Category: confidence

Happy 4th of July!

When I was a kid, my Dad would take me to see the fireworks. We would sit on the hood of his car. One year it was a ’66 Ford Falcon, with a stick shift and dual exhausts.

Just after dark the first explosion occurred scaring the daylights out of us, then 2 more, sounding like cannons. Soon the rockets would spiral up, until finally bursting in multiple colors. You could hear the fire.

It was different then. Racism was very real, yet was more hidden because there were no videos. It hadn’t been invented yet. Thank God for videos. Holding people accountable. And when it came time for Richard Nixon to resign, Republicans agreed, and he was out the door in a hurry. Ah yes, as it should be.

There were no shadows threatening our democracy. Bullies telling lies. Hurting our people. It hadn’t been invented yet. All we had were CBS, ABC, and NBC. Later there was PBS.

Yet it has always been a good and right thing to celebrate our freedom. Celebrating who we are at our core, and who we need to be. That each of us is created equal. Yes, celebrating the dignity of our humanity, that all people should be treated fairly. All people.

Our ideas and our diversity make us strong.

And we can wave our flags. May we always carry freedom in our hearts!

America.

Happy 4th of July.

Writing and Image Copyright © 2021 rivers renewed

Time Traveler

Belgium. I always loved this place but never the time period. Women’s dresses showing too much of our tops, every breath putting us on display. My name had changed many times, but here I was Emma.

As I stood on the veranda, overlooking the gardens, the house, also known as the “castle” had called me here, there was no doubt about it, assuring me I could change form and practice it. The night wind moved in as torches on brick walls cast shadows. I summoned my shawl, the navy blue, my favorite, with a snap of my fingers.

It gently draped over my shoulders, and I was enfolded in the dark color. I decided to wave my arm and changed easily into a bat, flying above where I had just stood. I looked down. Another wave, this time with my dark wing and I was the night….

I don’t mean I was part of the night or blended with it….I was the night. The sensation was incredible. And as I expected, the phantom came straight for me, barely visible. Cloaked in black and grey, a faint outline really, with an angry look on his face. He demanded, “Who are you?” “Are you the one with the red-haired Countess?”

I nodded, then realized I had no head, so I simply whispered, “Yes.” I couldn’t help it, but his bad manners prodded me, so I added, “And by the way it’s auburn.” “What??” he said. “Her hair is auburn….” I giggled and with another wave of my arm I was back to being a bat.

Overall, I counted the night as a success, as I flew around the veranda with torches casting shadows on brick walls.

Writing and Image Copyright © 2021 rivers renewed

Notations Part II

I so appreciate your comments! I am encouraged on a constant basis. Thank you! If you don’t receive a reply right away it’s because I don’t blog with my phone anymore.

I tried 2 different experiments this week. One was to write something a little bizarre, but in a good way. “Time Traveler” was fun for me and I wanted to shake things up a bit. I will be doing more of these!

The other experiment was that I posted everyday, Monday-Friday even if it wasn’t new. It was not as difficult as I thought it might be. How some of you can post 4-5 times a day though is amazing!

We have a lot of doctor visits and my wife and I enjoy the company of each other, so I will be cutting back some. Besides it’s summer now! And the pandemic is hopefully, prayerfully winding down here.

Thank you so much for reading!

Peace.

Writing and Image Copyright © 2021 rivers renewed