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Text of the page (random words):
s already a critical problem it was made worse by the fact that he was accepted into and poised to begin graduate study in his words that one course requirement could have negatively impacted his life if i had not listened and engaged and worked with him to find a solution and the solution i offered was the same one i d offer today how do i know because i offered it to him in that moment and he echoed my response animatedly he could hardly wait for our meeting to end so he could call his wife i was a little embarrassed as he repeatedly thanked me throughout our meeting but i understood it sometimes we administrators get so stuck on policy that we cannot see creative approaches to operating within the policy the goal of policy is not to hurt individuals but to protect the institution so the question for me is always how can i help without hurting here s the thing i took from that lively unplanned reunion though i sometimes miss having regular classroom interactions about literature and current events the most mundane everyday parts of my job matter and the impact on students lives is just as significant as my slipping from academic lesson into life 101 with them posted on may 27 2026 may 27 2026 categories teachers tags college dillard university higher education impact influence professor life professors soft moments students teacher appreciation 4 comments on soft moments impact soft moments tiny touchpoints i dropped it in the post on my way home and then for a minute i stood looking at the wooden pane with a gaping slit which divided me from the letter but a moment ago in my hand it was gone from me like life never to be recalled it would get tossed about on the sea and stained with sea waves perhaps and be carried among palm trees and scented with all tropical fragrance the little piece of paper but an hour ago so familiar and commonplace had set out on its race to the countries beyond elizabeth gaskell cranford this morning as i sat in my happy place watching the rain i read two letters i received recently as i considered the words i mindlessly opened an alice in wonderland pouch i d packed with pretties a few years ago inspiring postcards miniature art from artist friends letters notes and such and an envelope i d taken apart to make the beautiful innards more visible that scrap of paper became the centerpiece of a morning junk journal page i call it my homage to a good letter when they returned home after errands my guys handed me three joyous envelopes they retrieved from the post office box this afternoon my homage summoned the happy mail to reclaim my status as a snail mail revolutionary a few weeks ago i began sending postcards to a handful of pen friends per week initially it was a way to take daily breaks during the intense graduation season then it became something more connection a brief hello a moment for common interests a tiny touchpoint between friends so much more satisfying than a text message an email or a social media post posted on may 26 2026 may 26 2026 categories beautiful tuesdays letter sisters letters literature mail mail art quotes tags beautiful tuesdays connection elizabeth gaskell junk journal junk journal page letter writing letters postcards quotes small joys snail mail snail mail revolution the beauty of small 11 comments on soft moments tiny touchpoints soft moments small joys my lilies which have bloomed for six years now struggled this year the winter was chaotic and brutal so though they bloomed they did not do so luxuriously to add insult to injury their yearly dalliance with the sun was short lived before my disappointment took root i was surprised to find glorious lilies in the same color family as i traipsed between buildings on campus and i remembered there s always next year for my lilies in yet another effort to regain balance this week i ll be taking the time to pause and appreciate the tiny encounters that create a life so join me as i share soft moments and small joys about the images the top two photos feature the campus lilies the bottom photo with the excerpt features my lilies the poem transitions was one of many i wrote in response to poet john brantingham s spring prompts in 2024 john encouraged a life of radical wonder sadly john passed away easter morning this year hugs and prayers for john s beloved wife ann posted on may 25 2026 may 26 2026 categories flowers iphone photos microblog mondays musings from my grown self nature photography pic poem poetry spring writer tags nobots flowers john brantingham joy lilies microblog mondays microblog mondays 2026 musings from my grown self photography photos poem poet poetry radical wonder small joys small pleasures soft moments spring the beauty of small 9 comments on soft moments small joys creative gathering days 15 21 whoa this post is looooooonnnnnng overdue i was sending pics of some of my junk journal pages to my bestie when i realized i didn t share the rest of my work for sheila s february 2026 creative gathering here on pics and posts i hang my head in shame again since we all deserve a break from madness mayhem and too much thinking here s a bit of eye candy as my bestie describes them for your thursday click an image for a closer look junk journal day 15 junk journal day 16 junk journal day 17 junk journal day 18 junk journal day 19 junk journal day 20 junk journal day 21 day 15 chattanooga choo choo you re singing it aren t you day 16 posts from jane austen day 17 mardi gras day 18 attention day 19 scrappy hearts day 20 shalom day 21 thank you there s a lot of randomness as usual i was reflecting on the time i spent in chattanooga with colleagues and students on day 15 and having a bit of nostalgia for a new orleans mardi gras day 17 the mardi gras page looks a little lacking but i plan to fill in the empty space with words i had fun taking apart cards and envelopes days 16 and 21 and even a proof copy of my latest book of scripture haiku day 20 i m still doing a few junk journal pages weekly weekends only these days be sure to stay connected i ll share the next seven pages from the creative gathering soon they form my favorite set happy thursday posted on may 21 2026 may 21 2026 categories art challenges journals tags art art challenges balance challenges creative gathering creative joy drops of sacred water eye candy hearts journals junk journal junk journal page scripture haiku self care leave a comment on creative gathering days 15 21 phylicia rashad you are that splendor phylicia rashad helps us find good light thanks to her relationship with our president dr gina spivey brown the phylicia rashad who played the role of claire huxtable on the cosby show 1984 1992 served as my university s commencement speaker last friday i am not exaggerating when i say we were over excited to hear her speak but the moment she stood up and approached the microphone a hush fell on the arena you could hear a pin drop in a service that is usually filled with sound shouts squeals callouts air horns instead of taking selfies and posting on instagram students eyes were trained on her attuned to the cadence of her voice i think many expected claire huxtable who they met was phylicia rashad authentic unscripted soft humorous through her moments at the microphone she touched something deep within us and conjured what has been dead for many of us a humanity deeply rooted in the waters that stretch from africa to europe to the americas she reminded students all of us really of the hopes dreams wishes and prayers of our ancestors that guided us to this point she reminded us that they still walk with us not literally but metaphorically and we must honor that ms rashad spoke extemporaneously inspired by a midnight stroll through our awe inspiring campus lyrically spiritually we were captivated as she wove literature oral history and personal anecdotes into a message to the graduates to all of us so much of what she said struck a nerve with me and i ve already decided i will use one of these quotes to open one of my book projects you have everything you don t have to go looking for anything you have it within you hold that pay attention to that believe in that hold fast to the stillness of midnight in midday hold fast to the silence in your own heart in the middle of cacophony god got beautiful splendors gem of the ocean you are that splendor know your own worlds of being and stay within your own element be true be beautiful be free come back to this place often and you will always remember who you are where you have been where you have come from and what is given to you and who is walking beside you behind you in front of you and inside you phylicia rashad serenaded by the world renowned aeolians of oakwood university i am not a celebrity hound we fall in love with the roles actors play but really don t know who they are in real life she even remarked on that in her oration it s easy to be the perfect mother when the children are scripted and you re scripted too through that comment she taught us actors are performers human fallible and i m more interested in that part connecting with how they are like the rest of us i didn t vie to get an audience with her or take a selfie though that was the one request my hubby made as i left home i quietly sat in the background and observed i saw a person who thoroughly enjoys being in the room absorbing the sounds and vibrations into her own skin who looks deeply into the eyes of each person who speaks with her who consents enthusiastically to every photo who has walked this earth as many people and has settled unapologetically into herself what i saw was not performance what i saw was real regal elegant timeless i did speak with her babbled something i don t know what since i was still processing her words hers was not an urgent speech that inspired listeners to run into the world and change it it was a speech that invited us to do something more significant look inward and decide how we will be in that world something in my spirit quieted another thing in it stirred and i need to sit with it for some time and let spirit do its work posted on may 14 2026 may 20 2026 categories african american african american history faith focus on black healing monochrome photography people quotes soul work spirituality women tags black and white photography commencement focus on black graduation healing life love mental health monochrome photography people photography phylicia rashad quotes soul work speeches writing 5 comments on phylicia rashad you are that splendor an open letter to my mom on rest and finding my song dear mama i know you are concerned about me whenever we talk lately you mention my busyness and remind me to get rest i have been listening and trying to heed your counsel i am finding my way back to rest not the superficial kind though not the simple pause between one workday and the next deeper rest the kind that reaches all the way down into the soul and settles there the kind where i set everything down not only the nine to five but the everyday scurrying and hurrying and the soul wearying mental and emotional clutter that silences the song in my throat perhaps without realizing it that s what you have been reminding me to not neglect my song and there s something else i m hearing when you urge me to rest my rest helps you rest you have spent nearly your entire life working in one way or another it began when you were just four years old when you were left alone to watch your infant sister while your mother my grandmother ran an errand you received that instruction and followed it dutifully i have watched you live that life my whole life always operating between the lines never straying always obedient to what is right and what is good you have worked hard and tirelessly to the exhaustion of your mind your body and your soul when you tell me to rest it s because you know exactly what a life looks like without it because you knew that life and because you had two beautiful daughters mothers also taken before they could know a life of true rest before they could set the load down before they could find their song your deepest concern comes from that place of motherly love and protection but also from grief your worry is valid i have not rested well lately not exactly because of work but because my mind and soul have been laboring trying to manage the multiplicity of complicated and tangled things that have made me too exhausted to rest and live in my song i have watched you my entire life read your prayers scribbled on paper notes written in the margins of scripture and from those pages i have learned how to walk when the demands of life are heavy i have learned how to shift the weight and when to lay it down entirely i have also learned new things the ache of silent endurance of pain has taught me that silence isn t always best so i am learning how to speak aloud the things that need to be named if only to undo their hold on me i ve seen enough to know the things we leave unspoken are the things that keep us fettered a couple of years ago you sent a birthday card too late that arrived right on time i will keep your words to myself they belong between us but you reminded me of my purpose and my gifts i return to that card often to make sure i do not stay sidetracked too long when i look at my own son i see a bit of me that i inherited from you the gift of being unbothered by what does not matter and holding close what does i am grateful for that by the way forgive me for the sins of my foolish youth when i did not value you enough i am still not sure how you managed to raise such a brat thank you for pointing me back toward rest and song i am listening now happy mother s day posted on may 10 2026 may 10 2026 categories faith flowers grief roses soul work tags faith flowers god life love mother mother s day mothering mothers photography rest roses self care song soul work 5 comments on an open letter to my mom on rest and finding my song beautiful tuesdays a double feature in flowers and verse my poems were featured on maggie devers one poem only podcast two months ago world poetry day february 21 would have been the perfect time to share that news but i forgot yes i m hanging my head in shame thankfully podcasts don t disappear unless deleted so you can still access the poems yay maggie s double feature involves her reading one poem on her podcast and another one on instagram i was honored to be selected for a double feature please take a moment or two to listen to maggie s beautiful reading of both poems you ll hear music by chandra you ll hear music was first published in the stafford 2024 25 anthology you can access the second poem on instagram abandoned by chandra abandoned was recently published in the debut revival issue of athena s web the literary arts journal of athens state university let me know what you think in the comments about the images anne lene my wildflowers frie...
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