Magazine Posts

Water roaring down the bed,
between the moss covered rocks.
Icy cold, glacier fed,
milky color in early Spring,
pooling in eddies, pushing deep,
rushing water sounds do sing.

These red flowers are a delight
They seem to bloom overnight.
A sea of red that I see
Are etched in my memory.

The soft caress. The lovely clothes,
Brings back the memories, once again.
No reveries, no lustful thoughts,
For those no longer matter to me.
Just be near me, when you can
And I will always be the one
To wrap you in my arms,
keeping your body warm
And protect you from the World's ills.
I love you, my darling dear.
Please hang on for all your worth,
As I will stay here by your side,
Until that time when life ends.

When these succulents
Burst into bloom
They gladden my heart.

I have discovered something, new to me
that while the best things in life are free.
The honest reality of living on this day
is the understanding, that we all must pay,
for the convenience to stay dry and warm,
from the earliest day, when we were born.

A shadow fell across the moon
the day my brother died
and grief poured from my soul
and tore me up inside.

I can't remember, in this short life
and perhaps I've never tried,
to think about the grief and sorrow
the day my brother died,
for he was but a child of three
and should have lived, much longer.
I'm sure he would have if God had made
his body that much stronger.

The years have passed, as has the grief and sorrow
and eyes then wet with tears, have dried,
but I will always remember
the day my brother died.

A sunny day
and I will say
flowers this full
are beautiful.

Far across the meadow
Sits a shining hill.
It beckons to my soul,
When the air is still.
I hear the voices calling
And probably always will,
Till my days are over
And the voices, no longer shrill.

A flower in bloom
Will brighten the gloom
Of a gray, overcast sky.

Before this life is over.
Before our time is done.
Relive those times of glory,
Those times we always won.

We weren't an "outdoorsy family." My mom, always said, “Camping is one bathroom and slow room service."

So while I grew up hunting with my dad and building forts in the backyard, my childhood was spent with easy access to a shower and a soft bed.

But the older I've grown, the more I've learned to love the outdoors. The more I relish nature. It's a passion I can't wait to share with this little girl and continue to foster in myself.

A huge shoutout to Rachel Zupke for letting a novice hiker tag along and for introducing me to the amazing Brenda Ulinski — who graciously captured the pictures in this piece. You two fill my heart with joy. I can't wait to hit the trail with you again, perhaps with a little friend!