• journal,  writing/reading

    Use Words Wisely

    Words. So powerful. They can crush a heart, or heal it. They can shame a soul, or liberate it. They can shatter dreams, or energize them. They can obstruct connection, or invite it. They can create defenses, or melt them. We have to use words wisely.

    Jeff Brown

    After years of journaling I’ve come to understand the shortcomings of words to express much of what we think and experience of life. There are thousands of books written in prose and poetry in our attempt to express thoughts, ideas, concepts, feelings, or define a single word. For thousands of years man has attempted to put into words what and who God is. Some feel they have found the answer. I don’t have that same feeling. It’s a mystery!

    Since my teenage years, and maybe earlier than that, I have asked those deep questions: how was I created and why? How did it all start and why and by whom? Who is God? Is there a God? If there is a God why would God create then punish what is created? All questions I believe we cannot define or comprehend. Nor can words define the fragrance of a rose. Words fall short.

    My journaling is a collection of letters and prayers addressing questions to my deeper self, that essence of who I really am. For me the name, definition or comprehension of the word god is not as important as experiencing the reality of something Divine through nature, my journals, my meditation, all experiences in life.

    Meister Eckhart says, “God is above all a reality to be experienced from within.” I’m well aware of the inadequacy of my words to express my experiences or fully articulate the questions. What is important is asking of questions. So, through this blog and my journaling I’m learning to use words wisely.

  • fountain pens,  haiku,  journal,  writing/reading

    A Simple Post

    Started this day at Mugs for some journaling and a mocha latte
    Started the day at Mugs with some journaling and a mocha latte

    listen to the muse
    trade a blank page for words
    always time well spent

    ms

    Cold and light snow falling. Laundry is almost done. Will meet Joe in a few minutes for coffee. Plan to read and journal later. It’s a simple day, a simple post. And, you’ve not seen a post of my journal and fountain pens since March 28th. Way overdue! 😁

  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  fountain pens,  journal,  writing/reading

    New Journal Today

    Thirty degrees and overcast skies. They finally cleaned the parking lot yesterday, so I found my car. One of the hazards of having a white car in Colorado. Wanted to catch the bus but the city plows covered the sidewalk making it almost impossible to reach the bus stop. Opted instead to drive to the Bean Cycle.

    I was taken back by how much tree damage this storm brought on. The tree trimmers are going to be busy over the next couple weeks. There are piles of snow everywhere, tree branches scattered everywhere. Front End loaders and dump trucks are busy hauling it somewhere. I had the coffee shop pretty much to myself. So, it was a mocha latte, some easy listening jazz and journaling time for myself. Started a new journal today. ❤️Got a haircut on the way home so I’m looking dapper again. 😁

  • coffee life,  fountain pens,  journal,  writing/reading

    We need the moisture…

    I was surprised to not see snow on the ground this morning. Yet the weather app says it’s still coming. Rain is now falling on the eastern plains but nothing along the Front Range, yet. I slept in late so my day has felt a bit behind. Journal time with my chai latte after quiet time is how I started this Saturday morning. Hoping you all have a great weekend. We need the moisture!

    Update: 11:29 am – It is now snowing.

  • coffee shops,  journal,  poems,  poetic journal,  writing/reading

    A Sanctuary Within

    A morning of blank pages, empty and barren
    my mind wandering while I sit before them, staring.

    Aware I refuse to face them, even turning away,
    finding something else to do, even daydreaming.

    I ask for a willingness to listen for inspiration,
    alert to the inner voice seen through pen and ink.

    Transformative words are not always found in books
    but through whispers heard from a sanctuary within.

    ms

  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  fountain pens,  journal,  writing/reading

    An Awareness

    Two women talk at a table in the back, no masks. A man works on his laptop, his mask sits under his chin. Piped music fills the air. As I observe all this I’m aware of the different experiences between my mornings at a coffee shop and the serenity of my time in nature. I’ve come to prefer the chatter of the magpies, listening to the meadowlarks song, having a conversation with the cottontails and journaling in the natural world. An awareness.

  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  fountain pens,  journal,  writing/reading

    Morning Mocha

    Visited Mugs coffee shop this morning now that they are opened again. First time I’ve been there since the latest lockdown, late November or early December. Spent about an hour there and saw two customers. Not good for their business. I will not be coming here very often but this morning seemed to be a good day to go. I did not go the natural area because it began to snow just before I left the condo. We are suppose to have 1-2 inches of snow here with more in the mountains. I’m in for the day.