Wordless Wednesday

A Journey into the Jungle

This post is the story of a journey that the adventurous part of me (AP) and the sometimes scared kid part of me (KP) took this morning! (If you click on the pictures in each section you will be able to see them as a slide show.)

AP: “Today we are going to participate in Bastet’s Pixelventures for the first time!” The assignment is to take a picture of something looking up!”

KP: “That sounds like fun. What will we take a picture of?”

AP: “How about a photo of the big, gray concrete house on the next block? It is different and it goes straight up.”

KP: “That house is weird. I suppose it would be okay but it is pretty boring.”

AP: “Oh….. I know! There is that gorgeous big tree in the lot behind our house. We can walk there and take a picture!”

KP: “That tree is down a BIG hill and that lot is a JUNGLE. I don’t know about this.” Continue reading “A Journey into the Jungle” →

Inspiration Comes in Many Forms

Sometimes, because of the chronic health problems and aches and pains that so often accompany growing older, plus the fact that my mother died at 74, I have felt like my life is winding down, even though most of me doesn’t think that is true. The dilemma about what I want to do when and if I retire adds to that unsettled feeling.

I met someone in India this past December who was such an inspiration. It is a memory I can hold in front of me during the times I am feeling down. Continue reading “Inspiration Comes in Many Forms” →

Judgment or Compassion?

There are a lot of homeless people living in Seattle, especially in the Green Belt, a forested area, part of which is located near my home. There are times when I strike up a conversation with them or at least smile as we pass by each other on the sidewalk.

I really notice the difference between my behavior in those situations and when I am approached by a panhandler in a parking lot or near the entrance to a grocery store. Continue reading “Judgment or Compassion?” →

My First Fiction!

When I woke up this morning the sun was streaming through my window. Another gloriously beautiful day in Seattle! What an incredible summer we are having.

I went outside for a walk. As I was descending the stairs that leads to Cheasty Boulevard, I noticed there was an envelope lying on the ground. Continue reading “My First Fiction!” →

Loss in an Army Brat’s Life

My father joined the Army long before my birth, so being an army brat was all I knew as a child. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and resided there the first five years of my life.

Continue reading “Loss in an Army Brat’s Life” →

Songs that Speak to Me

The Blogging University Writing 101 task for today was to: Write about the three most important songs in your life — what do they mean to you? I knew immediately that I wanted to use a song from my past, an African-American gospel song and one of Amma’s chants.

When the Doves Cry Continue reading “Songs that Speak to Me” →

Wordless Wednesday

A Place For Me!

This morning when I read the Writing 101 challenge for Day #2, “If you could zoom through space in the speed of light, what place would you go to right now?” my response was immediate. I burst into tears! I wanted to go to Amritapuri, India, the location of Amma’s main ashram. (Amma, a humanitarian and spiritual leader, is often called the Hugging Saint since she has embraced more than 34 million people worldwide.) It didn’t matter to me in the slightest that Amma is in the United States now, I wanted to go to her ashram in India. Continue reading “A Place For Me!” →

1966: The Beginning of a Grand Adventure

As some of you know from A Surprise View of My Past, I was recently gifted with digital copies of slides my father had taken during my childhood. Since I left home when I was 17 years old, I had never seen most of those photos before. The only childhood pictures I have are all in black and white, whereas the slides my brother sent me were all in color. Since I have very few memories of my childhood, I viewed them with great interest.