Time’s Bittersweet Inevitability

And Gandalf said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”. – J.R.R. Tolkien For Christmas I had wanted to give my three wonderful children a gift that only I could give them – my memories of their childhood. For years, I have safeguarded two videotapes of …

Soaring Eagle Spirit

Powerful winds were blowing this morning here on the Pacific Northwest coast. As I walked onto the beach I glanced up to see this majestic eagle gliding gracefully above me. I think of my departed World War Two veteran Dad whenever I see an eagle on the beach. The day he died, I went to …

On Frozen Sands

In a world where death is the hunter, my friend, there is no time for regrets or doubts. There is only time for decisions. – Carlos Castaneda Winter’s biting winds blur the fine line between life and death. Just like life, no matter how bundled up against the unexpected we may be, an unexpected chill …

On a Perpetual Journey

I tramp a perpetual journey. – Walt Whitman The pulse of change throbs away within the journey of the human spirit. Occasionally, a subtle shift in the ethereal breeze triggers primitive instincts. Intangible forces raise the hairs on the back of the neck and stipple the forearms with goosebumps. Ancient longings squeeze the skull and …

Creating Yourself Anew

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw Where are you from? This is one of the first things people ask when they try to get to know one another. But this simple question can be one of the most difficult to answer. I read an interesting article the …

20 Ways to Increase Happiness

My wife and I were apart for eight months during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. She was in China, having returned for her father’s funeral, and I was here in the US. After the horrible winter, I began preparing our garden to put my mind at ease. I wanted to do something special for …

Mountain and Moon Fairy Tale

Today is the romantic Mid-Autumn Day moon festival. When I was a managing editor in China, I had to write a large percent of the new content for the monthly magazine and weekly newspaper. The city of Hangzhou is world famous for its Mid-Autumn Day celebration. One year I wrote a well received fairy tale …

The Sweetness of Patience

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. – Ralph Waldo Emerson The pace of life can be overwhelming at times. We live in an era when time is marked down in nanoseconds (billionths of a second). In the past I taught teachers about GPS, and I was often asked – how fast is …

Poem: Blue Moon Rising

Pulsating sinuous strands Spread along sandy flesh Like a lover’s luxuriant tresses across a pillow The approaching lantern of fertility Brightens the aching heart Drains away negativity Positive tingles prickle the spine Musky incense tantalizes the tongue Face into the wind and listen The blue moon’s siren call Echoes throughout the briny deep Silky steps …

The Seed of Self

Nature always wears the color of the spirit. – Ralph Waldo Emerson The world abounds in waves of loving energy, one only needs to open the heart to receive it. Each of us has the capacity to discover the spiritual wealth of the universe. We only have to re-learn how to be natural. The word …