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Sunday Drive Roundup June 1, 2014

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Finding Hope and Inspiration in Poetry, Photography, and Genealogy!

Time once again for another Sunday drive around the blogosphere looking for blogs which are inspirational and hopeful. This past week, I looked at various posts centered on photography, poetry, and genealogy.

To begin with I have found some inspirational poetry on these two blog sites:

Here is a blogger, John Thomas Dodds, who is committed to writing a new poem every day. He has quite a collection of poetry and photographs. To me each poet I have found while cruising around the blogosphere is incredibly unique and one can catch a glimpse of the writer’s personality when reading their creative work:

http://johnthomasdodds.com/daily-postings/

Another blogger, Shawn L. Bird, who’s an author and poet also her has own hopeful and inspiring collection of poetry and you can find some her wonderful work here:

http://shawnbird.com/category/pondering/poetry/

Now on to photography; I just simply admire beautiful and unique photography and found myself gazing at the work of these talented bloggers this past week:

Here is a very unique photo artist who specializes in beautifully unique photography. This blogger is truly an artist behind the camera:

http://mfunkart.eu/

And finally, a new category! I have an interest in genealogy research and have found several blog sites about it:

Here is a blogger who shares informational tips, his insights, and his own family research. He also includes links to other genealogy sites:

http://genealogyadventures.wordpress.com/

Here is another blogger who has conducted extensive genealogy research and has discovered some very interesting family history. He shares some of family stories here. His research discoveries are inspiring me to resume my own family research which I am taken a long break from. Enjoy reading:

http://thelivesofmyancestors.wordpress.com/

Well, that concludes another Sunday drive around the blogosphere, hope you enjoy these sites as much as I have.

 

Sunday Drive Roundup May 18, 2014

Finding Inspiration in Faith, Poetry, Family Stories, Photography, and in Healthy Eating

I named this  new Sunday feature on my blog page, Sunday Drive Roundup in remembrance of my dad who liked to take us all on long Sunday drives around the country side. It was always an enjoyable and relaxing time when we did this; he seemed to never worry about getting lost on those windy Wisconsin roads For some reason I was remembering those Sunday drives as I contemplated the starting of this section when I would surf or take a virtual “drive” around the blogosphere to discover new and interesting blog sites to share with my readers.

So, for the first installment of this feature I thought I would focus on the blog pages which I have been discovering in my recent Blogging 101 class. I met many interesting and talented bloggers who each have started very interesting, well-designed, and informative blogs. Therefore I want to feature some of those in this first Sunday Drive Roundup:

Easter Ellen shares personal stories, poetry and beautiful photography depicting her personal life and how through her faith and dependence on God, she strives to overcome. She really bares her heart and soul here and maintains her faith and trust in God. I am inspired by her openness and honesty in life as well as her strong and resilient faith: http://easterellen.com/

Meredith continues her writing journey in this beautiful blog as she writes about faith, stories about family, shares recipes and spiritual insights. I find her writings and her faith to be very encouraging as I struggle to keep my faith in God. Here’s a peek at her blog site: http://meredithlbl.com/

I am inspired by and enjoy seeing the beauty of this world through photography. I wish I was a better photographer and hopefully I will find more time to practice and improve in that area. But for now, here is another wonderful blog featuring inspirational and vivid photos from a photographer who enjoys sharing nature’s beauty. This blogger seems to be always awestruck by nature’s breathtaking beauty and never takes it for granted.  Take a look here: http://kerlundphoto.se/

Finally, I know I need to do better at eating healthy and leading a healthier lifestyle. I am taking steps to improve in this area of my life. Wouldn’t you know it? There was a blogger in my Blogging 101 class who has focused on healthy eating and healthy living for their blog. It is full of interesting articles, information, and recipes. There is so much to look at and study there about healthy eating and just being healthy. It is a great blog page to keep handy as a resource:  http://eatallfresh.me/

And there you have it, although a bit late because it is just after midnight here, the first Sunday Drive Roundup!

Reflecting on “EASTER” and “A Fleeting Moment”

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For my Blogging 101 class, I was told to study my blog stats and to write a new post which reflects and expands on the posts which generated the most views. In studying my blog stats, I have found that the two posts which received the highest number of views were my EASTER poem and another poem I called, “A Fleeting Moment”.  These poems are very different and I am interested to hear from readers about why they like a certain poem or other posts on my blog. From reading some of the comments related to my “A Fleeting Moment” poem, I gathered that readers were very contemplative in reflecting on how fast and easily precious moments just slip away leaving us wishing we could recapture a certain speck of time. I certainly feel that way when I reminisce about favorite childhood memories or when remembering being with a favorite relative who has passed on.  Also I am recalling moments when I didn’t take time to stop and enjoy a beautiful pinkish-orange sunset or a vibrantly high-arching rainbow reaching into the deep, brilliant blue sky. Then I sense regret because I don’t know when such a moment will pass my way again. For the new readers who missed this poem, here it is again and please feel free to let me know what you think:

A Fleeting Moment

A precious speck of time gone

At a solitary glance!

Did you grasp that fleeting moment?

Did you behold by any chance?

 

As for the “EASTER” poem which generated the most views in one day, I am sure it was well received because I posted it just one day before Easter but most readers viewed it on that Easter Sunday. So, it was very timely and it focused on faith through Jesus, God’s Son. And through him, I think many respond and hold on to the new and everlasting hope we can share in him which is the point of celebrating the Easter holiday. Through having and holding onto that faith, we have hope and the endurance to continue through trials and difficult days believing that thru Jesus those hardships will come to an end. I do face my share of struggles and hard times but with hope and anticipation I can look to the future. Easter, I guess, is a very special time to reflect on one’s faith and what God has done for me. As a recap, here is that EASTER poem and I hope it continues to encourage and inspire readers today:

 

EASTER

Everlasting love and hope

And to Jesus never ending adoration

Son of God has risen to wash away all

Tears and heartaches, sin and suffering

Eternal life and lasting peace awaits after our own

Rebirth in Jesus and joyous resurrection

Finding More Inspiration in Creative Writing, Poetry, and in Gazing at the Stars

 

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I did some more “diving and driving” through the blogosphere world and found more inspirational, hopeful, and helpful blogs in the areas of creative writing, poetry, and in gazing at the stars. I hope you enjoy exploring these links and find some inspiration from them as well:

Here’s a helpful blog for us bloggers who are also fiction writers. Every day, it publishes a one sentence prompt and you, the writer, respond by starting with at sentence and write a story. The point of these exercises is that as soon as you receive the one sentence prompt, you start writing! This is a very interesting and challenging way to practice and hone skills in fictional and other creative writing.

http://todaysauthor.wordpress.com/

I found another blog site which addressed the process of writing, “Making Sandwiches” by Robert Jackson Bennet who is a fiction author and writer. He compares the writing process to that of making a sandwich. The main idea is that he is encouraging you to write what you want and to do it your way. We writers need to develop and follow our own creative writing style. Here is the link to his article:

http://robertjacksonbennett.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/making-sandwiches/

I also came across a fun and very creative poem entitled, “Adventures in Poetry” which explores the challenges of poetry writing. It is very cleverly written and enjoyable to read. Furthermore, I also view poetry writing as an adventure. Each time I start a poem I usually have no idea how it will end. I am always very determined that my writing makes sense and makes a point but I am not always clear on what that point will be until I reach the ending. In that manner writing can be an unknown adventure. Here is the link to this very cleverly written poem by Eclectic Alli:

http://eclecticali.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/poetry/#comment-284

I enjoy gazing at the night sky and watching the stars. I also desire to learn more about them and to be able to identify celestial objects in the night sky. While thinking about that I came across this very interesting blog about the night sky. This blogger/photographer has mastered the skill to photograph and identify constellations, planets, and other interesting sights in the night time sky. His posts also are very timely; he often give insight on how you can discover what he sees in the dark sky. Take a look and enjoy:

http://sky-watching.co.uk/2014/04/30/astronomy-events-may-2014/

 

My Albums and Cassette Tapes Have Gone Obsolete!!

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Continuing in my Blogging 101 class, I am trying something new today by responding to a daily or a writing prompt. Here is a recent daily prompt question from The Daily Post I found at:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/going-obsolete/

Going Obsolete: Of all the technologies that have gone obsolete which one do you miss the most?

Advances in technology can be very exciting and inspiring; the technological advances made in computers are incredible and they keep evolving and improving. I work with individuals who have various types of developmental disabilities and I have seen how advancement in technology has helped them to lead fuller and more meaningful lives. Technologies have aided to improve hearing aids, motorized wheelchairs, Hoyer lifts, communication aids, medication dispensers, and other assistive devices.

Some individuals that I work with desire to learn and improve their computer skills. They often are eager to learn and computer accessories can be adapted to their needs. They have learned to email or Skype their families and stay in closer contact with them. Some have learned to use computer finance applications to manage their checkbooks, budget, and compile their own finance reports. Still others have learned digital photography and design their own greeting cards on computer. I am currently working with one individual interested in learning to conduct family history research on her computer.

However, sometimes I do become nostalgic for some of the old technologies.  I have seen a number of things go obsolete and sometimes very unexpectedly. As one example of this, I will never forget the day that I realized that record albums were obsolete. I was in the habit of visiting a certain favorite music store to look at music tapes and records. While visiting there, I did notice a change taking place in that these things called CDs (short for compact discs) were coming out. I had no idea what was so great about these new CDs and so I continued to purchase cassette tapes or record albums.

Then one day during my college years,  I unsuspectingly rode the city bus to the mall and visited my favorite music store.  I was in for a surprise for as I entered the store I saw that ALL of the record albums were gone; totally and completely gone. And in their place were all these new-fangled CDs. I was astonished, “What? You’re kidding, right?”That was a complete shock. I didn’t even have a cd player. However, they still sold the music cassette tapes so I continued to purchase those for quite some time. As a teenager, that was how I collected music from my favorite artists.  All my teenage friends collected their music in these same analog formats. Collecting records and cassette tapes was a part of the teenage experience. I fondly remember receiving my black phonograph player as a Christmas gift and I played records on it all the time; I played the big 33 records and the small 45’s.  That phonograph was one of my favorite gifts and I still have it. It just doesn’t work anymore. I also purchased a cassette tape player and that still works.

The cassette tapes also eventually went obsolete. I learned to like the CDs out of necessity but I can tell you I was reluctant to adjust to that change. It also became apparent to me that the digital quality of the CDs is superior to the analog quality of the cassette tapes and records. Even so, collecting those tapes and records was a memorable experience during my teenage and early college years. Although I have hesitantly become modern and up to date in adjusting to digital formats, I still kept my cassette tape collection and more recently, I found my old cassette tape player. I have it in the kitchen to play my favorite tapes again  I use it the most around Christmas time. Now, about that video tape collection…

What are your thoughts? Do you have a favorite type of nostalgic technology device which you were reluctant to part with?

Finding Inspiration in Poetry, Photography, and in the Art of Writing

 

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As I dive further and further into the blog world, I have discovered some very hopeful and inspiring blogs to follow. I encourage you to look at these talented bloggers and writers:

Inspiration in Poetry:

To Begin with, I found several neat poems by some amazing poets: I happened to read these poems at a time when I needed a little encouragement and some comfort for my soul. Read, enjoy and may they lift your spirit too:

Source of Inspiration:   http://patcegan.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/fearless-love/

Shawn L. Bird: http://shawnbird.com/2014/04/29/poem-angel-2/

Inspiration in Photography:

This photo/poet writes beautiful poems and captures the most delicate scenes you can imagine in nature. His writing and photos are like precious gems. While I tend to focus on the bigger picture in photography, this photo artist captures the delicate and often unseen beauty of nature:

http://adabrowka.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/round-dance/

Inspiration in the Art of Writing:

This is a great blog article for us bloggers who are into blogging because we want to be writers. Whether we write poems, articles, or stories of any genre, we are looking to improve our writing skills and get ourselves out there and noticed. This article is about reading to be a good writer and lays out some keys ideas on how to do that.

Quoth the Wordsmith;

http://quoththewordsmith.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/reading-to-write/

And for us fledgling novel writers here is an interesting writing article from author Bob Mayer about taking one key idea as a basis for a novel:

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/no-matter-the-genre-many-great-books-start-with-a-one-sentence-idea/

I hope you find these blogs interesting, inspiring, and helpful as I did.

Antics of My Cats

 

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Another different blog today as I continue in my blogging 101 class but I am still keeping my focus here on finding hope and inspiration in everyday life. After reading this humorous article:  http://gonecatawampus.com/2014/04/11/5-life-lessons-as-explained-by-my-cat/ ,I was inspired to think about the comical antics of my own two frolicking felines. At the moment, they are both resting and ‘behaving’ but at times, they will exhibit their playfulness and their uniqueness as to me no two cats are the same. I guess they inspire me and add a little lift to my day by making me laugh. One of my cats, Angel,climbs to the very top of the cat tree and performs numerous somersaults when I first come home from work. She keeps this up until I come over to pet and tickle her. Now, Mandy, my older gray cat, has started to do her own version of somersaults, just not on top of the cat tree which is a good thing. She is too big and not so acrobatic. And like the article says they like to bask in a sunny window and they will sit perfectly poised somewhere so that i can admire how beautiful they are. They smile so contentedly when I comment on their cuteness and their loveliness.

Being a cat lover and a cat owner, I have tried purchasing various cat toys for their amusement; I’ve bought rubber balls, plastic bell balls, catnip toys, and scratching boards. Of all these things, the scratching boards are most interesting to them. But they also prefer to find their own toys which include cardboard boxes, bottle caps and twist ties. And I just don’t get that. Angel especially will bat and chase a twist tie all over my kitchen and it ends up in the same place each time; in their food dish. Go figure why that is such great fun to her but it is humorous to watch.

But one thing special about them, and about many pets I’m sure, is that they seem to know when I am hurting or sad. When I am in such a state, they come up to me wherever I may be sitting and curl up to me just as close as they can (to the point that I am tightly sandwiched between them) and remain by my side or on my lap rubbing and kneading me for as long as they think I need it. It is very astonishing and compelling to me, how our pets can know when we are hurting the most and most need to be loved. They have their own special way of expressing love. I guess the life lesson that I need to remember from watching my frolicking, four-legged furry friends to also show love and kindness to all the special people that God brings into my life.

Finding Hope, Inspiration, and Some Laughs

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Are you ready for something different today? I have been taking a Blogging 101 class and each day we have a new assignment. Today’s assignment was to be a good neighbor by visiting other blogs and leaving thoughtful comments. So I thought I would share here some of the inspirational, hopeful and even humorous blogs that I have recently discovered:

Source of Inspiration:  http://patcegan.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/giving-up-suffering/

Work in the Margin:   http://writerose.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/moonlight-on-cove.jpg

Gone Catawampus:   http://gonecatawampus.com/

photographybykent:  http://photographybykent.wordpress.com/

I hope everyone enjoys looking at these and finding some inspiration or a laugh for today.