i have hundreds
of photos of trees;
i think of them often
wondering what life they have seen.
but you will
have to wait
a day or two longer.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Fine Lines
A poet can take all the grief from her heart
(the pain that can swell and break a heart)
and write it in fine black lines
on starchy white paper. . . .
--from Fine Black Lines, Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad
photo credit
WHEN my former husband abandoned our family back in 2005 (the girls were then 2 and 4 years old), I felt as though I’d had the life sucked from me. After several months in survival mode doing what I had to do to make sure that we would continue to live on, I started writing. At first, the task of putting down those first words was daunting. When grief is new, feelings are so raw and close to the surface. I found that every time something came out, I would see it on the white sheets of paper and cry; sob. But, what surfaced over time was a way to lay down my pain, and through writing, promote my mental and physical well-being.
TIME wasn’t an issue. I felt like I had a lot of time. Although I still had my day-to-day tasks of caring for two very young children, 24 hours seemed like an eternity of time. I began by carrying a spiral bound notebook. I would jot down memories, or words that would conjure a thought or a scene. After a few days, I had many ideas down to work from. My earliest works were so lonely and sad; sentences strewn together that had no resolve. Eventually this all evolved into a process.
PROCESS- There did not seem to be a set time frame in my mind for how long I would write. I knew that it was a process and my hope was that someday the writing would become less frequent, signaling at least to me an end to the pain. But as I continued to write, not only did I become interested in WHAT I was writing, but what it LOOKED like on the page; how it SOUNDED out loud and what it FELT like. The process became clearer.
GOD– He was there through all of what my children and I went through and continues to be with us each day. I was surrounded by my wonderful family and friends, and a wonderful CHURCH. I knew that God had placed us in the home we lived in just so that I could be close to Vicky, my across-the-street neighbor who became one of my dearest friends, and prayer buddies. The girls had wonderful playmates, and for the 7 months that followed we made it; by God’s grace, we made it!
THE 7 STAGES OF GRIEF– There really are 7 stages in grieving. I am certain all of them came to me, if not one at a time, sometimes all at once! And I wrote through them all; denial, pain and guilt, anger, depression and loneliness, the upward turn, and finally HOPE! God reminds us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
At first; anger, hate, denial, frustration, hopelessness, pain, guilt, depression, sadness, loneliness, desperation, and resentment.
Then later; my children, my childhood, happy memories, faith, beauty, God, a future, and HOPE!
I realized yesterday, that what I began writing in 2006 has evolved into the culmination of around 140 poems, maybe more. In the fall of 2007, I took a Poetry class here at The Florida State University. After having been out of college since 1984, going back was a shock and so much fun! By the way, I made an A in my class. Since then, some of my work has been published here, here, here, HERE, and HERE!!!!! I also realized that in 2010, I only wrote one poem. For the most part, the healing is complete. The writing has subsided, if not all together ceased.
The Muse – My muse has left me for now. Healing became my art; I became a poet. God’s grace IS sufficient; MORE than sufficient!
(the pain that can swell and break a heart)
and write it in fine black lines
on starchy white paper. . . .
--from Fine Black Lines, Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad
photo credit
WHEN my former husband abandoned our family back in 2005 (the girls were then 2 and 4 years old), I felt as though I’d had the life sucked from me. After several months in survival mode doing what I had to do to make sure that we would continue to live on, I started writing. At first, the task of putting down those first words was daunting. When grief is new, feelings are so raw and close to the surface. I found that every time something came out, I would see it on the white sheets of paper and cry; sob. But, what surfaced over time was a way to lay down my pain, and through writing, promote my mental and physical well-being.
TIME wasn’t an issue. I felt like I had a lot of time. Although I still had my day-to-day tasks of caring for two very young children, 24 hours seemed like an eternity of time. I began by carrying a spiral bound notebook. I would jot down memories, or words that would conjure a thought or a scene. After a few days, I had many ideas down to work from. My earliest works were so lonely and sad; sentences strewn together that had no resolve. Eventually this all evolved into a process.
PROCESS- There did not seem to be a set time frame in my mind for how long I would write. I knew that it was a process and my hope was that someday the writing would become less frequent, signaling at least to me an end to the pain. But as I continued to write, not only did I become interested in WHAT I was writing, but what it LOOKED like on the page; how it SOUNDED out loud and what it FELT like. The process became clearer.
GOD– He was there through all of what my children and I went through and continues to be with us each day. I was surrounded by my wonderful family and friends, and a wonderful CHURCH. I knew that God had placed us in the home we lived in just so that I could be close to Vicky, my across-the-street neighbor who became one of my dearest friends, and prayer buddies. The girls had wonderful playmates, and for the 7 months that followed we made it; by God’s grace, we made it!
THE 7 STAGES OF GRIEF– There really are 7 stages in grieving. I am certain all of them came to me, if not one at a time, sometimes all at once! And I wrote through them all; denial, pain and guilt, anger, depression and loneliness, the upward turn, and finally HOPE! God reminds us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
What did I write about? –
At first; anger, hate, denial, frustration, hopelessness, pain, guilt, depression, sadness, loneliness, desperation, and resentment.
Then later; my children, my childhood, happy memories, faith, beauty, God, a future, and HOPE!
I realized yesterday, that what I began writing in 2006 has evolved into the culmination of around 140 poems, maybe more. In the fall of 2007, I took a Poetry class here at The Florida State University. After having been out of college since 1984, going back was a shock and so much fun! By the way, I made an A in my class. Since then, some of my work has been published here, here, here, HERE, and HERE!!!!! I also realized that in 2010, I only wrote one poem. For the most part, the healing is complete. The writing has subsided, if not all together ceased.
The Muse – My muse has left me for now. Healing became my art; I became a poet. God’s grace IS sufficient; MORE than sufficient!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Monday's Poem
Winter White
I watch the paperwhites
rise toward the sun
in their straight shoots;
each height of stem
a darker shade of green
like the color of grass
as it unfolds in spring;
I wait for snowy blossoms
to lift and kiss me.
Soon; any day now.
© Laura Lewis Blischke 2008
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Meet My Family
Happy Saturday everyone!
Today I thought I would introduce you to my
FAMILY.
I have the most beautiful girls and handsome husband ever! Here are a few pictures taken for our Christmas card this past year. The amazing Leigh Barnes did these. You can check out her work at Kerrigan Studios
And this next one is my wonderful husband Karl and I
and our two beautiful girls
Olivia
and Kate
Here is one of the three girls!
And a few more..... don't you love what Leigh did with the lighting on this one?!!!
I love this of the girls....
We had so much fun doing this shoot! Leigh has done our Christmas cards the last two years.....
Hope you all have a great Saturday!!!!
Hope you all have a great Saturday!!!!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Books
The second hardest part about doing a blog is deciding what to write about next. I tend to ramble on too much, and what might be of interest to me, could most certainly be of no interest to anyone else. I gave a lot of thought to what my post would be, and kept coming back to the same thing......BOOKS.
When books popped into my head, it was followed by the color brown. I am not sure why that image found its way into my brain, but probably because when I think of books, I think of dusty brown books; those that sit idle on a shelf somewhere. But then I also thought, when was the last time I saw just a dusty, old brown book?
Reading was a favorite past time of mine when I was a little girl. I would climb up in a tree or sit somewhere and read for hours. As the years passed and the ability to find the time to do so drifted away, I found that for many years I didn't read at all! In 2006 when I began writing poetry, I found my desire to read disguised as "doing research" for sentence structure, and use of language. Miraculously my passion for reading returned. With two little girls, that is not an easy feat! But, in 2010 I managed to finish 8 books! A victory!
Today I am going to share those with you:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - An American classic about a young girl's coming-of- age at the turn of the century. This is the story of Francie Nolan.
East of Eden - A brilliant book by John Steinbeck, this book is an epic tale of good versus evil with many biblical references and parallels.
Pride and Prejudice - A timeless satire on English manners, this book follows the lives of the Bennet's.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Pulitzer Prize winning author tells the story of lawyer Atticus Finch's defense of a black man charged with the rape of a white woman and explores adult attitudes towards race and class in the Deep South in the 1930's.
Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers retells the biblical love story of Gomer and Hosea set in the California Gold Rush era.
Plainsong - National Book Award Finalist Kent Haruf writes the story of a high school teacher struggling to raise two sons alone; a pregnant teenager, and two elderly brothers. Set in the High Plains east of Denver in the small town of Holt, Colorado, these characters come together.
A Voice in the Wind - (Mark of the Lion Series book #1) This Francine Rivers book tells the story of a young slave girl and her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of Rome.
An Echo in the Darkness - (Mark of the Lion Series book #2) After a bitter tragedy, young Marcus Valerian is led by a voice from the past into a journey that is forever life-changing.
When books popped into my head, it was followed by the color brown. I am not sure why that image found its way into my brain, but probably because when I think of books, I think of dusty brown books; those that sit idle on a shelf somewhere. But then I also thought, when was the last time I saw just a dusty, old brown book?
Reading was a favorite past time of mine when I was a little girl. I would climb up in a tree or sit somewhere and read for hours. As the years passed and the ability to find the time to do so drifted away, I found that for many years I didn't read at all! In 2006 when I began writing poetry, I found my desire to read disguised as "doing research" for sentence structure, and use of language. Miraculously my passion for reading returned. With two little girls, that is not an easy feat! But, in 2010 I managed to finish 8 books! A victory!
Today I am going to share those with you:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - An American classic about a young girl's coming-of- age at the turn of the century. This is the story of Francie Nolan.
East of Eden - A brilliant book by John Steinbeck, this book is an epic tale of good versus evil with many biblical references and parallels.
Pride and Prejudice - A timeless satire on English manners, this book follows the lives of the Bennet's.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Pulitzer Prize winning author tells the story of lawyer Atticus Finch's defense of a black man charged with the rape of a white woman and explores adult attitudes towards race and class in the Deep South in the 1930's.
Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers retells the biblical love story of Gomer and Hosea set in the California Gold Rush era.
Plainsong - National Book Award Finalist Kent Haruf writes the story of a high school teacher struggling to raise two sons alone; a pregnant teenager, and two elderly brothers. Set in the High Plains east of Denver in the small town of Holt, Colorado, these characters come together.
A Voice in the Wind - (Mark of the Lion Series book #1) This Francine Rivers book tells the story of a young slave girl and her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of Rome.
An Echo in the Darkness - (Mark of the Lion Series book #2) After a bitter tragedy, young Marcus Valerian is led by a voice from the past into a journey that is forever life-changing.
and currently reading:
The Secret Life of Bees - A story about young Lily Owens, and a black woman named Rosaleen, who acts as her "stand-in" mother.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A New Year
I've thought about blogging for some time now, but computer technology is something I have never quite mastered, so the thought has been intimidating to me. As we start a New Year though, I thought I would give it a try. I am compelled to say I am in awe of other blog sites, and the aesthetic quality so many have. Perhaps as I learn along and along, this will become easier for me.
I decided to name the blog Terrace Street because of connections to a time and place of my childhood that brings a million happy memories for me. Terrace Street was the street I lived on when I started First grade. It was from this house that my best friend Susan and I picked flowers on the way to school at Third Ward each morning. We were always late! It was also in the town of Griffin, Georgia where both sets of my grandparents lived, where my parents grew up, and where all my other cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends lived. Many happy days were spent in this town. So with that in mind, I thought it appropriate to name my blog Terrace Street. This blog will be devoted to family, faith, God, children, friends, recipes, poetry, books, art, dance, sports, baking, photography, music, and probably much, much more as it evolves.
For today, I wish you all a Happy New Year.
 |
| Downtown Griffin, Georgia |
I decided to name the blog Terrace Street because of connections to a time and place of my childhood that brings a million happy memories for me. Terrace Street was the street I lived on when I started First grade. It was from this house that my best friend Susan and I picked flowers on the way to school at Third Ward each morning. We were always late! It was also in the town of Griffin, Georgia where both sets of my grandparents lived, where my parents grew up, and where all my other cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends lived. Many happy days were spent in this town. So with that in mind, I thought it appropriate to name my blog Terrace Street. This blog will be devoted to family, faith, God, children, friends, recipes, poetry, books, art, dance, sports, baking, photography, music, and probably much, much more as it evolves.
For today, I wish you all a Happy New Year.
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