** Celebration, Information, & Appreciation **

Hey! I'm so excited! My followers have reached  "50".  I'm sure that number is laughable to bloggers with hundreds and thousands of followers, but to me it is really special. It makes me feel validated, knowing that people are "out there" who enjoy reading my blog. Thank you all so much!

This past January when I attended the writer/spiritual retreat in Des Moines, Iowa, I met some fabulous women. I keep in contact with a few of them, but not very often. One, though, I hear from every morning. Her name is Linda Schmidt. She sends poetry every morning, the main theme being nature, thus naming it: Morning Muse. I've told her over and over that she needs to submit some of her beautiful work somewhere!! I doubt if she has yet, so I decided I'd start to post some of them here. The following one is shorter than usual, and she wrote it yesterday, Mother's Day, which seemed so appropriate:

"One by one, fuzzy goslings slip out
from under the safe cover of mother’s wing.
They greet the dawn, eager to explore
a world of water, wind and sod.
She lets them go,
and whispers prayers to God." -- Linda Schmidt

Isn't that lovely? If enough of you enjoyed it,  I'll add Linda's poetry often. And, if after awhile, you too think she should submit her writing to some places...we'll begin a campaign to send her the confidence she needs!

The picture below is in an area of my tiny formal living room. I took it yesterday in the late afternoon because I loved the way the sunlight, the shadows of the tree outside, and the shadows of the window blinds created such a lovely design on the wall.

One more Mother's Day blog.....Please go to http://www.karriemcallister.com/2010/05/out-of-mouths-of-mothers.html. Karrie McAllister is another one of my writer friends whom I've never met in person. I contacted her first, I think!!...after reading something of hers online. That's been a couple of years ago, or more. She pretty much singlehandedly convinced me that, yes I needed a blog, AND, helped me set it up, all through e-mails!! She's quite a gal, writer, mom, adventurer, etc..etc.. Please click on the link above and read her post from yesterday, about being a mom.

"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." -- Robert Southey