Category Archives: Things to ponder….

People, events or things that cause one to stop and think.

Spring Thoughts

Clouds, Dreams & Fantasy, Things to ponder...., , , , , ,
Cut before the snow

Daffodils make me smile and remind me another season is coming. This piece was first published in Clouds, Dreams and Fantasy Copyright © 2023. (available on Amazon).
I seldom date my pieces. However, the spring of 2020 was the beginning of the Covid Pandemic and all the changes it brought to the world.

Happy Spring! Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Between Life and Death

Spring 2020
by Linda L. Flynn

I cut my first 
bunch of daffodils 
before Easter. 

It snowed during the night. 
The blooms left for later 
bent under the weight.
Buds not yet open 
succumbed to the 
morning snow.

My bunch of daffodils 
in the living room 
brought sunshine and the promise 
of spring to come.
I’ve enjoyed this 
bundle of blooms. 
I’ve watched 
the petals on these beautiful blooms 
first become paper thin. 
Still beautiful, 
but the truth 
of their fragility 
is now evident.

A few more days 
and the edges of those paper blooms 
are dry and wrinkled, 
some have turned a darker color, 
others just became more fragile. 

How like us.
We bud and bloom, 
bringing sunshine and promise 
to those around us. 
Our lives bring beauty to some. 
Like these blossoms, 
we don’t even recognize 
the gradual process 
of becoming more fragile. 
Our bones are
more brittle, 
muscle strength 
steadily disappears, 
our skin becomes 
more translucent, 
and our hair thins. 

Like my daffodils, 
we often fail 
to recognize 
these changes until 
something happens. 

Last night brought one 
of those happenings. 
I feel like 
I should howl 
and be in dissent.
Today, I’m weary and wonder, 
what is this time all about?

Things to Ponder

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During the day’s reflection, I pondered the completion of another trip around the sun and found myself standing on the threshold to another decade. It’s unfathomable I’ve moved through so many years. Yet, here I am.

…and the adventure continues!

Taking Chances

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Taking chances
Isn’t that what life is about?
Another journey around the sun.
Out with the old, In with the new
What does it mean to you?

The sun is shining, lighting up the land around me
Blue sky intensifying the colors of the day
A light breeze blows beckoning me outdoors
Just as the new year beckons me to throw aside caution
And enter with wild abandon into the unknown future

The future – 
…another year older
…deeper understanding 
…new challenges and adventures await
…refining or honing skills
…giving up unrealistic expectations
…savoring the gift of another day
…tenderly holding precious memories
…valuing relationships
…acknowledging more, the power of God’s love 
…and learning how to walk more in this love

It is all a chance.
A chance I take willingly.

Out with the old, In with the new
What does it mean to you?

Christmas Traditions

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Traditions
Just the word evokes many thoughts
Different for each of us
Impact of these thoughts is equally dissimilar
Some individuals become melancholy
Others upbeat and joyful

The word suggests something one can count on
Yet in truth, traditions reflect change

My granny baked an abundant assortment of cookies
Enjoyed by all, with each of us having our favorites
I took my favorite and ensured it was made every year
Thus, my children were introduced to my favorite for the Christmas season
Then their children delighted in these same little delicate sweets

Each of these children have carried some traditions from my home to their own
Adding new twists and turns creating something unique for their families

No littles at my house for the holidays
Yet these little green trees still get pulled from the oven to be enjoyed by others
An adult grandchild, with children of her own
Requested her gift be a box of these cookies for her family

I smile
How my granny would be honored to know
These little gems she so readily baked 
Are still being enjoyed five generations later

A tradition continues.

Deck the Halls

Things to ponder....

Drag containers from storage closet.
Items stowed away from last Christmas
Lie wrapped in tissue, carefully packed in these boxes.

Fire is crackling and flames dancing
In preparation of merriment.

With the opening of each box and the unwrapping of each item
Memories spring to mind.
All those years of exchanging ornaments reveal remembrances of friends and family.
I smile, as peacefulness fills my soul.
This tree during the holiday season represents my lifetime. 

And what a lifetime it has been 
Crossing oceans, living in multiple communities, moving more times than I can count.
Memories abound from each of these locations.
Yet it’s the friends which exist in all those habitations,
And our camaraderie that fills my life with encouragement and joy 
Which I savor the most.

Ah, friends. 
Years and physical distance may have us parted
But this evening you are here with me
Celebrating another holiday season.

Natures Preparations

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Packed and prepared to leave

Blurry-eyed I grabbed my purse

Sat and buckled in.

Relative quietness hung upon the town.

Entering the freeway

Ribbons of white or red lights

Streamed down the roadway.

Who would have known so many

Would be on the road long before light?

Dawn presented first signs of the day to come.

Heavy clouds hung on the mountain tops.

Light peaked through revealing the foothills 

beneath the shrouded peaks.

Spots of pink adorned the clouds.

Traffic intensified.

At times its pace was a crawl

Resembling more of a parking lot than streamers.

Drawn back to the coast—

We stand on the rocky shore

Listening to the crashing waves

Watching sea lions bob and play

Surveying crumbling walls

Succumbed to an earlier hurricane.

The air, the light, the beauty of the sea

on such a day as this.

To town we travel

Where we traipse from one art shop to another.

Early dinner on Main Street, then off to the lodge

Where we enjoy a hot drink, a fire and live entertainment

With other guests of the establishment.

We fall into bed, drifting off to sleep.

Morning comes.

Opening the shutters, I find the marine layer

And local ecology all decked out in preparations for

Halloween.

BOO !!!

Highlight for today

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Allow me to celebrate with you, my friends…

You will have to click on the link to be taken to the poetry on The Galway Review.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and to leave your comments.

Linda L. Flynn – Four Poems

Truth…

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…about friends

I’ve found myself often thinking of friends and recognize how much I appreciate them.

Friends, you are a blessing to me.

I saw this posted on a board at an art gallery. There was no name associated with it. The words ring true in my life, and I hope they will in yours as well.

Opportunity

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Clouds, Dreams & Fantasy is currently being offered through Kindle Unlimited for free. I don’t know how long this opportunity will exist. So my friends, if you want to take advantage of reading my latest book, check out the following link and begin the journey.

https://www.amazon.com/author/lindalflynn_words

After reading, please kindly leave a review on Amazon. This is one of the few ways authors have of reaching other readers.

Thank you!

Why Do I Write?

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I write for freedom – freedom from expectations; to gain freedom or clarification about events that have happened.  I write when I’m happy or overjoyed about some happening or circumstance.  I write when I’m lonely and find comfort in visiting another place or time.  Sometimes I write because the words are overflowing in my mind and I need to sort them out.  Other times I write because something needs to be said to another that is too important to just say and then have it vanish into thin air. I write because words are important to me!

The following piece is something from 2009. Enjoy! And please share your reactions.

Closet Writer Breaks Out

The closet writer is on the loose. She could be anywhere! You may not recognize her for what she is. She appears as any woman you might pass on the street. She enjoys life and lives it to the fullest. She has a family, a day job and could be participating in any life experience. Yet, she’s the one who writes long descriptive letters to friends and family members. Sometimes it’s easier to put her thoughts down in words than to speak them.

Her secret dream is to be a writer. She won’t tell you she’s a writer even though she spends many hours of her day writing. She harbors some fear associated with sharing this, thinking others may judge her. Yet, you will find her busy at night scribbling in her journals, or sneaking away for a few minutes here and there with pen in hand or laptop in tow. The words quickly fill the page and the journals are tucked away.

The lock has broken. Her time has arrived. She has come out of the closet. Her words are no longer a secret – nor are they hers alone anymore. Be aware! She’s out there. She’s watching and she’s writing. She may innocently cross your path and her words may cause you to pause and rethink your position on something, or make you remember some forgotten memory. She may create the opportunity for you think beyond what you formerly held as truth. Or the story she wrote may sound like it’s yours. She could be anywhere. You have been warned. Should you have the opportunity to ask her why she writes, she would tell you, “I write because it sets me free. I have words overflowing in my mind and I need to sort them out. Other times I write because I have something to say to another that is too important to just say the words and have them vanish into thin air. I write because words are important to me.”