Carol A. Hand
Let me take just a moment
to put aside the chaos of the world
seeping into my soul
Remembering
a recurring childhood dream
soaring above the earth
simply watching
with compassionate detachment
as people went about their busy lives
Remembering
my safe wooded place
sitting beneath a large maple
on a soft mossy knoll
by a little brook
sunlight and shadows shifting
joining my voice in song
with rustling leaves and birds
in harmony with the water
brushing over and around stones
in the small singing stream
wondering how many years
it would take for the rocks
to dissolve into rich soil
Breathing in
feeling the presence of peace and light
and sending out gratitude
for the beauty and wonder of life
then and now
even during days that seem darker
***
***
Voices from the Margins 
I love the last few lines – an important reminder these days.
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. ❤
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Such a life shaping dream! Yet so hard to stay in touch with that deep and abiding knowing…..
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It’s always a gift to hear from you, Michael, as are the times when I’m able to remember and reflect about dreams and places that bring solace. Thank you for your thoughtful comments. ❤
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🙂
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Such wise thoughts. Happiness your way too 🙂
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Thank you so much for your kind words and blessings, Alok. Sending blessings to you and your family. ❤
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Beautiful…follows the meditation from my morning yoga class. Thank you for this beautiful expansion of that experience. 🙏🏻❤️
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Thank you so much for sharing your meditation insights, Carrie, and for your kind words. ❤
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Wonderful & profound, dear Carol! 🙂
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Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Maria, and for your great post about public education! ❤
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Any time, dear Carol! I’m glad you liked the post. Your opinion is very precious for me as you’re the teacher & know it far better than me. 🙂
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I continue to learn what education means and requires from students, Maria. I am so grateful for the opportunity to merely experiment with ways to unlock and inspire critical thinking and creativity. 🙂
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Great! Lucky your students are to have a teacher of the kind! It’s so difficult to find the talented teacher nowadays. And do you teach Queennie anything? 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I think he teaches me, Maria. I respond when he cocks his head to one side and then the other and gently moves his wings when I speak to him. How could one’s heart fail to respond?
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:-):-):-) True! Nature is our best teacher. I’m impressed with their intelligence: so little creatures, so cunning & smart.
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Greatly needed sentiments, beautiful last verse 💜
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful, lovely comments, Chris. ❤
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Beautiful, Carol! 🙂 xo
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Bette. ❤
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Really beautiful Carol 💚
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Thank you so much for your kind and lovely comments, Karen ❤
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simply beautiful how your poem flows
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful, lovely comments, John.
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My pleasure, Mary. I happened upon your blog via twitter & Lara Trace Hentz. You have a wonderful place here.
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Thank you for kind words, J Matthew. I’m grateful to Lara for the connection and for leading me to your lovely poetry.
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So well written. These are the days that call for detachment and compassion. I can’t imagine having one without the other.
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Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comments, Sha’Tara. ❤
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Breathing as I hold my breath
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Ah, such lovely comments, Bluetrues. Chi miigwetch.
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Lovely, Carol. Reading your poem makes me almost feel this place. groetjes, Hanneke
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Thank you so much for your kind and lovely comments, Hanneke. ❤
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Incredibly beautiful, dear Carol. ❤ ❤ Cher xo
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful, lovely comments, Cher. ❤
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I enjoyed your musings, Carol. May I wish you the convenience of breaking more frequently into such contemplation, and recollect it for the uplift of your many admirers. Be well…
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Dear Raj, it’s always such a pleasure to hear from you and read your eloquent, thought-provoking posts. I send my gratitude for your thoughtful comments and blessings and send blessings to you as well. ❤
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I like your blog 😊.
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Thank you for your kind words, Loshame.
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Take a look on my last post and follow me if you like it 😀.
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Beautiful, poignant, speaks to the inner me.
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Thank you for your lovely comments, Paul. You work speaks to me deeply, too. 🙂
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Blessings 🙂
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Blessings to you, too, Paul. ❤
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“. . . even during days that seem darker.”
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Allan. There are, indeed, days that seem darker, and yet beauty is nonetheless present then, too. 🙂
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Carol, a beautiful poem that brings me to the wonderful serene calm memories of childhood when living in the moment everyday just was the way of life…I love the reminder about soaring high, learning about your safe wooded place beneath the maple trees, recalling my many exploits in the streams near home. Reading this I definitely managed ‘to put aside the chaos of the world’. Your final stanza is a touching call to us all. Warmest wishes, Carol. 😀❤️
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Dear Annika, thank you so much for your thoughtful, lovely comments. I love hearing about your childhood memories and I’m deeply grateful that you were able to “put aside the chaos of the world.” Sending my best wishes to you. ❤
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Sometimes beauty comes from even the darkest of day. Well written and motivational:)
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Thank you so much for your kind and lovely comments, Thrifty Campers. ❤
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such a dear memory
to be kept alive
in our collective
consciousness, dear Carol 🙂
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Dear David, thank you for such kind and lovely comments and for always giving voice to the strengths and beauty you see in others. ❤
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I remember that safe wooded place.
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Dear Bob, it’s always a gift to hear from you. I’m not surprised to hear that you had a safe wooded place in your youth, too. ❤
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A safe wooded place … breathing in the peace … I’m with you their Carol! Thanks, this is beautifully inspiring.
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Thank you for your kind and lovely comments, Denzil, and for echoing the peace of a safe wooded place. ❤
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Such a wonderful reflective poem that connects us to our thoughts… really beautiful and well expressed, Carol. ❤
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Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Iris. ❤
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What a beautiful poem of praise and gratitude to Mother Nature.
Miriam
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful, lovely comments, Miriam.
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Carol, I see you followed one of my blogs, but I never write on that anymore. Try following this one….www.artistrywithwords.com….thank you!
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Thank you for letting me know about your newest blog, Billy. 🙂
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Beautiful writing, my new friend. We all need that quiet, safe place where we can set free our worries and find moments of peace.
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Thank you so much for your kind and lovely comments, Bill, and for sharing your important insights about having a safe place. It’s something I sincerely wish all people had.
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