Journey of the Heart

As I prepared to send my last child off to college, I embarked upon an adventure... I suppose this happens to many people; some may have even given this period in one’s life the title, “midlife crisis.” Crisis never came to mind. This was an opportunity to devour life anew. As part of this adventure, I set out to tread new paths, literally and figuratively, and to test a theory. My theory is that I have an undeniable and necessary connection to nature. Combining my passion for nature and my desire to tread new trails, I began hiking again. Sometimes I would go out with a friend, and sometimes I would hike alone with my mutts. I discovered that hiking alone had consequences far beyond confirming my love of nature, and instilled within me a confidence that had unwittingly eroded when living within a box. A beautiful, stable box of carpools, doctor’s visits, caring for aging parents, and the run of the mill “first world problems.” The life I wanted. I realized that now was th...

  Feeling a little nostalgic today, I was inspired by an old photo to write of the warm memories of my childhood...  I was but a baby when the image was taken, my observations are based on stories and later knowledge of my mother and her sisters. I am sure this does not stray far from the truth.  The youngest, whom I was named after, absolutely adored Frank Sinatra!    I was just seven when my mom passed, but I still remember the laughter, the warmth, the love that existed as family came together, whether for a holiday, or just Sunday dinner. As a mother myself, I hope that I have passed similar memories on to my own son, and he in turn will do the same one day when he is a father. The Photograph that inspired this poem Continuity by Ginny Brannan On entering, we are assailed by the smells: sausage and sage, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon … comingling, tempting. Then the warmth oven on long before dawn, steam rising from various...