Illuminara

We were in Fundy National Park in Canada, camping, and all wanted to see a moose. There were several places you could possibly see one in the wild. One was a deep and delicate forest which had a meandering trail close to water, leading to Lac Laverty. We set out mid-afternoon. I was enchanted by [...]

This is a page from my first published book, PUP IN SCHOOL (Crown Books for Young Readers). I created this book because when I was teaching at the wonderful Atrium School in Boston, I noticed that when I wanted to talk about ways we could get along better together in class, using animals rather than [...]

I’m praying the oil slick won’t devastate all of life in the Gulf, where the waters are pure and that unbelievable color of ice blue. The sand is white sugar. The thought of animals suffering and people being swamped in oil makes me sick.  I’m imagining a mermaid sweeping up the oil with her long [...]

In my twenties, I had just come out of a disastrous youthful relationship and felt that on my first footing out into the world as a young adult, I had stumbled miserably. I was feeling very low, and wondered if I’d ever find my “true love” as I so wanted to. I had a ring [...]

Birdsong is a world somewhere between
Sunlight and shadow whisper
memories of spring
swaying silently in air
New flight leaves sorrow in despair
as sun alights the small bird’s wing
kisses everywhere
and everything

Today we’re cozy by the fire. I’ve sketched our dog, who is afraid of the train set. He has begun to give up chasing after the whistle and plume of smoke coming from the smoke stack as the train noisily makes it around the track, and he’s resigned to resting by the fire, following the [...]

The weather was beautiful yesterday, so I was elated to be out in the breeze, under the sun with the sea glistening. The dogs were out, full of personality, socializing. There were a lot of people taking pictures of their dogs (and of their kids, too). As I sketched children frolicking and dogs roaming happily, [...]

I long to experience the spiritually majestic on earth. It is easy to imagine that must be experienced in some non-physical way, as though our bodies are a hindrance to spiritual radiance. Yet, often this “God is here on earth” bliss is felt through our physical experiences as we follow our true inner wishes. For [...]

My friend flies with horses.
She walks in air above them as they trot and she swims alongside them with the wind.
She dreams of horses and her dreams turn into mare’s tails in the sky.
Thursday cannot get here soon enough, but clouds are cantering by.

Sunday morning, just before waking up, I dreamed the glorious dream that dolphins, baby dolphins, had come to the Long Island Sound, right at Compo Beach. They were so cute, so lively. There were so many. I was pointing them out to my son. One of the dolphins looked more like a baby elephant crossed [...]