Steve has been through another health event and as we sat at the table at home tonight awaiting a friend to provide an assist to go to bed I remarked, “Oh my goodness gracious, next week I have to talk to students about art in religion with a focus on stained glass. What the Hades am I going to talk about?” He said nothing. Then I had a genuine revelation and I said, “Gosh darnit. I’m going to do what you do.” Then his eyebrows perked up as in, “What the Hades are you talking about?” And I said, “Remember years ago when I was fascinated with what happens when light shines through water and creates patterns and you taught me what was happening, caustics, and then there was a photo exhibit in a youth community center and I made you participate with one of your such photos and these two young children walked by and instead of you telling them what they were seeing you let them look and then asked them, What do you see?, and one boy said, I see the back of an alligator! And you said, Well, that’s very astute of you. And the boy said, What does astute mean? And the two of you wandered off to the cheese tray table as you explained how observant he was.” Steve smiled and said, “Yes.” And I said, “My dear, I believe it is in your spirit to be mentor. Do you agree?” He did agree. And as we sat there he helped me pull together my oh, so brief presentation. I read it back to him. Genuinely, I said, “Okay, this feels good. That’s not bad, is it?” And he said, “No, dear one. You’re good.” And please believe me if I was off track that person would tell me so. 🙂 Time does fly.
Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’
twelve years ago, really? goodness gracious.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, Contributing Writer, Inspiration, life, musings, nature, Photography, storytelling on February 16, 2026| 2 Comments »
the significance of the offer
Posted in Inspiration, tagged caregiving, compassion, Contributing Writer, family, gratitude, human spirit, Inspiration, life, muse, Photography, storytelling on January 12, 2026| 3 Comments »
They almost made me cry, these two young men. We were their last stop for the day to pick up junk. I knew from an earlier phone call that they had already had a very full day. But as one of them went through the company schpeil, he added, “And if there’s anything else you need our help with just let us know.”
I looked up at him, “Are you sure?”
“Uhm, yes, that’s why we’re here. To help.”
I nodded. “Okay, next to my husband’s side of the bed, there’s a pole he uses to help with transfers that relies on tension between the floor and ceiling. It became loose and fell. When you’re done can you two put it back up?”
Without skipping a bit, they nodded.
And that’s what they did.
As I led them up the stairs, I said, “You know, the older I get the more I am willing to accept help when the offer is made. And sometimes I don’t even wait for the offer before requesting it.”
They laughed.
After acknowledging their presence, Steve napped in the bed as they worked. One of them nodded sagely. “I used to work in elder care, ” he said. “This is just fine.”
The two of them went to work using language that is not part of my repertoire about tension and how to insert screwdrivers at the base and turn to tighten . . . and after noticing the apparent look on my face one of the fellows looked around and saw Steve’s in-door woodworking area.
He said, “Uhm, if it’s okay for me to go in there and find a screwdriver I can do it for you.” I went in and picked up a screwdriver. “Will this work?”
He nodded.
Yes, I gave them a tip and good review but mostly what they left me with was a lighter spirit. A genuine offer made and genuine follow through.
And as they left, I heard those usual soft words and so I shouted to the men as they made their way down the stairs, “Steve says thank you!”
And they replied, “You’re welcome, Steve!”
a bit of blue and green
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, Inspiration, nature, Photography, urban landscape on January 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »
It was so warm today as I walked about it almost felt like autumn. But I know there’s plenty of winter remaining!
9 years ago …
Posted in Inspiration, tagged art, disability, fine art, Inspiration, painting, poetry, storytelling on January 6, 2026| 1 Comment »
Hard to believe it was nine years ago that Mr. Langosy allowed me to share the story of his art. What a remarkable man and such a pleasure to have known him and his family. Donald Langosy passed away this week and what a legacy he leaves behind. An active artist until the end, his last exhibit, The Journey of Eduardo Gunkla, is currently on display at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, MA, until January 9th. A virtual gallery is also accessible online. https://multiculturalartscenter.org/eduardo-gunkla/
small things
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, cyclamen, flowers, Inspiration, nature, Photography on December 24, 2025| 1 Comment »
I love when the sunlight falls upon the leaves of this cyclamen. It makes me pause in my day and it is important sometimes to simply pause.
hard at work
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, diy, handcrafted, handmade, home, Inspiration, interior decorating, nature, Photography on December 21, 2025| 3 Comments »
I purchased not a ton, but a lot, of greenery. One bundle was composed of six branches. I collected six pinecones and gave the mass to Steve along with a birch branch, inviting him to create an indoor decoration. If there’s one thing, in many different ways, Steve teaches me, it is patience … and that sometimes less is more. He sorted through everything and selected just three branches with the same type of needles and just one pinecone. “For the center,” he said.
I think it turned out well. 🙂
still hanging on
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, dried flowers, flowers, Inspiration, Photography on December 2, 2025| 1 Comment »
I think I bought the bouquet of strawflowers maybe 2 or even 3 summers ago in the Copley Square Farmers Market. So darned expensive but the vendor knew he’d caught me. I wish I had the patience to grow them myself. Maybe one day … 🙂
a bit of green on the windowsill
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, flowers, Inspiration, nature, Photography, succulents on October 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“the land that never has been yet”
Posted in Inspiration, tagged american dream, American history, black history, history, Inspiration, Langston Hughes, Photography, poetry on September 2, 2025| 4 Comments »
Here’s a challenge. In this age of quick reads, read this whole poem, Let America Be America Again, by Langston Hughes. Indeed try reading passages out loud. Written about 90 years ago, it could have been written today. And therein lies the sadness and yet the hope. Read on …
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147907/let-america-be-america-again
feels like feathers
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, ferns, indoor gardening, Inspiration, nature, Photography, plants, sensory on August 10, 2025| 2 Comments »
Just as we were entering what I like to call “the woodwright shop,” the room where we sat up a mini-woodworking area so Steve can do small projects upstairs instead of in the basement, I noticed the fall of sunlight across the room. “Wow, look at the ferns!” I kind of thought I was talking to myself but to my surprise Steve started rolling that way. I didn’t expect him to reach for the sunlit fern fronds with his left hand but he did. When I asked him what they felt like, he said, “Feels like feathers.”
They are Rabbit’s Foot Ferns. And somehow I’ve amassed a tiny collection. I think it happened during the pandemic when I just wanted some inexpensive greenery in the house to clean the air, add some humidity, etc. And they sure are forgiving when I forget to water. Their furry rhizomes spill out over the pots and from them new leaves emerge.
There’s some serious repotting that needs to be done as soon as I find the right planters. Hmmm. Perhaps I’ve identified Steve’s next small works woodworking project, some nice wooden planters. We’ll see. 🙂
Words + Images 