Life Is a Journey

"For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die... a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance..." -Ecclesiastes 3-22

Last week, the above Bible verse, became a reality. Birth and death occurred in the same period. I felt I was at a crossroads in life. The circle of life was happening in both a sad and joyful manner. You can read more about this here. 

In reference to death, my family paid tribute to my 94-year-old Uncle in a Central New York town, Rome, New York. A spirit of peace filtered through the church as I walked in. The church was as I recalled it from my childhood days when I attended Mass with my Nonnie. A few new pieces beautified the inside and outside of the building. A magnificent life-size Pieta, 1 of 100 created, was installed as a shrine in the back of the church. It reminded me that the passing of life can be a beautiful spiritual event. 

In the courtyard, my son noticed a bench with my grandmother's and grandfather's names inscribed. It was comforting to think that my Uncle John honored them and now it was his turn to be honored. A spirit of peace filtered through the church during the visiting hour, Mass, and burial.

It was touching to read my daughter's Facebook post about the birth of her third little girl and the passing of her great uncle, "It seems fateful that with her birth, as one angel comes to this earth, another one leaves it." The circle of life came full forward. The journey on earth is starting for our newborn, Lila Joy, while my uncle begins his journey in heaven. One of the caregivers at Francis House, the hospice setting, told my sister about a ritual they practice. When a resident expires, a window is opened so the spirit can move to a new home. She also said that my Uncle Johnny would be Lila's special angel. Each person, newborn and elder, embark on a spiritual journey comprised of many layers. 

life is a journey of faith with family:

daily

wonderings

challenges

joys

daily

pathways

leading

onward

daily

life is a journey of faith with family

©CVarsalona, 2023

Pause now to listen to Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds that reiterates the Bible verse from Ecclesiastes. It is now time to turn my thoughts to the family's journey of birth, death, weeping, laughing, mourning, and dancing for the walk is upon us. It is also the turning of seasons from spring to summer. This time each year, we shall celebrate life with Lila Joy and remember an uncle who believed in the goodness of family life.

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I now turn my thoughts to Spiritual Journey Thursday. On the first Thursday of each month, the Spiritual Journey Thursday community meets to discuss a topic chosen by the host. This month, Dave at Leap of Dave is our host. Dave posed some questions about our spiritual journey for us to ponder. The nature photography digital graphic that I created shares part of a duck family I came upon in Central New York after the funeral. Family is important on our walk as is nature. It is a vital part of creation and every matter unto heaven. 

Today is also Poetry Friday. Each week, a community of poets from across the globe gather together to share poetic goodness. This week, Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect is our host.  

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I look forward to reading both Spiritual Journey Thursday and Poetry Friday writers' blog posts. Before I say goodbye, I would like to add a couple more digital inspirations/image poems that I worked on this week.

©CVarsalona, 2023, This Photo Wants To Be A Poem (Photo by Margaret Simon)

©CVarsalona, 2023, Designed in Graphite and FotoJet

in Response to Anastasia Suen's #smallpoem challenge

Just "Be" in Spring's Presence

Nature is always inviting you to see her beauty and power.

She is attracting you with her dance, song, and love.

- Author, Debasish Mridha

With the art of storytellers, Springsation poets paint a tranquil museum-like walk through the early part of the Spring season. If you travel to the Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions Vol. 2. Padlet you will see a showcase of springtime artistry. As you move mindfully through the gallery breathe, rejoice, and "be" centered in the serenity of spring. Pause, gaze, and let nature mystify you with her endless color palettes, dazzling landscape, and poetic goodness.

         Spring photos were captured by  Diane Anderson, Ramona Behnke, Leigh Anne Eck, 

           Bob Hamera, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Linda Mitchell, Lou Piccolo, Carol Varsalona

                           

After you take a gallery walk through Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions Vol. 2. Padlet, read the Cento, collage poem, below. It was created by lifting lines from each of the image poems written by an amazing group of poets who grace the Gallery. 

~Just BE In Spring's Presence~

Open your senses to Earth's beauty.

Follow a flower's fluttered edges.

Her morning song,

Spring's first act,

mounts translucent music

and envelops me in marvelment

as hummingbirds fly on high.

Spring Scoop:

Mother Sun hovers.

Dandelion fluff launches skyward.

A bee crawls inside while

daffodils lift their thirsty heads.

Spring's new beginnings 

flutter in hearts,

vaporizing, 

peering up into the heavens.

Behold the cycle of life.

 From wayward, wind-caught seedlings,

sunshine buds whisper.

Bare branches banish winter

and announce spring forsythias.

Muddy browns retreat.

Fresh white is in sight.

Trails wind through.

Planes embroider

white criss-cross stitches.

Be present in these movements.

Springsations echo,

awakening splendor.

Reflect on Nature's blessings,

her magic in small moments.

Spread hope, kindness, and love

that our world needs!

Open May's door,

cracked just enough,

to give those caught in Spring

a glimpse of Summer green.

©CVarsalona, designer/poet, with Springsations Poets, 2023

Diane Anderson

Linda Baie

Ramona Behnke

Rose Cappelli

Leigh Anne Eck

Matt F. Esenwine

Margaret G. Simon

Bob Hamera

Devin Hartnett

Jane Heitman Healy

Carol Labuzzetta

Irene Latham

Michelle Kogan

Melanie Korach

Denise Krebs

Jone Rush MacCulloch

Bridget Magee

Faige Meller

Linda Mitchell

Janet Nestor

Elizabeth Neubauer

Lou Piccola

Laura Purdie Salas

Janice Scully

Kiesha Shepard

Donna Smith

Sandie Vaisnoras

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Nature will continue to showcase her beauty this month of May in song, dance, poetry, and photos. If inclined you can add more image poems or other artistic expressions to the Springsations Gallery Padlet. I hope you enjoyed the unveiling of the Springsations Gallery. I applaud all the poets who joined me to praise the beauty of Spring.

Please take a peek at Springsations Gallery Vol. 1. You may see one of your artistic expressions in that gallery from 2017. Thank you for perusing both galleries.

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For more poetic goodness, please visit this week's Poetry Friday's host, Janice Scully, at her blog, Salt City Verse. She is reviewing books by two of my favorite children's book writers, Laura Purdie Salas and Charles Ghigna. She also has a poem about the weather that has been changing quite a bit this spring. Janice also is one of the Springsations poets.

by Linda Baie

Flutterings of the Heart

Spring is the time when God's magic is at its grandest. ~ Toni Sorenson

A magical Spring day opens with softly wrapped gentle heat and a sun-blinking sky. It is time to "Be", breathe in Spring's sweet-scented perfume, and listen to nature. The mallard duck and his partner walk silently to green places of repose, birds swing by waiting for their turn at the feeder, and bunnies hide until they hop to nibble on bird seeds. Small simple observations lead to artistic visualizations. Poetic goodness flows near the fountain waiting to be awakened during May's plantings. The garden is at rest and so are those relaxing in verdant, manicured lawns. Spring provides a restful environment. 

The above prose and image poem haiku combine to create a haibun.

While designing the Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions, soft musings from poetic hearts led me to write the following haikus.

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small observations

nature sits on dewed petals

spring's marvelment

★

be still moments

brushed by the Divine artist

earth's creative art

★

quiet birdsong

chirping sounds of springtime

nature speaks of bliss

©CVarsalona, 2023

(If you are reading or creating, you may want to listen to Music of Nature here. The sounds and photos are soothing.)

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I am signing off now, wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day!

May Spring's seeds bring you blossoms to add color to your springtime days.

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I am eager to join the Poetry Friday Roundup with today's host, the haiku wiz poet, Robyn Hood Black. My humble poems are inspired by her work.

You will find a sweet haiku about new mothers at the blog post.

Thank you, Linda Baie for creating this small moment photo.

★★★

You can see the new blend of art with poetry at my Springsations Gallery Padlet.

If inclined to add another spring-theme image poem to the gallery, please do so.

Let's Celebrate!

I feel like celebrating today after reading Ramona Behnke's SJT post on a children's book, My Mama Had a Dancing Heart.  

Is it that Spring is in the air? The sun is returning after soaking the earth with its gentle but hearty rains or is it that I have a window of opportunity to lounge around instead of being immersed in checking out my endless to-do list? I sneak time to read posts from Spiritual Journey Thursday and Poetry Friday writing friends. I plan on reading the read aloud version of the book which can be found on YouTube here. The book talks about celebrating and this made me pause to ponder what can I joyfully celebrate today.

Let's Celebrate!

What shall I celebrate

on the morning of a

rain-soaking,

spring-popping,

gray-clouding day?

I pause and see

nature nurturing me

in its sun-cracking,

pollen-packing,

heart-gladdening way.

©CVarsalona, 2023

Little grandgirls giggle,

Bunnies wiggle.

Crayons jiggle.

We love to play!

It's a Springsational day!

©CVarsalona, 2023

Look around you and find reasons to celebrate life!

Have you checked out my Springsations Gallery Padlet here. 

I and other poets, slicers, and writers celebrate Spring there.

Another reason to celebrate is that it's Tuesday and time to join Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life here.

Shall We Dance on the Spiritual Journey?

As I celebrate the wonders of Spring with my upcoming Springsations Gallery, I ponder the beauty of nature and the strength of its Divine Creator. Each month, the Spiritual Journey writers join together to write on a topic suggested by the host. This month, Chris Margocs introduces us to a fascinating subject: Shall We Dance? Since my childhood, I have always been a lover of dance. I remember dancing across my living room while listening to Broadway musicals. My love for dancing continued into adulthood.

"The Dance of all the arts is the one that most influences the soul."- Plato

Nature also influences my soul as it moves in a flow from season to season. Leaves find their rhythm even in springtime when the wind stirs in the woods. Raindrops dance and glisten on the sidewalk as a sunshower tip-toes in for a quick step. Some flowers let their petals fall gracefully onto dark chocolate beds and evening sunsets layer the sky with rich layers of color or soft muted shades. 

🌞

When a photo of a friend's trip to Cuba appeared on FaceBook, I appreciated the beauty of an eventide sunset. A majestic painted sky brushed with fiery golds, and reds danced among the clouds. I immediately wrote to Justin Stygles and asked if I could showcase his glamorous sunset at my Springsations Gallery Padlet and Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions. After many poetic drafts, I share the image poem of two joyous eventide happenings.

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Shall we watch in awe as a brilliant sun sets

praising nature for its glorious moments?

Shall we dance a high-energy salsa

filling our souls with contentment?

Stillness and energy

share the sky.

Bliss!

🌞

Nature Nurtures Our Souls

Below you will see different movements of Earth's nature dance.

You can take a quick journey from land to sea.

Enjoy!

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Whether you find stillness in nature or energetic joy, be mindful that all things were made by the Divine. We need to honor Earth and protect it as we dance with hope and journey onward. 

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Whenever there is stillness there is the still small voice, God's speaking from the whirlwind, nature's old song, and dance ... - Author: Annie Dillard

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I now travel to two sites where writing is honored.

Spiritual Journey Thursday at Chris Margocs blog, Horizon 51

Poetry Friday at the wonderful and caring Linda Baie's blog, TeacherDance

Linda speaks about kindness as a vital part of our world.

Let's all find and spread kindness in all we do.

created by L. Baie, 2023

🌞

Please see the new additions to Springsations Gallery Padlet here.

Springsations Creations

While Spring had fluctuating temperatures, winds, and rains, National Poetry Month, continued to blossom. During Poetry Month, poetry flowed abundantly at each of the Poetry Friday blogs. When visiting a Poetry Friday Roundup blog, you enter a domain of poetic goodness, a place that holds the breathings of hearts, wonders, joys, and possibly pain. Creative play is encountered, as well as voice.

Now please step into the Creativity Zone where poets write, dreamers dream, and artistic expressions mature from a seed of an idea to an image poem. Discover Springsations, writers' emotional response to what is seen, heard, felt, smelled, and touched during this season of renewal and joy.

Since Poem in Your Pocket Day 2023 occurred yesterday when I started writing this blog post, tuck the above poem in your pocket to inspire your writing.

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Have you seen the vivid new additions to Springsations  Gallery Padlet?

The deadline for submitting an image poem has been extended to May 5th.

Thank you to Poetry Friday poets, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Linda Baie, Bridget Magee, Irene Latham, and Rose Cappelli, for adorning the walls of Springsations Gallery Padlet. Share a poem or carry one of the poems you find on my padlet.

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Please join the Poetry Friday Roundup this week where you will find many poetic voices illustrating their latest National Poetry Month projects. Ruth Hersey, teacher-poet working in Uganda, is our host this week. She asks that we pull up a chair to enjoy the variety of poetic goodness. Please click here.