True fairy-stories give “a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.” JRR Tolkien

It seats me right in the middle of this insane and lovely life...

Inspiration from those who have who have gone before us, and survived some extremely difficult times.

Words can fly like birds but when you try to catch them, they slither around like fish. Poems by Mary Oliver, David Whyte and a novice poet

And when it's all done, it feels like such a miracle, like birthing a child. It's so hard to believe I had a major part in creating it.

My 1st song in 30 years rises behind my eyes, begging to come out. I'm trying to sing the stars, thirsting to sing the stars.

Loosen, fingers, loosen your death grip on this very day. Open to the atmosphere of open, drink in large draughts of clear.

After all these years I'm still amazed when those minuscule seeds grow into plants hundreds of times bigger than their infant selves.

All that I hoped to say in books, all that I ever hoped to say, is that I love the world. E. B. White

"He was the most charming man I’ve known, and he got that side of himself into his writing."

This is a bit odd, I thought...Of course, you can pick my experience to pieces logically if you want to. I'm choosing to take it as a gift.

In the artist's journey these inner fears often *are* the Threshold Guardians: I'm not a good enough. This is stupid. Nobody will like it.

There are lots of things to be afraid of as a writer--being exposed, ignored, ridiculed. But there’s also elation, even wonder, as I write.