NATURE

NATURE

Author:  Julie Renouf My husband and I like to go for walks, whether in a park, the woods, or just in our neighborhood. In the woods, we look for deer tracks; and we look and listen for different kinds of birds. But you know, I must admit, I am not the most graceful...
MY CALLING

MY CALLING

Author: Vivian Cumins It was there all along, Never elevating past a whisper. Patiently it waited, The time would come. Life was noisy, I could not hear. Selfish existence is hollow, I always knew there was more. But life’s purpose won’t intrude, It wants our full...
Jell-OHHH

Jell-OHHH

Author: Marci Seither I am a sucker for freebies.  Several years ago I was grocery shopping with our kids. We were thrilled when we saw on a huge display advertising a free Jell-O mold in the shape of the continental USA with the purchase of three...
LABELS

LABELS

Author: Vivian Cumins Assumptions, accusations, pity, and blame  All emit from a society, uneducated in me Questions, inquiries, probes, and shame Try to blanket my existence; why can’t they see? Offspring is tied to a woman’s worth But her significance is rooted deep...
PURE BREAD

PURE BREAD

Author:  Vivian Cumins It was nothing more than a simple loaf of bread, but its message was powerful to each of us. For the downtrodden, homeless man, it symbolized hope and life. For me, it represented humility and submission. Worlds apart, he and I, yet as we sat on...
NERVOUS REDEMPTION

NERVOUS REDEMPTION

Author: Vivian Cumins I asked to go last. There were two adults before me, a man, and a woman, both dressed in the same thin, light blue gown. I was only 10 years old, so my gown was a little big and went all the way to the floor. As I watched them take two steps down...