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The road shines silver in the rain
and the daffodils on the western slope
open to be baptized by it
as the soft drops slide down their petals
and they sing out their lemony joy.

When the old man tells you his stories,
you can see that they’re living again
right there before his eyes.
His shaky hands show you how
he grasped the handle of the wrench,
how he pressured that stuck bolt
as he tells you which wrench,
and what kind of bolt, and you can
almost smell the grease when he grins
his toothless smile, looking up at you
so proudly, as he says, “I got ‘er out!”

All night I dreamed of the mallards,
of the drake’s emerald iridescent head
and bold black and white body, of his mate,
shy and dappled brown swimming at his side,
of the way they painted the water with ripples
of blue and gold snatched from the sky, with
the green of the pines from the shore. I heard
the drake’s loud call as it rose from the lake
on powerful wings just to show his mate
how wise she had been to choose him.
And all through the night, they swam
and swam, graceful, knowing,
and at peace.

I was thinking about the contentious arguments I saw on social media today when I realized that they’re nothing new. Sometimes they’re louder and more strident than other times. But they seem to be something that comes with the human experience. I suppose they’re a kind of bumpy effort to problem solve.

Whatever their purpose or cause, they’re no fun.

From somewhere in my memory a piece on the subject that I wrote for you almost exactly a year ago came to mind. I called it “Taking Sides.” I dug it out and it felt like an appropriate reminder for us to share today, So here it is. Enjoy!

*              *              *

I was out looking at the stars the other night, and once more I was filled with awe at the realization that our home is but one speck of rock circling one star amidst uncountable stars in one of an unknown number of galaxies. How small we are! And yet, how incredible our minds, to be able to grasp the immensity of it all, to compute the distances, to be capable of wonder and to marvel at its mysteries and order and beauty.

How can we be asleep to that? How can we take it all for granted? Why, when we’re gifted not only with intelligence but with the capacity to love, is our little world beset with such rancor and pain?

You know, there seems to be a trend afoot these days to pit us all against each other, to egg us into taking sides on every conceivable issue. Tensions and conflicts engulf our homes and work places, our neighborhoods and nations. And this, despite the fact that what the overwhelming majority of humans want is simply to get along with each other and to live our lives in harmony and peace.

None of us has the power, individually, to change the course of world events. But we can have an influence in our immediate corners of the world. That’s the place to start. From there, it evolves and spreads, of its own accord. It becomes the ripple that eventually turns the tide,

I heard a suggestion this week that I liked a lot. Instead of getting entrapped in the blame game, it said, focus on seeking solutions. Ask yourself what you can do to make things better and be willing to give your ideas a try.

Sometimes that can mean having to admit you were less than kind, or respectful, or honest. None of us is at our best all the time. We get tired, and crabby, and selfish. It’s part of being human to blame someone else for our lousy states of mind. But our ability to apologize is a part of being human, too.

Sometimes making things better means stretching beyond our comfort zones and trying on less-than-familiar behaviors—holding our tongues when we would normally confront, forgiving hurts, deciding to overlook other’s foibles instead of falling into irritation, looking for things to like in those whose opinions contrast with our own.

What can I do to make things better? That’s the solution-focused question. How can I create more harmony? More understanding? More beauty? More wholesomeness and health? What would be the kind thing to do? The loving thing? How can we work together to fix things?

“Be the peace you want to see in the world” the sage said. Every time you apply it, the world does indeed become a more peaceful place. One act, one person at a time.

Wishing you a week filled with beautiful solutions.

Warmly,
Susan

^{Image by Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay}

How lovely to begin the New Year with you! Let’s smash a bottle of champagne across her bow and set sail. Here’s to a sense of adventure and wild, wonderful dreams.

Why not!

“Why not!” That’s a phrase I adopted a couple of years ago as my “word of the year.” Instead of making resolutions, it’s become my custom to choose a guiding word or phrase as my focus for the year. And “Why Not!” served me very well. It prodded me to step outside my comfort zone and gave me a broadened openness to new experiences.

One year, I chose the word “connection.” Friends I hadn’t seen in years came back into my life, bonds with current friends deepened, and I found myself looking into the eyes of strangers and smiling. It guided me to connect with myself more deeply, too, by helping me to remember to connect with my own heart.

Last year, I chose “Easy.” It saved my sanity many a time.

I mention it simply to offer you the idea of choosing a word or phrase of your own to guide you through the coming year. It can be anything that you want more of in your life.

But that’s not what I really want to share with you today. Instead, I want to share a line I heard in an old movie.

What Matters

“My dad used to tell me,” the doctor in the movie said to his terminally ill patient, “that you don’t measure your life by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away.”

Those are the moments of impact, the ones that pull you right out of the ordinary and fill you with awe. They’re moments of revelation, the ones that let you get in touch with magnificence, or beauty, or great calm, or compassion, or relief, or sudden understanding. They’re little instances of the profound, overflowing with a sense of life’s mystery, poignancy and wonder.

They’re what I wish for you today, as we step into this New Year—moments that take your breath away. Look for them, and celebrate them when they come along.

I don’t usually quote my own writing in these letters, but today I want to close with a poem I wrote in 2015. It’s called, “To the New Year.”

Hello, New Year, dawning over the eastern hills
with your pastel prism of light. We offer you
the wishes of our hearts, our vows
to rise higher, to love more fully, to overcome
the human failings that keep us from our paths,
to walk in contentment and peace,
to be more forgiving, to walk in compassion
for others and for ourselves, to admit
that we know so little, and, therefore,
to refrain from judging what we cannot
fairly judge. Bring us your new days,
and on each of them, let us write
what is true and good and beautiful,
in honor of the Yes that sings through all.
And when we fail, help us to remember
that you will unfailingly bring us
the light of yet another dawn.

Happy New Year, my friends. I look forward to sharing it with you. May it bring each of us ever nearer to living as our best selves.

Warmly,
Susan

^{Image by Gerhard Bögner from Pixabay}

“Optimist. Someone who isn’t sure whether life is a tragedy or a comedy, but is tickled silly just to be in the play.” ~Roy T. Bennett

I didn’t know who Roy Bennett was, so I looked him up. Turns out he’s the author of The Light in the Heart. Searching further, I found him on “X”, where he had more inspiration to share.

Here’s a post he made a couple days before Christmas with a quote from his book:

It sounded like a perfect wish to me!

On a morning where I was leaning heavily toward the tragedy side of things, reading his words carried me back to a more centered view.

I read through several of Roy’s posts, featuring excerpts from his book. “A random act of kindness,” he said, “no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone else’s life.” That’s always a good reminder. We need to pump all the kindness we can into the world.

Here’s another one that I especially liked. “Believe in yourself, your abilities and your own potential. Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.”

That’s pretty profound advise to pack into three little sentences. I sat up a little straighter as I read it and even caught a little smile sneaking onto my face.

Then I read, “Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Focus on your character, not your reputation. Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.”

That’s maybe the best New Year’s advice anybody could give. Well, that, and “Love one another.”

If you’re an “X” user, you know how one post leads to another. I danced from Bennett’s page to several others, finding even more uplifting thoughts. I think I must have been guided by my good angel, because they were exactly what I needed to hear.

What better way to start the New Year, I thought as I sat down to write to you, than to share some of the treasures I found with you! So here are a few gems I gathered. “Reminders,” I call them. They’re things we already know to be true that deserve our renewed attention.

Take the time to read through them slowly, to absorb the truths they offer.

“One thing I’ve learned. Life is a paradox. To heal you must hurt, to love you must break open, and to have peace you must face chaos. Never regret any experience in your life, because it is always meant to bring you balance. The light always follows.”
~https://x.com/limitlessmindon

“Making yourself happy again is the biggest comeback.”
~https://x.com/SeffSaid

“Live based on your commitment to a better future, not your default habits of the past.”
~https://x.com/FCNightingale

“Allow yourself to be a beginner at things. No one starts off as excellent.”
~https://x.com/overmind01

“Being grateful does not mean that everything life brings is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift.”
~ https://x.com/InspiringThinkn

“Okay,” I said to myself. “I’m ready now. Let the New Year roll! I’ll take all the gifts, and all the lessons they contain, that 2025 has to offer!.”

And as if to top off the gift of these encouraging reminders, my visit to Inspirational Quotes’ page left me with these wonderful affirmations for the coming year. May they sing to your heart!

2025 will be filled with love.
2025 will be filled with peace.
2025 will be filled with healing.
2025 will be filled with progress.
2025 will be filled with blessings.
2025 will be filled with happiness.
2025 will be filled with opportunity.

Amen!

Make the most of it, dear friends.

Warmly,
Susan

“Optimist. Someone who isn’t sure whether life is a tragedy or a comedy, but is tickled silly just to be in the play.” ~Roy T. Bennett

I didn’t know who Roy Bennett was, so I looked him up. Turns out he’s the author of The Light in the Heart. Searching further, I found him on “X”, where he had more inspiration to share.

Here’s a post he made a couple days before Christmas with a quote from his book:

It sounded like a perfect wish to me!

On a morning where I was leaning heavily toward the tragedy side of things, reading his words carried me back to a more centered view.

I read through several of Roy’s posts, featuring excerpts from his book. “A random act of kindness,” he said, “no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone else’s life.” That’s always a good reminder. We need to pump all the kindness we can into the world.

Here’s another one that I especially liked. “Believe in yourself, your abilities and your own potential. Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.”

That’s pretty profound advise to pack into three little sentences. I sat up a little straighter as I read it and even caught a little smile sneaking onto my face.

Then I read, “Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Focus on your character, not your reputation. Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.”

That’s maybe the best New Year’s advice anybody could give. Well, that, and “Love one another.”

If you’re an “X” user, you know how one post leads to another. I danced from Bennett’s page to several others, finding even more uplifting thoughts. I think I must have been guided by my good angel, because they were exactly what I needed to hear.

What better way to start the New Year, I thought as I sat down to write to you, than to share some of the treasures I found with you! So here are a few gems I gathered. “Reminders,” I call them. They’re things we already know to be true that deserve our renewed attention.

Take the time to read through them slowly, to absorb the truths they offer.

“One thing I’ve learned. Life is a paradox. To heal you must hurt, to love you must break open, and to have peace you must face chaos. Never regret any experience in your life, because it is always meant to bring you balance. The light always follows.”
~https://x.com/limitlessmindon

“Making yourself happy again is the biggest comeback.”
~https://x.com/SeffSaid

“Live based on your commitment to a better future, not your default habits of the past.”
“~https://x.com/FCNightingale

“Allow yourself to be a beginner at things. No one starts off as excellent.”
~https://x.com/overmind01

“Being grateful does not mean that everything life brings is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift.”
~ https://x.com/InspiringThinkn

“Okay,” I said to myself. “I’m ready now. Let the New Year roll! I’ll take all the gifts, and all the lessons they contain, that 2025 has to offer!.”

And as if to top off the gift of these encouraging reminders, my visit to Inspirational Quotes’ page left me with these wonderful affirmations for the coming year. May they sing to your heart!

2025 will be filled with love.
2025 will be filled with peace.
2025 will be filled with healing.
2025 will be filled with progress.
2025 will be filled with blessings.
2025 will be filled with happiness.
2025 will be filled with opportunity.

Amen!

Make the most of it, dear friends.

Warmly,
Susan

I gaze out the door at the trees,
bare now, atop the southern hill.
I remember all over again
how much I love these winter trees,
how they never fail to speak
to something inside me that relates
to them somehow, at least as neighbor.
I listen to them this windless day
as they gather, it seems, in council,
perhaps to share their dreams.
I wonder if I am in their dreams
(that woman down there
who sings to the morning birds)
the way that they’re in mine.

12/06/24
5:10 pm

The gray of the overcast twilight sky is subtly tinted pink and the snow on the hillside reflects it. The scene touches me somehow and reminds me that this is a holy time. I feel the energy of it: Love. Nostalgia. Hope. Suspense.

Ribbons of light stream past on the highway below as people drive home from work, anticipating the evening ahead.

The kid in me gets excited at the sight of the red and yellow lights that line the roof of a semi’s big trailer as it climbs the western hill and disappears around the curve that heads down into town.

This childlike delight is a part of the season, too.

Think of the face of a three-year-old gazing at the Christmas lights, at lacy flakes of falling snow. Such wonder!

On this day of the first December ice,
I quietly whisper my final farewell
to autumn, and admit that winter’s
begun to sneak in. As we put the year
to bed, we ought, I think, send it off
to dream wondrous dreams
by telling it a fine story. Perhaps
a story about a little pine tree
and his adventures preparing
for the great Festival of Light.
Yes. A fine year-end story indeed.

(Stay tuned!)