When You Reach…

For something you want,

you might actually get it.

For someone you love,

they might hold you.

For someone in need,

you might help them.

For someone you need,

they might help you.

For something more,

it might be enough.

For something less,

it might fall short.

For something different,

different will seek you out.

For things unknown,

you might grab something great.

Or possibly something terrible.

Or a lesson you didn’t know you needed.

Or all of the above.

When you reach high enough,

there will always be something,

or someone to grasp.

But you have to be brave enough

to reach.

What are you reaching for right now? 

**Last day to sign up for Operation Bookmark Share and enter to win!

Change is Coming

I don't do this very often, but this week, I'm feeling a bit melancholy, and when that happens, sometimes, the result is poetry. Hope you don't mind if I indulge in sharing here. 

Change is Coming

This week the last of the leaves are turning

Preparing to drift to the ground

A layer of snow dusts the mountain tops

Preparing to stay for the winter

Farmers harvest their fields

Gardeners clip back their plants

People dust off their coats and boots

Getting ready for the temperatures to drop

Animals store their winter supplies

And build sturdy nests to keep them warm

While birds form flocks

And fly south.

The north wind blows

Bringing cold air and change

And a lone whistle sings

That winter is coming.

While families huddle close

Knowing changes in weather

Cannot steal love’s warmth

No matter where they live.

Are you ready?

Have a lovely weekend, and I hope you'll take time to notice the beauty resulting from seasonal changes. I know I will.  

Every So Often

We all have dreams. But every so often, we have to take a minute to stop and wonder if those dreams are meant for us, or us for them, or whatever.

Every so often, our dreams take over our lives, and then we wonder what we were thinking when we started dreaming like that anyway.

Every so often, we decide to take a break, turn a corner, or do something differently than we planned.

And every so often, thinking outside the box helps us make more progress than anything else we’ve tried, renewing our sense of creativity, our sense of adventure, our ability to dream big.

Every so often, we are given a lesson in succeeding, rather than one in failing.

Every so often, we win.

And then it all becomes worth it.

When’s the last time you won?

Clichés for Kids (or Inspiration for Graduates)

Make a goal

Change your mind

Break the rules

Create new ones

Forge a path

Blaze a trail

Spread your wings

Fly for the clouds

And then…

Shoot for the stars.

And if—for some reason—you don’t reach the star for which you were aiming, that’s totally okay. There are bazillions of stars in the galaxy, and you only need to claim one. They’re all bright and colorful, and somewhere, one is waiting for you to catch it—it belongs to you, and you alone.

The only question left is which one will it be?

Book Review: "The Hourglass Door" by Lisa Mangum

By Nichole Giles

I wasn’t actually asked to review this book. But I was lucky enough to get an advance readers copy, and I’d heard such good things about it that this was first on my list after the writer’s conference last month. If you’d seen the bags (yes, plural) full of books I brought home, you’d know that means a lot. I was so excited to read it.

Of course, because the writing was so engrossing, the story so well told, I read it within two days. (Two only because I was suffering from a terrible headache and couldn’t read it all in one sitting—but even suffering, I couldn’t leave it alone for long.) The story is beautiful, full of human emotion and the characters seemed very real to me.

Lisa Mangum has a way with words that make them sound poetic and lovely, and the storyline is enchanting. Seriously, I truly loved this book.

I felt a little bit sad at the end, because I didn’t want the story to be over. But, really, it isn’t. There will be a sequel, and I’m already looking forward to it, knowing it’s one I’ll snatch as soon as I can get my hands on it. (Hopefully before the release date again, because I’m dying to see what happens next!)

Here’s a taste of the cover blurb:

His past. Her future. Can love bring them together in time?

Abby’s senior year of high school is going according to plan: good friends, cute boyfriend, and college applications in the mail. But when Dante Alexander, foreign-exchange student from Italy, steps into her life, he turns it upside down. He’s mysterious, and interesting, and unlike anyone she’s ever met before. Abby can’t deny the growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around. Soon Abby finds herself drawn into a mystery whose roots reach into sixteenth-century Florence, and she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens not only her future but the lives of those she loves.

Now, the question is, can I actually wait until summer 2010 to read more? I certainly hope so. Lisa Mangum is sure to be a huge hit. Go Lisa! (And please hurry and finish the next installment—pretty please with sugar…)