ago? It's time to sing June's praises.

The solemn hour of midnight breathes

sweet thoughts everywhere.

It is the month of June-

So mellow the gentle breath of June day breeze. 

The sun is rich. 

The summer morn is bright and fresh.        

I know well that the June rains just fall.

Do you recall that night in June?

We watched the moonbeams quiver.

In golden hours, silver days, 

The month of June trembled like a butterfly.

June, hushed and breathless, waits and I wait too, with June.

The time is ours to spend.

©CVarsalona, 2022, Cento Poem & Nature Photo

The cento poem (or collage poem) is a poetic form composed entirely of lines from poems by other poets.  I organized the lines from the following poets to create the cento poem, Wondrous June.

Lines 1-2    -  Emily Jane Bronte

Line 3         -  The Month of June by Nathaniel Parker Willis

Line 4        -  June by Francis Duggan

Line 5         -  June by John Updike

Line 6         -  William C. Bryant  

Line 7         -  Onitsura

Lines 8-9  -  Daube River by Charles Hamilton Aide

Line 10       -  June by John Updike

Line 11         -  Pablo Neruda

Lines 12-13 -  In Fountain Court by Arthur Symons

Line 14        -  June by John Updike

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Logo created by Michelle Kogan

The poem below was created while designing my Summer Poem Swap #1.

In muted morning, earth moves

Like swishing, melodic chimes

Breezing through June's gentle winds.

Nature nurtures us, framing each

Glorious moment in time.

©CVarsalona, 2022

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This month I have been so busy with end-of-cataract-surgeries' doctor visits and my first Summer Poem Swap 2022 hosted by our marvelous organizer, Tabatha Yeatts. I did not have time to begin The Poetry Sisters' June challenge: write a byr a thoddaid. Perhaps I shall  try the format at some other time, albeit it appears to be complicated.

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"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment

of the promise of earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade."-Gertrude Jekyll

"June is the gateway to summer." - Jean Hersey

Enjoy the relaxation that summer brings!

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Catherine Flynn, the host of the Poetry Friday Roundup, is greeting us this week with a beautiful end-of-the-school-year poem that you will enjoy reading. Join me at Catherine's blog, Reading to the Core. She is sharing the delightful logo above. It is so lovely that I wanted to add it to this post.

Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery, Poetry Friday Edition

Recalling the warmth of summer and the dazzle of a brilliant sun, I fell in love with Summer 2021. For me, "Summertime. It was a song. It was a season. I wondered if that season would ever live inside me" (Benjamin Alire Saenz) and so, I searched for beauty within the skies, sunsets across sunlit seas, and through others' words. The urge to honor the summer season caused me to create gallery collections of beauty as vibrant as gardens that we nurture. In reality as Jenny Glow states,  "We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course, it’s our garden that is really nurturing us." 

Be filled with nature-inspired thoughts for humankind!

Pause to listen to Vivaldi, Summer from Four Seasons here. 

Monark Passion

Summer brings sweet surprises. We just need to discover them.

Eckphrastic Poetry from Artwork

by Linda Mitchell

Children's Corner

Summer is a time for enjoying the pleasures of life. 

                             Digital art by CVarsalona

Four-year-old Sierra's first poem

IS

Watching a sunset

By Christie Wyman

Nature walks allow for meditational time.

Apple Picking Time

Gardening Fun

Photo by Linda Mitchell

Canoeing Love

Photo by Karen Eastlund

Boating

Digital Art by CVarsalona, Cape May, NJ

Family Travel

Photo by Kat Apel, Australia

Summer Is Our Time for Renewal of Spirit

by Tabatha Yeatts

by Linda Mitchell 

Reflecting through Painting

Summer's End

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It is my hope that this gallery of artistic expressions nurtures your soul

and renews your spirits. 

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Thank you to the Poetry Friday poets who contributed to this edition of my global gallery, "Nurturing Our Summer Souls".

Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery Contributors

Kat Apel

Linda Baie

 Iphigene Daradar

Joanne Emory

Mary Lee Hahn

Sarah Lewis Holmes

Denise Krebs

Carol Labuttezzi

Irene Latham

Carmela Martino

Linda Mitchell

Elizabeth Norton

Carol Varsalona

Christie Wyman

Tabatha Yeatts

#If any Poetry Friday writers have an image poem but have not submitted an image poem for the gallery, please send me your offering. There will be a couple of more editions to this gallery.

The Introduction to the Nurturing Ours Summer Souls Gallery is located here 

You can view the digital presentation on Canva by clicking the button Present here.

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My thanks also goes to Catherine Flynn, teacher-poet for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup this week. Catherine and her Inklings are creating original poems based on a challenge by Mary Lee Hahn.