Seeking Authentic Voice

I remember Janauary A month of bitter cold and snow when a heatwave meant the temperature rose above zero degrees fahrenheit but not until there were three weeks of subzero. This January, predicted to be warmer by the Farmer's Almanac, and wetter too is just ridiculously warm. Fifty degree temps day after day, more like March than January. Now a sudden, dangerous shift is forecast plunging temps with rain and ice. Ice storms are the worst. I believe that climate change is real and that we humans - given the care of the earth as if it were God's body, God's physical expression of creativity, God's gift to us, - are abusing it. Shame be upon us. I pray that we can change and make changes that restore health to the earth and along the way to all creatures of the earth, including humankind. God help us. Amen. Prayer poem and photo by Terri C. Pilarski

The morning has dawned, late and dark as a winter storm approaches. The air feels heavy with anticipation. In this little region of metro Detroit, between Lake Erie and Lake Huron, storms coming from the west typically blow north or south of us. The storm heads straight for us until it gets to Ann Arbor, about 45 minutes west, and then they split and go around us. It's very odd. This storm however is blowing up from the south heading north east and we are due to get it full-on. We won't get the worst of it, that will happen south of us, in Ohio and elsewhere. But we are anticipated 4-6 inches of snow. That is enough to count as a snow storm. The measly dusting we got on Christmas Eve was beautiful, but it really wasn't anything to get excited about.  Before the storm hits full on we hope to go to the Henry Ford Imax and see The Hobit. We wanted to do this yesterday but they were closed on Christmas. We could have seen it at another Imax, but we decided to wait, thinking t...

The Sun Have you ever seen anything in your life more wonderful than the way the sun, every evening, relaxed and easy, floats toward the horizon and into the clouds or the hills, or the rumpled sea, and is gone – and how it slides again out of the blackness every morning, on the other side of the world, like a red flower streaming upward on it heavenly oils, say, on a morning in early summer, at its perfect imperial distance – and have you ever felt for anything such wild love – do you think there is anywhere, in any language, a word billowing enough for the pleasure that fills you, as the sun reaches out, as it warms you as you stand there, empty-handed – or have you too turned from this world – or have you too gone crazy for power, for things? from New and Selected Poems, Volume One, by Mary Oliver, 1992 I've been very busy lately. And when I haven't been busy I've been sick. I haven't written much, a...

This morning I decided to go for a walk. No matter that the outside air temp was 13 degrees. I was not going to be confined or intimidated by the temperature. I bundled up in my mom's old down coat. It's a long coat from LL Bean, one she purchased many years ago. After she died I saved it, finding it a good coat for winter dog walking. She would have liked that, being a dog lover herself. It's a little too big for me but it was my mom's. And, the added layers I had on under and over helped it fit a bit better than usual. Anyway, I was wrapped from head to toe in down, and an old Irish wool scarf, a hat and some insulated gloves and shoe/boots. I gathered my books and movies and trudged off to the library. I could have driven the car. I walked right past it as I headed out on my walk. But the library is a mere three blocks from my house, an easy ten minute walk. It is really silly to drive unless I am running other errands, which I was not. Now that I think about it,...