Jone Rush MacCullough at DeoWriter hosts our Poetry Friday this first autumn in her retirement. And she's sharing a Great Morning! Thanks, Jone, hope all is going beautifully!
I took a walk in my neighborhood this late afternoon. I ran into and met two women, whom I didn't know, but who stopped me and asked if I had watched the hearings. They were so upset that it made me realize I needed to try to offer comfort. We introduced ourselves and spoke of how we were going to keep working to make change in any way we can. And we hugged! Strangers, but not, because we were women.
I have some sweetness to share I also saw on my walk. Nature's gifts help a little, if nothing else, they give me strength to keep on.
For All
W inning is not the
O nly path sought, but
M olding lives for a future
E very day without fear
N ow.
Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved
Thanks for sharing your special meeting today, your lovely sweet flowers, and leaves too Linda. And for your succinct, strong acrostic poem, hope we can work to save some of this,
ReplyDelete"M olding lives for a future
E very day without fear"
Hugs to you from the other side of the world, Linda.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Linda. Oftentimes it's the fear that keeps us from doing what we need to do. But nonetheless, we persevere. Have a good day!
ReplyDeleteDear Linda, you are a gift. Thank you. xo
ReplyDeleteThis poem is small and says so much about what I believe about women as a whole. We will forge a path for the future to be better than this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about meeting those women and for your wonderful acrostic and lovely photos. Standing with and comforting each other makes us stronger and enables us to go on.
ReplyDeleteVery supportive, comforting poem, Linda - and the moth is a perfect image, as they emerge from their chrysalis as something new and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your poem, Linda. The hearings have forced me to contemplate things that have happened in my past, and how I can raise my children so that these things stop. Sometimes it feels like an overwhelming task.
ReplyDeleteHow kind of you to stop and offer comfort! May we all continue to find strength in nature's gifts!
ReplyDelete"Strangers, but not, because we were women." Yes, exactly how I feel, Linda. Clearly you were meant to be in that place at that particular time. I expect that more women will be in positions of political power after the election; I only hope it will be enough to start seeing a difference.
ReplyDeleteLinda, your words touch me & make me feel proud to be a woman, mother, and grandmother. On the way home from Florida, my husband and I listened to Dr. Ford's testimony. Even my husband thought she was credible. She spoke with such sincerity in delivering the right message that all I could think of was how brave she was being. No one should have to feel small because of a traumatic event that she did not bring on. I wonder what type of world Sierra and your grandgirls will grow up in. I certainly hope that the Kavanaugh hearing will be more than just a historical event. I hope it will bring about change.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone for your kindness and support for this tough time. I've been with Ingrid through the afternoon & evening, but before we began out time, I did hear that Senator Flake has stepped forward and made what seems like a good thing happen. I am hopeful & will continue always to fight for that which is good for our country, for everyone. This chance meeting yesterday, as I wrote, touched me profoundly. I wonder how many are alone & in need of support? All of us tend to be helpful to each other, so I guess I take for granted that is the way everyone lives.
ReplyDeleteLinda, your poem articulates exactly what so many of us are feeling. Thank you for so beautifully putting this into words.
ReplyDeleteYour question "I wonder how many are alone & in need of support?" reminded me I heard that a sexual assault hotline had received a 200% increase in calls the other day. So glad you were able to offer support. "Every day without fear" -- something to strive for!! xo
ReplyDeleteThank you for your poem--it offers hope and comfort in these troubling times. I am grateful for how many people are coming together to offer one another support and to work together for change. I refuse to give up all hope yet!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad for the comfort you gave and you give. It's amazing to me that we find ourselves in such a predicament. We need to keep living, keep speaking, keep voting and support those who do what we cannot amidst the busyness of our lives.
ReplyDeleteWhat horrifying times! But we can cherish the solidarity that has developed.
ReplyDeletePerfect poem, Linda. I was on vacation for a few days and was in my room watching the hearing when "housekeeping" came around (she announced herself in that way). I found myself near to weeping when I tried to explain to the woman (who had told me her real name by then) how critical the hearings were for the future of her children and grandchildren. She got it. Your poem tells it. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the supportive comments and your own stories. It is good to know we are all together.
ReplyDeleteIt's all just staggering, to watch and to hear all of this, especially as a foreigner, sometimes I can't believe it's all real. Progress is supposed to move us forward as a people, yet some want to pull us back, and strip people of their hard-won rights and freedoms. But our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers have shown us that if we stand strong together, we can accomplish great things!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is amazing that complete strangers could meet over this subject and connect. That is the silver lining to all of this, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story and inspiring poem. Connection and inspiration are remedies in this crazy time we live in.
ReplyDeleteI love that you shared this moment with these two strangers and then with us. It seems to me that solidarity among women is key. My husband and I have talked a lot about the hearings, sexual abuse, assault, etc. and he keeps saying, "I just don't understand why all women aren't supporting each other on this issue." Neither do I. Your story and your poem offer a silver lining to these dark days.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Linda--both the poem and the sharing with strangers. It feels like we need each others support and compassion now more than ever.
ReplyDeleteTouching post, Linda. Of course you offered comfort and thoughtfulness to those whom you met - their lucky day, and yours too. I love that you remind us of the healing power of the natural beauty all around. This morning I watched a butterfly flit from morning glory to morning glory. and smaller ones on my neighbor's lantana. (Wrote haiku about both!) XO
ReplyDeleteAgain, I am grateful for each of your kind comments. Reaching out and supporting others is a way of life that feels right, no matter how others conduct their lives. And feeling that power of nature to help is one thing I hope all of us remember. "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." -- Shakespeare
ReplyDeleteYes, Linda! "Everyday without fear" - that's what we must do to get through nowadays. Thanks for sharing this experience and your poem. (I watched the hearings from Switzerland - horror just as acute as if I were still in the US.)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bridget. I figured you would be watching.
DeleteYour poem is beautiful, and it offers some comfort. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLinda, this is so beautiful. Your meeting with those two women brought me such comfort! "Strangers but not, because we were women." Yes. I love your acrostic poem, too. xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a poem for now. We all need to lean into each other.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks, Kimberly, Karen, and Jone. Yes, we all will support and lean together this coming week and beyond. That feels very good.
ReplyDelete