Poetry keeps showing up in my mailbox...

sunlight splashes through the fall leaves, 

illuminating them in golden radiance

while dancing with delight. 

each leaf sings a joyful song

 to celebrate the sun.

I just love the idea that each leaf might have its own song... its own melody that springs from its depths. And I just delight in this final aging leaf that has twilight illuminating its veins.

My thanks to Maria Johnson for sending along her poetry. She is one of those insta-poets. She-sees-it-feels-it-writes-it. It is a spontaneous gift she has; I just dig it. 

These are just a few of the autumn leaves I found on my rosary walk this afternoon... the first sunny afternoon after much rain... I know this is why God made New England... to grace us with signs of his beauty and grandeur in his gifts of creation... even in something as ordinary as a little decaying leaf. 

+++

In other news, my mother, who still believes in the value of snail mail, sent me a few clippings that she collected... among them, this poem that follows. I hope you like it. It's a little bit like something you'd read in a greeting card, but I know many people on my prayer list who can relate to this sentiment at the moment.

The Gift of Tears

by David G. Mulvey*

"And you, Creature-in-My-Image,

I shall bless you with the Gift of tears!"

Thus God spoke, and humankind

Has questioned ever since:

"Why, my God, curse us with the pain and

Hurt of crying? It is too hard to bear!"

"Tears when you are hurting help release

The pain, my child;

They wash the selfishness from

Deep within your soul.

Tears make you aware of your

Deepest human emotions - liked and unliked;

They drain your arrogance and total

Self-reliance, and call you close to Me."

"Tears when you are overwhelmed with joy

Accentuate the joy you hold;

They make visible the depth of 

Feelings that you are capable of.

Tears wash others in your joy,

Spilling over within their very souls;

They water and nourish your Trust and 

Faith in Me, the Source-Of-All-Good."

"See, My Child, that tears truly

Are a Gift, both in Sorrow and in Joy!"

And when God spoke, humankind, insight gained,

Questioned less, but not for the last...

"But you, Creature-in-My-Image,

I have blessed with the Gift of Tears!"

*I tried to find some website, book or blog that referenced this writer's work, but to no avail. 

The Autumn Bug - or - How to be a Tourist in Your Own Town

My daughter's car was looking kind of lonely and I was missing her too, she being away at college. It  falls to me to rev up "The Bug" now and again to keep it running until her return.

The Autumn Bug

Each Friday I have a commitment to do an hour of adoration at our parish. And since I've been away for almost two weeks, to present at the CNMC, and to help lead a retreat for writers, I was missing my weekly date with Jesus too. The best part about having this midday hour on a Friday is that it forces me to step away from the screen and the studio and take in the local color, so to speak. So I thought maybe you'd like to come along.

The lake

Of course I live in New England, where folks actually vacation at this time of year in order to"leaf peep," basking in the glow of colorful foliage that blankets our hills and valleys. Some time this weekend, I'll be zipping along the country lanes --hopefully with the top down in Hubby's MG.

But on Friday I was itching to get out even if it was our third day of rain. And I thought I'd share some of the gracious backroads that I drive most days...

Gratuitous pumpkin shot

I have a thing for barns and so does my husband.

Our dream is for the next home to have a barn.

(See? It really was raining...)

Of course, it won't be a working barn per se. It will be where we keep the MG, and the writing studio, and the woodworking shop, and the... toys for the grandchildren. (Note to offspring... no worries, no rush on this... just filling in the dream details here.)  Anyway.

There are a lot of barns in this area.

It is horse country...

...and it is also a place where farmland once was greater than it is now...

...so everyone at one time had a barn, though many now function as glorified garages or sheds.

(more rainyness...)

This is one of my favorites...in the rain and from the distance the camera-phone almost can't handle the details... so it almost looks like a painting, right?

There are also these cows that I spent four years driving past... on the way to the highschool, but to which I do not drive anymore.

If you look carefully, you'll see very intelligent turkeys under the tree in the rain as the cow remains outstanding in its field. (I do believe the rain was curling its hair!)

Another "painting" due to shaky photography and rainy mist!

Same effect here too.

Save the Date: New England Catholic Homeschool Conference, June 25!

New England Catholic Homeschool Conference to be held June 25, 2011 in Chicopee, MA

The third annual New England Catholic Homeschool Conference will be held Saturday, June 25, 2011 at St. Stanislaus School in Chicopee, MA. Centered around the theme “Answering our Baptismal Call,” there will be several talks and vendors for homeschoolers and those thinking about homeschooling.

Christine Hebert, one of the primary organizers of the event, states “the conference is an opportunity for homeschoolers and those interested in homeschooling to take a day to be refreshed in their journey. The speakers we have this year are offering uplifting information in a variety of areas so that the needs of all will be addressed. This is the only Catholic Homeschooling Conference in New England. We invite people to come and share their faith and their homeschooling journey.”

Deacon Eugene McGuirk, Director of Academic Counseling for Seton Home Study School, will speak on “Why Should I Study That?– I’ll Never Use It Again!” His talk will explore why development of the whole person is important. Dr. Steve O’Brien, visiting lecturer at Bridgewater State University and online instructor with Regina Coeli online academy, will be joined by his wife, Katie O’Brien, homeschooling mother of four who also oversees the high school program at St. Thomas Aquinas School in West Warren, Massachusetts. They will be speaking on Retrieving Catholic History and infusing a sense of Catholic culture and history in students.

Other featured speakers include Sr. Christina Miriam Wegendt, FSP, Children’s Editor at Pauline Media, speaking on Media Mindfulness and Fr. Henry Dorsch, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, speaking on instilling a devotion to the Lord through Eucharistic Adoration. Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, Associate Editor with Catholic Exchange and homeschooling mother of two, will speak on incorporating art with other areas of the curriculum. She and Karen Ford, adjunct professor at Springfield Technical Community College and homeschooling mother of four, will also offer a workshop for new homeschoolers. 

Vendors scheduled to attend include Seton, Teaching Textbooks, HSLDA, Morning Star Catholic Books, Nancy Larson Science, and many more!

To find out more about the New England Catholic Homeschool Conference or to register, please visit http://nechc.wordpress.com or call 413-315-9999.