This time of year in southeast Texas can be cold and that interferes with the outside things we like to do. In fact, we just went through a cold spell with night time temperatures down in the low 20’s on a couple nights. I almost felt like we were back in Minnesota. So we look for things to do in the house. I’ve been making … Continue reading February 2nd
How often have we heard or read somewhere that people are in search of something greater than themselves? How often have we searched for that too? People look to God, or Gods, or other things to find meaning in life because we feel lost, or alone and we ask, is this all there is? We look to an afterlife that many religions proclaim as something … Continue reading Something Greater Than Myself
I may have written about this before, considering I have written about so many things on this blog, it’s often hard to recall if I have or not. So, onward and upward! The cello, by far, is my favorite musical instrument. It has such an expressive and emotional sound, that in the right hands can be spiritual in its presentation. I really mean that. It … Continue reading The Cello
The noisy black birds descend on the feed tray; the sun shining on their glossy feathers, the red and yellow wing stripes showing off their pride. They fight over the choicest morsels, while spreading the gossip of the yard. The smaller birds, rusty breast and blue backs and wings come for the meal worms which the kind humans have left for them. They are taking … Continue reading A Day
sacredness the deepest part of the mind In my 30’s I came to a point where I thought I wanted to be a Christian. I suppose it was because I went through a particularly rough patch in my life and Christianity was all I knew about religion. So I studied the Bible from the point of view of wanting to know if it was God’s … Continue reading Sacredness
Southeast Texas weather is usually nice this time of year. We average 60’s F for highs and 40’s F for lows. There is usually a lot of sunshine and we are outside every day. Over the last couple days, that has changed. As most of us are aware, a cold front with ice and snow is working its way across the country and we here … Continue reading Winter has Arrived
I have been called contrary more than once in my life, many times in fact, with good reason. I am contrary. Whichever way popular opinion or belief seems to be moving, I usually go in the opposite direction. I’m not sure why that is, but it usually seems to me to be the right way to go. I was raised in a family with Christian … Continue reading Contrary to popular opinion….
I’ve been writing haiku for close to ten years now and managed to publish a book of them in 2018. Admittedly though, some (most) of the early ones weren’t that good. I like to think I’ve gotten better at it but how do you judge your own work? I do that by comparing what I do to the work of other writers whose haiku I … Continue reading Just Write!
monarch the beauty of a sunset with wings prayer may the poor be rich in spirit garden grace uplifting spirit within and without Continue reading Friday haiku
floating peacefully the coolness in the breezes hints at winter chapel on the lake whispers of ancient lives my past emerges bank of the river a stone to throw across and a wish to make Continue reading
taking a path an unknown destination cleansing the soul ————————————————————————————————– daylight returns after the darkest night lit by stars ————————————————————————————————– reaching for darkness to sooth the pain light returns ————————————————————————————————– joy is found in the simplest things rejoice ————————————————————————————————– joy in haiku a simple answer to hardship Continue reading Haiku
Here are some haiku from my book, “A Mosaic of Color and Light”. she touches his hand over coffee and tears saying goodbye ———————————————————————————————- an old house holding memories and dust a mouse stirs ————————————————————————————————– lightning forks blue white in a treacherous storm sky thunder rolls aloft ———————————————————————————————— a thousand stars light the mountain path after the sun ————————————————————————————————– insects buzz a cacophony of sound … Continue reading Haiku
sunset closing the window blind at the same time The best way to get better at writing haiku is to keep writing them. Even if they don’t turn out so great, keep doing it. I also recommend reading “How to” books. There are a lot of them out there, and I would say, read as many as you can afford to buy. There is some … Continue reading Reading and Writing
For years, my friend Bill had a bumper sticker that read, “Kill Your Television”, so I’m sure this haiku will interest him. It’s by Joseph Massy: television light lies on the American lawn Haiku has been used for social commentary in the U.S. for a long time. People like Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Jack Kerouac have all written haiku. Here’s … Continue reading Social Significance
hazy yellow sun in a forest fire sky giving no quarter This haiku is an example of one that contains a fragment and a phrase. Because haiku do not contain full sentences, the parts are labeled, fragment and phrase. “giving no quarter” is a fragment of a sentence. It’s as if there were a longer sentence and part of it was removed and used elsewhere. … Continue reading No Quarter
Wind in the Trees, a haiku journal 