Hopes, dreams and byways

Posted on March 2, 2014 by hugmamma

A dear friend…whom I’ve yet to meet, someday…beautifully expresses what many moms feel as their children venture forth to find themselves. It’s difficult to let go…but do so…we must.

…hugmamma.

Figments of a DuTchess

Plans

and so many dreams

I have for you, sweetheart

your road is paved

with solid bricks

in graceful patters

quick, but with imagination

relaxed, yet with passion

and always forward

The road you follow now

has too many curves

to my liking

twists

sideways

even dead ends

but tastes differ

you sense life

and feel it your way

I let go of your hand

wave and smile at you

and watch while you take

a different path

with head held high

a byway

that in time

will surely become

your highway

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You’ll Know Why

Posted on December 15, 2013 by hugmamma

This verse captures exactly how I love our daughter…TO THE MOON AND BACK. Helen’s verse brings the phrase to full bloom…so beautifully. I bow to her poetic talent…
………hugmamma.

helen midgley

I would walk for a hundred mile,

Just to hear your voice, to see your smile,

I’d scale a mountain way up high,

Just to see you soar, to watch you fly.

I’d swim the length of an ocean wide,

To watch you float on a moonlit tide,

I’d catch the stars that light the sky,

And gather diamonds passing by.

I’d steer the moon that claims the night,

To swathe you in its resplendent light,

I’d weave a path through constellations,

Trailing dreams and declarations.

I’d keep the sun from slumbers wake,

To catch your dreams before they break,

And I’d hold them in my palms up high,

So you’d know love and you’d know why.

I had a recommendation from the very talented http://polysyllabicprofundities.com/ to check out ‘Romantic Monday’. Such a great way to spend a Monday, so I wrote this…

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our daily bread…words to inspire

Posted on November 20, 2013 by hugmamma

Came across the following quote on Picture Perfect Memories for Life at http://coreenkuhnphotography.com/ which I was moved to repost here.

Deep in their roots all flowers keep their light… Theodore Roethke.

Seemed inspirational for those suffering depression.

A reminder that though flowers may wither and die…on the surface. Their lives continue unfettered…underground.

When the warmth of sunny days return to envelop the earth…the flowers begin digging their way out from beneath the dirt that buries them.

So too are we allowed to crawl back into a fetal position to refresh and renew and…begin again.

Depression need not be the end.

Let it be…

………a new beginning…

………hugmamma.

Poetry Barn: The Conundrum Of Herbert and Betty McNerd

Posted on October 4, 2013 by hugmamma

…another entry for…nurturing thursdays…of the amazingly humorous, witty kind…
………hugmamma.

what i love most…

Posted on September 30, 2012 by hugmamma

…about my husband.

There are many things for which I’m grateful. Since they are too numerous to mention, I’ll choose one.

He lets me talk…for as long as I like. Ad nauseum…if I’m so inclined.

With nary a peep…or a hiccough…or a boo! He merely…smiles…nods…or agrees.

Oftentimes, I’ve felt this was a shortcoming.

In conversations by myself…monologues, if you will…I’ve wished…and pleaded…for more input.

Two-way communication.

Less silence…while dining out…in the car, on long drives…in a heated discussion.

I should’ve known when I heard his college, Valedictorian speech…3 words…Silence is Golden.

With that he walked off the stage…and into my life…for better or worse.

Forty-five years later…3 dating, 42 married…my husband is still the…Strong, Silent Type.

You’d think I’d have gotten the message…long, long ago.

Blame youthful immaturity…for having my head…in the clouds.

And so decades later…having failed to mold Adam…according to Eve…

I’m content to sit under the apple tree…

…eating of the fruit…

…which promises…

…eternal love.

Even if it has to be…in silence.

………hugmamma. 😆

Love ± Zero (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

paying homage…to the sun…what else?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by hugmamma

Seattle (Photo credit: Martin Cathrae)

Here in the Seattle area where the sun doesn’t abide year round, we’re always focused upon its next appearance. So while others may perform rain dances…poor, deranged souls…we close our eyes at night hoping that when next we open them…the sun will have risen in our neck of the woods. So to help it along, I’ve written a song…actually a ditty…hoping the Creator…or Mother Nature…or whoever’s in charge…will take pity.

Thanks for the sun…that lights away the shadows…inside…and out,

its warmth…that blankets all beneath,

making the flowers bloom…the birds chirp,

the children frolic…while the adults tend to chores…outdoors.

Power-washing the driveway…digging pine needles from the gutters…pulling the weeds and watering the plants. Setting furniture out on the deck.

But what am I thinking???

Forget the tasks…forget the grind…

I’m headed to Molbak’s…where the sun always shines…no matter the weather!

A sip of java…some turkey on foccacia…nibble on a cookie (peanut-butter, of course!)

Gift items…plants…small treasures abound.

So look about you…there’s sunshine everywhere…you’ve just got to find it.

It’s probably hiding…somewhere…inside you!

For it’s no secret…you and I…

…are the keepers of the sun…

………hugmamma. 🙂

Molbak’s Woodinville (Photo credit: burienundressedblog)

Molbak’s outdoor eating (Photo credit: burienundressedblog)

Molbaks’ Orchids (Photo credit: JHall159)

you are my sunshine…la, la, la, la…

Posted on June 6, 2012 by hugmamma

Looking for the Sunshine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

AAAHHH…the sun has come to visit…let’s hope it’s come to stay.

It’s summer after all…or is it?

Here in the Northwest where mountains abound…clouds like to hover.

Sunscreen? Who needs sunscreen…when we’ve got sunblock!

Oh, oh! It’s gone again…or maybe the sun’s just playing hide-and-go-seek.

No time for games…not when the calendar says it’s June 6th.

It’s no fun…when the sun…doesn’t come out to play.

Rain, rain, go away…I only want sun today…and tomorrow…and next week…and next month…

…and for many, many, many more months after that!!!

…pretty, pretty please?…for…

………hugmamma…and her achy knees? 😆

out of the mouths of…rappers

Posted on January 26, 2012 by hugmamma

Nederlands: 2 Opkomende Limburgse rappers

Image via Wikipedia

Visited the site of Jaymel Songwriter, curious to learn about a new subscriber to hugmamma’s mind, body, and soul. The visit did not disappoint. In fact it amazed me, as it always does, that someone probably half my age might be interested in what I have to say. I think it’s good for the generations to switch channels once-in-awhile to listen to a different kind of yada, yada, yada. We can all learn something. I did.

I’ve defended Obama’s right to be President of the United States, much to the chagrin and consternation of a sibling. But to each his own, and no amount of dueling will change either of our minds. So we’ll “let sleeping dogs lie.” I hope.

I’ve not been a fan of rap, mostly because I could never distinguish the words to learn the message. But I think you’ll agree that Jaymel’s voice comes through loud and clear in his song, which I’ve reprinted below.

LAY OFF OBAMA

September 23, 2011 //

YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT WE FACING
HE TRYING TO SAVE A NATON FROM A PAST BAD RELATION
JAPAN SHOWS APPRECIATION FOR THE RELIEF OF THE QUAKING
HE SHOWED, MUCH LOVE TO THE HATIANS
HOW EVERYBODY ELSE GONNA LOVE ‘EM
AND HIS OWN HOMETEAM TREAT HIM LIKE HE AIN’T TRYING DO NOTHING
THE RICH MAD BECAUSE THE POOR IS EQUAL
BE THANKFUL, I WOULD FEEL SORRY FOR YOU PEOPLE
IF THE LESS FORTUNATE IS AT THE SAME TABLE
WITH BOLOGNA, BUT YOU HAVE A STEAK, IT WOULD A KANE AND ABEL
BUSH IS THE ONE TO BLAME
HE THE ONE THAT TOOK LADY AMERICA THROUGH THIS PAIN
LIKE A MAN OBAMA GAVE HIS SHOULDER AND DIDN’T COMPLAIN
I’M GLAD HE LET US WALK WITH MCCAIN
EVERY SOUL SHOULD KNOW THE FEELING
OBAMA PICKING UP BAGGAGE THAT NEEDS FOUR TERMS OF HEALING
HE NEED TWO TERMS TO CLEAN UP BUSH FIRST TERM
AS FOR THE RE-ELECTION, IT WAS BUSH’S WORST TERM
LOUISIANA STILL REBUILDING FROM THE HURRICANE
OBAMA JUST STILL TRYING BLOW OUT THE 9/11 FLAME
FAMILY OF THE VICTIMS, WE STILL FEEL YOUR PAIN
THE BEST THAT BUSH DID WAS SADDAM HUSSEIN
BUT OBAMA IS THE ONE THAT GOT THE GRAND PRIZE
WHEN HE TOLD BIN LADEN, “YOU CAN RUN, BUT CAN’T HIDE”
YEAH, HE MIGHT BE COOL AND SERENE
BUT MEET THE BAD GUY IF YOU FOOL WITH HIS QUEEN
YES, I’M TALKING ABOUT AMERICA, SO BE PATIENT
A CHANGE GONNA COME, BUT IT’S UP TO US TO MAKE IT.

Image via Wikipedia

Interesting…life.

When we think we’ve nothing in common…life shows us that we do.

Jaymel’s from Atlanta; hugmamma’s from Seattle.

He’s young. I’m…not so much.

He raps. I croon.

But we’re both…reaching for the moon.

Same sky. Same sun. Same earth.

Same dreams. Same hopes. Same pain.

Same journey…

Same Obama.

…can’t rap…can write…

………hugmamma.

I recommend you check out songwriter Jaymel at http://jaymelsongwriter.wordpress.com. Let him know hugmamma sent you by…to rap…awhile. 😉

how can i miss you…if you won’t go away…

Posted on December 29, 2011 by hugmamma

One of the humorous sayings gracing a bottle cap in my new header. Funny…yes. But right now…bittersweet. For as I type…my daughter is making her way back east. Yes, I shed a few tears. Not alligator ones…never those. Only heartfelt…wrung from the depths of a mother’s soul.

We were like friends, the two of us. Laughing, teasing, following one another around…the house, the shops…always sharing thoughts, insight, reflections, advice. Yes, advice. My 25 year-old gave me great advice…on more than one occasion. And I gratefully accepted it…more than once.

How did she grow to be so wise? A young woman nearly 40 years my junior, counseling me on cutting myself some slack. That my perception of situations is as valid as anyone’s. Giving me the okay to put myself first, contrary to all the Catholic nuns from Boston instilled in me for 13 years, from kindergarten through high school. I guess my daughter’s public school education trumped mine. Or maybe not.

My Christian values, and my husband’s…especially his, considering he’d been studying to be a priest before we met…have contributed immeasureably to our daughter’s upbringing. No I didn’t lure him away; he quit of his own accord. Thank God…for letting me have him instead…my husband, my best friend.

Family values and personal experiences have substantively impacted my daughter’s maturation. She gives of herself unconditionally, but is learning to fight for her own soul’s preservation. No longer is she succumbing to the demands of others…or of situations over which she has no control. With guidance from many caring mentors, role models, peers and friends, my daughter has evolved…her spirit intact.

I’ll miss her physical presence, for my daughter always did for me before I had to ask…pour my cup of tea…walk and feed Mocha…prop a pillow behind my lumbar for support…offer a hug, several in fact…making decisions which could befuddle…covering my head with the hood of my jacket…holding my elbow, my hand as we crossed the street…

So many gifts…too many to count.
From daughter to mother.
Offered in love…
Without reserve…without conditions…without hesitation.
My cup is never half-empty…
Only always half-full.
When God calls me home…
My life will have wanted for nothing…
Except maybe a few more precious moments…
With what He gifted me…
The loves of my life…
…my beloved husband…and most cherished daughter.

…i truly couldn’t want for more…

………hugmamma.

numero uno…you!

Posted on December 3, 2011 by hugmamma

I’m on a roll…haven’t felt so energized in what seems like forever. The chiropractic adjustments must’ve worked their magic on my brain cells as well as my back. All the fuzzies are gone. I feel another makeshift poem coming on. Bear with me as I make sense of my thoughts.

no time?…make time!
can’t sit!…who says?
what for?…yourself!
not worth it!…why not?
you think?…for sure!
low man on the totem pole!…who put you there?
me?…no doubt!
my turn at the top!…who’s boss?
i am!…happy?
deserve it?…you betcha!
you betcha!…any questions?

none whatsoever!!!………hugmamma.

formerly homeless poets

Posted on April 1, 2011 by hugmamma

Came across poems written by a couple of formerly homeless. I thought you’d enjoy their perspectives on life. Though their circumstances may differ from ours, their innermost thoughts and feelings can sometimes mirror our own. See what you think…

Music Dogs Love: While You Are Gone Released 2...

Image via Wikipedia

Why We Need More Pets than Shelters
by Cathie Buckner

Pets offer love without hoops to jump through.
They are accepting no matter how or to whom we pray.
They never tell us to go away.
They often give us joy and something to live for.
And never make us leave our stuff in the courtyard
where buzzards lurk to pluck it all up.

Music Cats Love: While You Are Gone Released 2...

Image via Wikipedia

They offer safety in all the unsafe places
and make us aware of devils in the dark blue.
They never turn their face or walk the other way.
They share the things we have and are satisfied.
They are always well-calming even when we feel out of control.
Never a tough tongue or bootstrap rap.
They love the way we smell even when there is no water to be found.
They keep us warm on long, lonely nights.
And they keep the rats at bay.

The Struggle
by Jesse Hayes

Time after time I find I’m drowning in a sea of despair
doubtfully I open up my eyes searching for a road that leads somewhere
when it seems that all hope is gone memory brings back to me what your love has done
so I’ll glory in all my tribulation knowing that it will make me strong
surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses
I’ll struggle until the race is won
I’ll struggle until the race is won
I’ll struggle until the race is won

Jesus with children, early 1900s Bible illustr...

Image via Wikipedia

Faith is being sure of what we hope for
certain of what we cannot see
when the trumpet sounds and Jesus comes to take us
I pray my faith will still abide in thee.

postaday 2011 topic: interview #3

Posted on March 10, 2011 by hugmamma

Ever since I took up the challenge to interview someone, I’ve loved the thought of doing it. I enjoy sharing my blog with others who are generally in sync with my world view, but bring their own flavor to the mix. Multiplying my single voice by many, gets the message out farther, that we are all one people, striving to live our best lives, under the “same sky,” to borrow filmmaker Francine Le Franc’s message about the mothers of Rwanda.

Scriptor Obscura was the first blogger to follow me, and make me feel good about what I had to say. She made me blush when she invited me to post to her blog. Friends and family have suggested that I am a writer, but to have a total stranger weigh in, was the icing on my cupcake. The fact that she’s closer in age to my 25-year-old daughter, makes her admiration of my writing doubly special. I think you’ll see her youthful, tech savvy, style reverberate throughout her responses. But like my daughter, Scriptor Obscura is an “old soul,” with a passion for life. She’s become like an internet daughter, with whom I always share hugs. Sit back…and smile for a while…

1. Your blog’s appearance looks so advanced. Are you naturally tech-savvy,or have you taught yourself by trial and error, or by gathering info wherever you can?

Thank you for the compliment about my blog! I have taught myself through trial and error and experiences over the years, and also by learning and gathering info as I go…and I’m still going! We never stop learning new things, as the saying goes…

2. You seem passionate, a person of convictions. What are your passions, your convictions, your causes?

I always have trouble answering questions like this one, so here is a song that basically explains how I feel: It is titled

Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise, by The Avett Brothers

Image via Wikipedia

Here is the link to the video of it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEr9gMYdkHI And here are the lyrics to this song:

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I’m frightened by those who don’t see it

When nothing is owed, deserved or expected
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected
If you’re loved by someone you’re never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it

There was a dream
One day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid, with a head full of doubt
So I scream til I die or the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There’s a darkness upon you that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell you what’s wrong and what’s right
And it flies by day and it flies by night
And I’m frightened by those who don’t see it

3. What relaxes you, comforts you, physically and spiritually?
These pictures express it best.

(Source: http://daphne.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/woman_reading_play.jpg)

(Source: http://scatteredimpressions.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/via-thebookofsecrets3.jpg)

4. Where do you live? It needn’t be specific. It would allow my readers and me to see the scenic backdrop against which your life unfolds. I live in Pennsylvania.

(Source:http://www.dicts.info/img/ud/pennsylvania.png)

(Source: http://www.nationaltransportllc.com/userfiles/pennsylvania(2).jpg)

5. Is there something you’re longing to do, which you’ve not been able to do thus far, for whatever reason?

Oh, so many, many things! It is difficult to pick and choose just one thing! But if I had to choose one thing to start with, I would say that it has been my absolute lifelong goal to have a book of my short stories and poems published! I would absolutely love to walk into a bookstore and see my book displayed for sale on the shelf! By the way, if anyone has any advice or suggestions for me on how to get a book published, I would love to hear it! I would also love to walk into my local library and see my book available on the shelf for people to check out and read! Wow, this would be absolutely and completely amazing, to have people checking out and reading my writing! I would love to see what people have to say about it!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be interviewed on your blog, hugmamma. I really appreciate it!

Huge, huge hugs…your friend, Scriptor Obscura.

You’ve many years to realize your dreams…and the energy and perseverance to make them come true.

sending huge hugs back at you…hugmamma.

“that damn window”

Posted on February 19, 2011 by hugmamma

Another piece of writing, but this time by a homeless poet. Its words could be those uttered by any one of us, to anyone from whom we’ve wanted approval…and love.

That Damn Window
by Jason Schafer

I’m just curious, how is that damn window doing for you? Did it finish cutting down
them trees yet? Did it finish them sprinklers? Or what about them gutters–has it done
anything with them? How about the yard work? Yeah, probably too busy filling that
hole in the sun room. Too bad that damn window can’t fill the one in your heart. I still
wonder if that damn window randomly gives you a kiss while you sit in your chair knit-
ting your blanket. Does that damn window ever say “I love you?” Has it cooked you
breakfast yet? Or simply said good morning after a night’s sleep? I’m sure that damn
window appreciates you giving it a place to be. It just seems like you would rather have
that damn window than an only son like me that loves you. Maybe I’m not transparent enough–like that damn window. I wish next time you sit next to that damn window,
and stare out its cloudy view, you might just see me smiling, and read my lips that say,

I still love you.

…enough said…hugmamma.

poems, “the homeless”

Posted on February 19, 2011 by hugmamma

Got a copy of the “homeless” newspaper from a city where a friend lives. It ran several poems written by formerly homeless citizens. I wanted to share three with you.

Cell of the Mind
by James T. Meeks

Staring silently into space
Trying to remember
The time and place.

Thinking of a hidden feeling
Hidden away
Only to awake staring at the ceiling.

I’ve been locked away
From the one I love
Maybe there will be a day.
(I’ll find a way!)

To express the way I feel
But the card man
Won’t get for real.

He keeps dealing the King of Hearts
I wish he’d deal the deal
Before it starts.
(And breaks both our hearts!)

Homeless
by Lydia Macklin

What does it mean to me?
Of course it means no roof
over my head, a place to
someday call home.
It means no address or phone numbers
to put on job applications.
It means carrying your belongings
in a sack on your back.
It means unfamiliar bed and people
every night.
It sometimes means awful food that
you have to eat so you won’t
be hungry.
It means forever watching your
back ’cause you don’t know
who your real friends are.
It means sleeping with one
eye open ’cause you don’t know
what people might do.
It means people look through
you ’cause they don’t want
to see you as a human ’cause
that would mean you’re
just like them.

Looking Back
by John El

Well looking back
To see where love went wrong
Trying to understand and still stand strong
Just how you made a fool outta me
Looking back to forgotten memories
Well it seems like I was always outta sight outta mind
I guess that’s why they say that love is blind
For a nickel’s worth of love is not worth a dime
And looking back
Some women are like the wind
Here they come and gone again
For lovers and strangers
That’s all they are
Chasing rainbows and wandering stars
‘Cause looking back
These things I already know
So if the conversation leaves you in doubt
Pack up your things and go
And now I’ve grown old and my hair is turning gray
When I hear the same old lines I just laugh and walk away
And looking back
I catch myself whisper her name
And it’s a mystery to me that drives me insane
So don’t remember what I said but what I had to say
Looking back
Only brings heartaches and heartbreaks of yesterday
So
Don’t
Look
Back
No
Don’t
Look
Back

Tender sentiments belonging to those who have lived on the edges of society. These words do not belong to me or to you, so if you repeat them, give credit to those who wrote them. For it’s obvious they rose up from the depths of their souls.

hugs for the homeless…they are you and me…turned upside down…hugmamma.