I Wonder

Through Gates of Splendor!

~ I Wonder ~

I wonder.  If that deepest core within us

that invisible spark which makes us 

each uniquely who we are

that spirit, intangible, yet oh so real

I wonder. When our bodies die,

does that ethereal essence 

turn to dust as well? Or 

does it in the twinkling of an eye

return home to Godde, slip through

the placenta back into the womb of eternity

there to develop and be prepared to be

born yet again. To serve anew

I wonder where John’s spirit is 

what purpose it’s now given

what joy he’s found and giving

I can’t imagine he is idle - even in eternity!

One day I’ll know. Meanwhile

I Wonder

JoMae

6/16/18

On our travels, John loved to point out and photograph beautiful design. This gate is somewhere in Charleston.

~ Welcome Note ~

Dear Friends,

This blog is my letter to the world whose music speaks to me in potent words of color, breeze and shade... 
-JoMae                      (With a fond Salute to Emily Dickinson)

Painting: The Letter ~~ Artist: JamesBrowne.net

<><><><><><><>

~ Welcome to my BITS and PIECES ~

This blog is my letter to the world

whose music speaks to me in potent

words of color, breeze and shade, through 

books whose notions seed themselves in

nooks and crannies of my mind only

to float around there until one day

I fish a bit, reel in to lay all out

so as to look at them again, try to

clarify, grasp the meaning of those
little tidbits niggling at my brain -

 this blog brings order to the verbal

chaos wafting through my world 

MY LIFE

JoMae
7/9/18

Welcome to these bits and pieces of my world.  If you wish to share a bit of yours or add a comment, please do.  Enjoy!

That Moment...

Photo by Jessicakate Miles
Always - Remember the Rainbow!

~~ ABSENCE ~~

That moment after months of trying to adjust to widowhood, 

when your first real crisis hits resurfacing your grief with

 an acute stab as you realize anew s/he is not

here to share the burden, the fear of this

fresh wound

When new loss reminds you how alone you are without
the presence of your soulmate’s love, voice

companionship and familiar touch

JoMae

7/23/18

Dedicated to all who have lost a spouse and to the friends who patiently listen, seek to understand and help each one of us move on.

Learning From Loss

~Learning From Loss~

Loss launched an education on my life.

Your closed eyes began a stark opening of mine

to things I could not see when life was full with you.

Pondering lost sight of you brought insight to my soul.

While you look now from the realm of Godde

I too see from another view with

deeper understanding

of life and of

Our Love

JoMae

6/4/18

Your Tired, Your Poor

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... 

Thinking about the folks at our borders today.

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...

In high school (about 65 years ago) I once played the part of the Statue of Liberty.  The memory brings to mind two things:  

1. Reciting those beautiful words inscribed on Liberty’s base:

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Emma Lazarus

2. I remember how extremely tired my arm became, holding up that torch. Today Liberty’s spirit must be weary and weeping. She seems to have lost the ability to hold out her beacon of hope any longer. I fear she has dropped her lamp.  This land, our land, weeps with her.  

Black Eyed Susan

Photo by Scott Runcorn
Glass Art by Theodore Ellison Designs

~Transformation Of Black Eyed Susan~

The black eyed susans are long gone

the master planter gone as well

both gone to seed

What can you do for me? the master asked

Return each year, a live reminder -

and I’ll inspire, Susan sang

I can inspire the heart of one who loved you

to frame an echo of the black eyed

beauties you once grew

<><><><><>

Touched by his muse the artist grew 

black eyed susans (so lately in John’s garden)

 embedded now in glass tile on a daughter’s fireplace

An icon of the beauty of one beloved

in memory of a life well lived

A Gift Of Grace

JoMae

6/11/18
Something beautiful happened to me on John’s birthday.  An elegant icon was created in memory of him.  Enjoy!

Unwrapping

Boxes by Judy

~Unwrapping~

Loss forces one to

find gifts for the future

hidden deep within the past

to find the present yet unwrapped

New Joy

JoMae
6/4/18

Unwrapping - inspired by The Uses of Sorrow, a poem by Mary Oliver which was mentioned by Steven Petrow in a NYT’s article on gratitude last month.  I love how words travel mouth to mouth, heart to heart - nurturing the world!  -js

Abundant Grace

~Abundant Grace~

In the middle of this deep dark loss,

a Light. Gently unfolding, its soft

beam of hope seeps in

its beacon tugging at confusion

shedding a glow on the path

drawing the heart close

revealing answers even as
more questions form

'til fully unfurled

it lights the way brightly

lifts away darkness

and brings new

Joy

JoMae

6/4/18

Small Blessings

Early May Garden

~~ Small Blessings ~~

When life is stopped because of loss or illness or

some huge shift in normal that upsets your apple cart

after the shock, assessment of all that is now missing

reveals small blessings growing in their place

Like a barren garden in the Spring

new life, new energy cannot be stopped

new  ideas creep in, new opportunities pop up

unbidden - some like weeds to be discarded 

- some to flower and be nurtured into more 

Abundant Blessings

rooted in the very loss that breaks your heart

JoMae

5/18/18

Maternal Images of Godde video

A beautiful video for Mother's Day by Christine Sine at GODSPACE

Click Below for the Video:

http://godspacelight.com/2015/05/07/maternal-images-of-god-a-video-and-a-prayer/