Hope

Dear Dictionary… I Need the Word

/ Jodi / 53 Comments

Dear Dictionary –

We’ve
talked about this
before…

Your book is lacking
a few words
I so desperately need.

I’ve already told you
there needs to be
a word created

to describe the
the overflowing feeling
of love

I feel
when I think
of my granddaughter.

Other grandparents
understand
this conundrum…

But now
I need
another word…

I watched
the movie
“Mudbound.”

An Academy  Award
nominated
film

for best supporting actress,
best cinematography,
and best writing of an adapted screenplay.

And at the end,
I sat
speechless.

The anger…
The hatred…
The sorrow…
The heartache…

The hope…
The compassion…
The conviction…
The love…

Dear Dictionary,
can you give me the word
that describes all of this wrapped up in one?

And then I listened
to the closing song,
Mighty River.

and
I
cried.

I so want to talk
about this
powerful film.

But I don’t
want to
spoil it

for those
who haven’t
seen it.

Please
watch
it.

And let me share the opening verse to Mary J. Blige’s Song, Mighty River:

Life is a teacher, time is a healer
And I’m a believer like a river wild
Ego’s a killer, greed is a monster
But love is stronger, stronger than them all.

Can we
please
let Love Be Stronger than them All?

Please.

Hugs,
Jodi

Happy Endings

/ Jodi / 50 Comments

Winter Sunset, Mars, PA – January 2018 – “Happy Endings”

Happy Endings.

The magical beauty
of a sunset
at the end of the day…

no matter how hard
or cold or uncomfortable
the day…

renews my faith
in the possibility
of happy endings.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Let Each New Sunrise

/ Jodi / 36 Comments

Backyard Sunrise – Mars, PA – January, 2018

Let Each New Sunrise…

Give you hope.
Fill you with gratitude.

Provide a clean slate.
Invent new explorations.

Start with a hug.
Include an “I love you.”

Not be overlooked.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Every Sunset

/ Jodi / 23 Comments
Sunset, Mars, PA - Autumn 2017

Sunset, Mars, PA – Autumn 2017

Every Sunset.

May every sunrise
fill you with hope.

And every sunset
bring you peace.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

WhY?

/ Jodi / 41 Comments

WhY?

Who What When
Where Why?

So many questions
So few answers

????

Don’t lose hope
Keep the faith

See the light
Be the light

Be the good why
Be the good who

Embrace the good why
Embrace the good who

We may never
know all
the
whYs

but we can
still
Be!

 

Hugs,
Jodi

A Yellow Rose for a Sweet New Baby Girl

/ Jodi / 48 Comments
Yellow Rose Impressionistic Watercolor 11x14 Saunders 140lb Cold Press

Yellow Rose Impressionistic Watercolor 11×14 Saunders 140lb Cold Press

A Yellow Rose for a Sweet New Baby Girl.

A sweet new baby girl was born this week into our extended family.  She was named after two of her great grandmothers.  One of the great grandmothers loved yellow roses.  They were her favorite flower.

So in honor of our new little sweetheart, I painted a yellow rose.

My inspiration for this impressionistic rose is from the amazing style of Jean Haines.

Colors used:  Daniel Smith Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Aliziran Crimson, Burnt Sienna, and Perylene Green.

If her Mommy likes it, I will frame it for our new little angel’s room.

Amidst all the tragedy and heartache in the world (especially this past week here in the U.S. with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and the 15-year remembrance of 911), the miracle of birth continues to give us hope in the beauty of life and love.  May our little ones create and live in a world of peace.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

After the Rain

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

After the rain
the world is a little softer –
edges blur and drip and shimmer.

After the rain
bright, beautiful reflections are illuminated
through droplets like liquid mirrors.

After the rain
the earth smells of growth
and life and freshness and hope.

After the rain
my heart feels renewed
and cleansed and full of new possibilities.

After the rain.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

#Reflecting

 

Today I will choose to be kind

/ Jodi / 29 Comments

white-rose-bereavement-bouquet

Today I will choose to be kind –
most especially and intentionally to those who are not.

I will remember how precious and fragile life is –
and seek to cherish the moments.

We may not remember days or weeks or months,
but we remember moments.

And life is made up of moments –
ones that bring joy…

And others that bring grief
and sadness and loss.

I will cherish those moments too
and allow myself to feel them.

For a heart that cannot grieve or feel sadness or loss
cannot also feel the fullness of joy and love and hope.

Today, and every day, I will seek to choose to be kind,
and I will also embrace the kindness of others.

For every moment
is what makes up a life.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Looking Up

/ Jodi / 39 Comments

looking-up-autumn-tree-1016

Looking up
past the bare
tangled
web
that tries to
block our view…

Looking beyond
what is
closest
and darkest
and right before
our line of sight…

Is beauty
and brightness
and color
and possibilities
and hopefulness
and mystery.

Look up…
Look beyond…
See the beauty.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Life and Hope

/ Jodi / 64 Comments

Lane

My son snagged this amazing shot with his iPhone down the lane to our home one evening this week when the clouds were rolling in.

I love the beauty of the lush green “life,” the bright blue sky of “hope,” and the looming “sadness’ in the darkness under the puffy white clouds.

It reminded me of a dear friend who has been on my mind constantly lately who is going through a difficult period while she tends to her parents’ needs at her father’s journey at end of life.

It made me think of life and hope and sadness and how we all deal with all of it every day – –  often every moment of the day.

The lyrics of one of my all-time favorite songs came to mind, and I want to share them here for my sweet friend, Bub:

If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep you head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you’ll hear me knocking at you door
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again

 

May we all find cherished moments of life and hope in times of darkness and sadness.
And may we all find comfort in friendship to get us through.

We may not be close enough in geographic proximity to literally always show up and knock on the door, but we can reach out in so many other ways to be there for each other.

Be life and hope in someone’s darkness today.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi