Sunday, December 29, 2013

Memories of November

December has been such a contrast to November.  The leaves were a bit late in changing but when they did! Oh my, it was breathtaking.  I went to two Veterans' Services the weekend before Veteran's Day.  It's a bit difficult to describe how moving it was to me, to listen to all the memories of the World War 2 vets at the first service and then, the memories of the veterans from Korea and Vietnam the very next day.


 
This bridge is (was?) in Germany and was one the Americans gained control over and they fought very hard to do so.


 The middle soldier in the photo above is Bud Sosebee and believe it or not. he could still wear that same uniform! He was wearing it at the Veteran's Service. (Bud Sosebee is very active in raising funds for the Walk Of Heroes, which is a memorial right here in Rockdale County for the veterans.) The soldiers to the right are German officers and he said that they practically ran to the Americans in surrender, they did not want to give up to the Russians.  (My Dad, who was in Berlin in 1945, told me that the Russians had absolutely nothing, and that the Germans knew they would have better treatment under the Americans.)

Jack Simpson was another World War 2 veteran speaker who later worked for the FBI.  He was involved with the Martin Luther King, Jr. murder investigation and is one of those who investigated the car driven by James Earl Ray.  (And don't even think of mentioning any conspiracy theories to Jack Simpson, he very matter-of-factly dismisses them.)  Mr. Simpson also investigated the murder of Lemuel Penn,  which you may read about here.  As I said, a lot to absorb in such a brief time, but all very fascinating to me.
 
Just had to slip in this photo from Lenora Park, many of the trees had lost their leaves but I found this spot of color and I like this picture since it looks as if the tree is giving me a kiss...I'll take it! (I know, I really do love trees but there are worse things to be crazy about!)

 
At the second service, these young men reenacted the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and held it for quite a while. Very moving.  (If you don't know that much about what happened during the South Pacific during World War 2, then I suggest you remedy that and read about it!)


 
November color! I can't tell you how much I love it! The above photo is the drive which is within Panola Mountain State Park.  Look at that yellow!


This last photo was taken on November 24th!  Still some beautiful color even at that late date! The late afternoon sun shining the last rays upon that fence and trees, lovely!  (This is also at Panola Mountain State Park, see the nice shelter with picnic tables underneath? What a spot for a get-together!)
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a happy 2014.
I have been a bit under the weather, but am hoping for better health in the new year. If only I could get out into some sunshine and color, that is all that I need!
(In fact, I might have said some of this before in an earlier post, but if so, please forgive me.  My mind is a bit foggy at the best of times but when I don't feel well, it's even worse!)

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Santa Claus/ Christopher!

 
 
Our son always loved Santa Claus and he didn't mind going to see the Santa Claus at the Mall, but that was just someone helping out the REAL Santa who just happened to be at the Kroger right here in Conyers, Georgia!  In the photo above, can you see from Christopher's face how pleased and happy he is to be with the REAL Santa? And also, a little in awe of him I believe because that gentleman behind the fake beard is Bernie Bourdon, you may read about him from this post from two years ago! Christopher has always been smart, he knew he was in the presence of someone very special.
 
 
If you are ever asked to dress as Santa, you may want to remember to bring a ROUND cushion with you, just in case that the SQUARE ones are all they can find in the store!!  HA!!
 
Can you guess who this is behind the beard?  ;-)
 
HO HO HO!

 
Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Onion Brunch Bread/ OK Recipe!



Anybody like to try a recipe?   I have to take a covered dish to work tomorrow for our Pot Luck Luncheon.  I have a recipe that came from Oklahoma.  (OH-----KLahoma,  where the wind comes sweeping down the plains!!!)   Oh sorry, I just had to break out into song just there!  (Love me my Rodgers & Hammerstein!)  And OK is the state code for Oklahoma, in case you were wondering about my title post!

I used to work for the Waffle House Office, for the accounting offices in 1980 and we used to get all the utility bills for all the WAffle Houses in the country.  When we would get the bills, there would sometimes be recipes enclosed with the bills, that is where this recipe came from, it was from a gas bill from one of the stores in Oklahoma.
 (Please note- this recipe is NOT gluten free. That Jiffy cornbread mix has flour in it. It is NOT gluten free. I must make all foods gluten free for Richard. We have just found a gluten free cornbread mix, so I will try to make this for Richard, since all the other ingredients that I use ARE gluten free. If you must cook and bake gluten free, make sure all ingredients used are free of gluten!)

ONION BRUNCH BREAD

1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 carton (8 oz.) sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dillweed
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 1/4 shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pkg. (8 1/2 oz.) corn muffin mix  (Jiffy)
(1/3 cup cornmeal...optional)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 can cream style corn 
1/4 tsp hot sauce  (note...the recipe calls for this, but I have never used it.)

Saute onion in butter until tender. Combine sour cream, salt, dillweed, mustard and 1/2 cup of the cheese, add to onion, stirring well. 
Combine corn muffin mix and remaining ingredients. Mix well.  (Note...I add about 1/3 cup cornmeal).
Spoon batter into greased pan. (I use my brownie pan!)
*Slather the sour cream/onion mixture over the top and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes or until firm in the center.  Cut into squares to serve.

If you are reading this from another country and can't get the cornbread mix and cornmeal... well, gee whiz, I am sorry!  Perhaps you could just make the sour cream/onion mixture and put it over some other kind of bread dough and make it that way!  That topping is what makes this so good anyway!
If any of you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you.  This is something that I have made and folks always ask me for the recipe. Now, you all have it!

*Slather...that is what I wrote out for the girls at the office in 1980 when I wrote the recipe for them.  They laughed at me for that word, but that is exactly the correct word! Just goes to show how little I trust myself!

In these busy times, I hope you are finding some time for some peace and quiet...





Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Officer Morgan Day In Covington, Georgia



Today in the neighboring town of Covington, they had a special day called "Officer Morgan Day".  It was in honor of a five year old little boy named Morgan who has muscular dystrophy and is in a wheelchair.  He idolizes those in law enforcement and wishes to be an officer himself one day.  The Covington Police Department has made it happen! There were lots of surprises for the lad, including a surprise visit from Shaquille O'Neal, a very famous basketball star. (You will be able to know which one he is...he is seven feet tall!)  See the sweet story here. 

If you get a chance to look at the photos on that link, you might recognize Covington. There have been several TV shows and movies filmed there.  Years ago, I was visiting New York City and when I turned on the TV in the hotel room, I was startled to see the courthouse in Covington! It was on the opening credits of "The Dukes Of Hazard".  Now, they film the TV show "The Vampire Diaries" in the square of Covington. 

I was glad to see this on TV.  Making a little boy's dream come true might not be a big news item on the national or international news but it should be.

Thank you, Officer Morgan for your service to Covington and watching out for us!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Chas & Dave

Chas & Dave


Chas & Dave, I adore them! Richard's sweet parents gave us the Chas & Dave Jamboree Bag as a cassette tape when our son was very little and we ALWAYS listened to this in the car.  Our son might count them as one of his earliest musical influences!  There are some very old songs on here, some are classics and some you might not have ever heard of before, but they are all great songs.  This is a 25 minute video, listen to it and get up and move around! You don't have to dance, you could just jog in time to the music or lift weights, or just walk quickly around! 
 
There, don't you feel better?  Chas & Dave have a NEW album out, the first one in 20 years.  They recently performed for Prince Charles! And Richard and I laughed at one of the comments left by someone under the photo of them meeting him...it said, "Proper royalty and Prince Charles"!  Funny! 

 
It was about this time last year that our son was singing Christmas songs at a local department store.  Hey!  You gotta start out somewhere!  Keep on singing/playing/writing, son.   You might get to play with Chas & Dave one day, here's hoping!
 
Hope everyone is enjoying the last days before Christmas! Don't let the crazy shoppers get you down.  Keep Christmas in your heart all year round!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Stone Mountain- A Special Place



You can take a cable car to the top of Stone Mountain or you can walk up.  We walk!
I have been asked to show some photos of Stone Mountain on my blog by a sweet friend that I have met through blogging.  And since I do what I am told (well, sometimes anyway!), here they are! Hope everyone else enjoys these too!  Pat, hope these photos will bring back some nice memories of your visit to Georgia!



This year, we had a very short autumn in Georgia.  The leaves took a long time to change colors, so we had a lovely but abbreviated Fall.  Don't believe me?  We went to Stone Mountain on Oct. 27th, and if you look closely at these photos, you will see that the leaves on the trees are still very green and it looks (and felt!) like summer.
 
 


We think this might be Panola Mountain in the distance...it's in the right direction.


 

Skyline of Atlanta, about 18 miles away.  See all the green trees!
 


 






Never too hot for a coffee! (Look at Stone Mountain Lake, isn't it beautiful!)


Tennis anyone? Finally found someone with a head as big as mine!







This photo shows just how green it still was. We have read that the trees receive minerals that wash off of Stone Mountain and that is why they are so beautifully healthy. 

If you know of anyone visiting in the Atlanta area, make sure and tell them to visit Stone Mountain.
It truly is special.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Morse/Lewis/Endeavour- Great TV Shows, Outstanding Music!



 "Inspector Morse".  That is one of the British shows that I enjoyed watching for years with John Thaw playing Morse.  We have also watched  "Inspector Lewis" ( with his sidekick, Lewis as the Chief Inspector now.)  We loved both of those shows.  A few months ago, I was really happy to watch "Endeavour", which is the prequel to "Morse".  It tells the story of Morse as a young man just starting out...if you get the chance, please do NOT miss any of these shows!

Now, besides the great acting and the beautiful background scenery in Oxford, I really appreciate the music of all of these shows!  Do you remember the music from Inspector Morse?  Can you recognize that the opening notes have a background of what sounds like MorseCode?  It's true! It spells out "MORSE" in Morse Code!   Isn't that incredibly clever? The composer, Barrington Pheloung is from Australia but studied music in England and now lives there.   I notice that he also did the music from a rather disturbing TV series called "Red Riding" which I have to tell you is so very intense that at times I simply could not watch it.  However, the music was excellent.

In my last post I gave you a name of a lyricist, Haven Gillespie, that I bet you have never thought of...now, I have given you the name of a wonderful composer, Barrington Pheloung.  See the things you learn from me?  (Oh, and if you ever need to know this- if you are ever locked up somewhere in a room and you can't scream for help, you can use Morse Code and tap out S-O-S. You do this by three short taps, three long knocks, and then three short taps.  That should do the trick. I think that is right and my computer is so slow, I can't look it up right now. If that isn't right, well, I hope you are never in an emergency when you are with me, you would be OUT OF LUCK! HA!)
 
Hey! This time last year, Richard and I climbed Panola Mountain!  Not this weekend or today, we have had a lot of rain and a lot of gray, overcast days.  It could be worse, at least we don't have snow!
Stay warm and dry everybody!






 

 

Friday, December 6, 2013

Haven Gillespie


"You better watch out, better not cry, better not pout...I'm telling you why...Santa Claus is coming to town!"  Quick, who wrote the words to that song? You don't have to guess, I have already told you in the title of this post!  (Apparently, he didn't especially like it, and it is his most famous song!)

Just this week, I was thinking about one of my blogging friends, John from Rambles From My Chair
because he had a few posts where he mentioned that he had some problems sleeping through the night.  So, John I have another song by Haven Gillespie and this is for you!
 "You're In Kentucky As Sure As You're Born".   (You can see the lyrics that made me think of a sweet slumber.)

When you see a field where grass is blue
And everything looks good to you
You're in Kentucky, sure as you're born

When a million sunbeams, light your way
Says c'mon stranger won't you stay
You're in Kentucky, sure as you're born

When the shadows creep
You can go to sleep
On a carpet of moonbeams
You can dream your dreams
Neath the blanket of gleaming stars


If you wake at dawn amid glistening dew
Find old Dixie kissin' you
You're in Kentucky, sure as you're born

When the shadows creep
You can go to sleep
On a carpet of moonbeams
You can dream your dreams
Neath the blanket of gleaming stars



John and for anyone else who might need a bit of help nodding off, just think of those sweet words...and better yet, find a clip of Chas & Dave singing it! 




Haven Gillespie also wrote the lyrics to "That Lucky Old Sun".  It has been covered by Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones and many others.  Why is it that I only discovered this great song just this week? I love this song!  No wonder so many singers have performed it!   I found this video by Chris Isaak and I hope you like it as much as I do.  I wish that I could write lyrics like Haven Gillespie!  (And I wish I could sing like Chris Isaak!)




All the colorful leaves have gone now but oh, the memory lingers! I am not quite ready to change my header photo, not just yet!
 
 

 




Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Jesse Owens And Friends!



Did you hear on the news that one of the four gold medals won by  Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin is up for auction?  Jesse Owens gave the medal to his friend, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson a few years after the Olympics.  Bojangles Robinson's widow is now selling the gold medal.


 

I also have a video for you which is from the 1936 Olympics...and tell me if you recognize who is pictured beside Jesse Owens for just a few seconds, at the 2:18 mark....



It is Mr. Louis Zamperini! I was so pleased to recognize him!  I have written about Mr. Zamperini before, he wrote the book "Devil At My Heels" and I sent a letter to Mr. Zamperini in 2004 and he wrote me back! (He is also the subject of Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling book, "Unbroken".)  When I visited Alabama (which is where Jesse Owens was born), I purchased a post-card showing a beautiful statue of Jesse Owens from his hometown of Oakville Alabama, and that is the post-card that I sent to Mr. Zamperini!  I thought he would like the gesture since Mr. Zamperini and Jesse Owens were roommates at the Olympics and Mr. Zamperini had written very warmly of his memories of Jesse Owens. ( He called him "a prince of a fellow" and said that he had tried to look out for him, Mr. Zamperini being younger than Jesse Owens.)

Now, if you have watched the video, you will have heard of the German Olympian, Lutz Long who helped Jesse Owens make a change in the way that he set up for his long-jump, and thereby helped Jesse to win his first gold medal.  Lutz Long came in second, winning the silver, but he was the first one to congratulate Jesse on his gold medal win.
Here is the quote from Jesse Owens...

 "You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the twenty four karat friendship I felt for Lutz Long at that moment".

 You may read more about Lutz Long here.

I realize that I have spoken of these men...Jesse Owens, "Bojangles" Robinson, Louis Zamperini and Lutz Long without really saying too much about any of them, but I am hopeful that you already know about them and if not, you will follow the links and learn of them. I promise you it is very much worth your time.



    





Saturday, November 30, 2013

Joel Hartman's Thanksgiving

Did you hear this great story about the homeless man in Atlanta? Living on the streets he had discovered a woman's wallet when he had been looking through garbage for food.  Seeing that it belonged to a woman from France, he went to several nearby hotels to see if he could locate the owner. The Omni Hotel showed a photo of the man from their video cameras and asked if someone  could identify him since they wanted to thank him for returning the wallet to their guest.  The man was identified as Joel Hartman and he was brought in and the hotel manager gave him a room through the Thanksgiving weekend along with $500.00.  After this was broadcast on the news, other people gave him more money and several job offers.

But guess what? That is not even the BEST part of the story!  His family saw him on the news and they flew into Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day to see him!  I have the video from WSBTV for you...here.  His step-mother said that they had been looking for him for ten years. It appears that he will be going back to Indiana with them. You might have already heard of this story and it is a good one, but the happy ending with the hugs from his family is my favorite part! Joel Hartman, I wish the very best for you.  Please, leave your well wishes for him here, he just might see them one day!

Thanksgiving, indeed!  God bless you, Joel Hartman, I wish the very best of luck to you!


Skies might not always be blue, but always look on the bright side of life!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Birthday To Our Son




Pretty yellow tree on right, that is where we are going!


Happy Birthday and Happy Thanksgiving to our son, Christopher! (Same day this year!)
It was raining the day that we visited C. at his home which is on the OTHER side of Atlanta (which means we have to go through Atlanta traffic to get to him!).  There are so many trees in his neighborhood and even on a foggy day like this one, you could still see the color!
 

See Richard talking with C. and with his friend Jim? I am taking this photo in the rain!
 

 
 MUSIC!  It is so important to our son.  He has written music all through his teen-age years and is a very talented young man.  I only wish that he had more time for it.  The world is in great need of melody just now!  I thank all of you who left encouraging comments on the posts where I have mentioned his band!

Listen to the lyrics of "Simple Man" from Lynyrd Skynyrd and think of me singing this to Christopher!
 
Of course, I have to have a song from England on here for Christopher! He always loved this song by The Hollies as a little boy and you can tell what good taste he has always had in music! (And I always thought that "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" sounded like it was from a Southern band anyway!)
 
  Please note that all of these photos were taken by me! You can always tell my photos, mine are always a bit crooked, or else  I manage to get in a lot of pavement.  I think I must be lower to the ground than Richard!  HA!
 (Oh, just one by Richard...the one of C. on top of Arabia Mountain, touching the tree...I love that one!)




                                                  Happy Birthday, Christopher!  LOVE YOU!  xx



Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Georgia In November












We have been having beautiful weather here in Georgia.


 However, today was a very rainy, cold day and tomorrow the high is only supposed to be 37 degrees with high winds which will make it feel like the teens!  Never mind, I will look back at some of the photos from November and remember the warmth and the color... 
 



 
Hello from Panola Mountain State Park!   Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  Kay & Richard  xxx

And sending love to everyone else in the world!
 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

C.S. Lewis

 C. S. Lewis died on the same day as JFK - November 22, 1963.  Yesterday, on the 50th anniversary of his death, there was a memorial service for him at Westminster Abbey and he now has a memorial stone placed in Poet's Corner.  There has been a bit of controversy about it, since some people say that C. S. Lewis is not really a poet.  I say that that they shouldn't get their knickers in a twist about this. (A nice British expression that I think should be used here, it says exactly what I want to say to people sometimes.) 

Clive Staples Lewis (known as Jack to his family and friends) lost his mother at a young age which affected him deeply and made him question his beliefs.  He was a professor at Oxford where he was great friends with J. R. R. Tolkien, who was such a deep influence upon him that he became a champion of the Christian faith, writing many books.  His most famous books are the Narnia books, which for those books alone, I believe he deserves a spot in Westminster Abbey. (Although, you can't help but wonder if Tolkien might have felt a bit...not annoyed, but dismayed perhaps, because Lewis kept to his Anglican faith instead of Roman Catholic like Tolkien!)


Wouldn't you love to go to Oxford and visit where C. S. Lewis lived?  Well, guess what, Laura from her blog, Happy Homemaker UK has already done that for you!  And she said it was perfectly fine for me to link to her post...so please do not miss her fantastic photos!  You may find it here!


This is the quote that is on his memorial stone...

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen,
Not only because I see it but because by it,
I see everything else.

I very much believe that C. Lewis deserves a memorial in Westminster Abbey, this house of worship.



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

BBC Report/ Book About JFK



There has been extensive coverage on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy this week.  Today, the president laid a wreath on the JFK memorial at Arlington Cemetery.  Peter Watson from the BBC was in New York in 1963 when he heard of the shooting in Dallas and he quickly flew there and filed a report.  This report has been reprinted on the BBC website this week and not only it is very well written but I find his observations to be thoughtful and insightful.  You may read his report here.  It has been reproduced as if you are reading his actual type-written notes, and I found it very effective that it was done in this manner. (Could this actually be his report typed on a typewriter? I have no idea, I only know that it is moving for me to read it this way.)

 "The waste and pathos brought me closer to tears more often than I have ever been before".  It is interesting for me to read how someone from another country lived through these events.  I was only six years old but I remember very well, the shock and the sadness that the country experienced.  If you don't have a chance to read this article just now, please read it when you can.

And in case you miss it, it says that Peter Watson died just last week.

I still have to tell you about the services (I went to two of them!) that I attended on the weekend before Veteran's Day.  I took this photo of the young men who reenact the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima...they hold this for several minutes and it is quite impressive.  John F. Kennedy was in the South Pacific, during World War II and the best account that I have read about his heroism after the sinking of his PT boat was written in a book entitled "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye".  If you get the chance, read that book, it's very good. ("PT 109" by Robert J. Donovan is another one.) You might have seen the movie made with Cliff Robertson playing JFK, if not...I highly recommend it.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Snake! Panola Mountain Lake Loop Trail





Richard and I met our dear friends, Mary and Steve on Saturday for a late afternoon walk at Panola Mountain and look what I spotted! A long black snake that was so completely still that at first, I thought it must be dead...but it was completely ensnared in the netting that was beside the trail. (The netting was there to stop erosion on the sides of the trail.)  It was well and truly stuck.  Our friend, Steve pulled out an impressive knife and worked for several minutes to free the snake.  (The photo above was taken, after much of it had been freed.)


 


 This was on such a steep slope that it was even difficult for Richard and Steve to stand, let alone to try and rescue a snake!  Mary and I were on the trail lending our moral support and encouragement..."Even though it's not poisonous, doesn't mean it can't bite"...(Mary)
"Careful, it's very steep, you can fall down, you know!"  (Me)


 
 
 
Who needs super heroes when you have guys like these around?  Do you see where we are here? The  husbands have gotten the snake down on the paved trail (that's the boardwalk just behind them, see it there?) and it is almost free, just a bit of green netting was clinging on...and just at that moment , a man came across the boardwalk, who seemed to be very knowledgeable about snakes and he picked  the snake up by its head in a very expert manner and the netting just fell off. I took the best photo of this man on the bike posing with Steve but I neglected to get his name! So...man on the bike with the dog who helped with this snake, let me know if it is okay with you and I will identify you and show the photo! (Yes, you read that right...he had a dog on a leash trotting along with him!)
 
The man told us it was a king snake.
 
Black king snake...predominantly black with traces of white or yellow spots on its sides. (Lampropeltis getula nigra)  Greek for "radiant" or "shiny" shields.. has very shiny coat, a truly beautiful snake.
All king snakes but especially the black king snake eat other snakes, even poisonous ones, in Georgia, that would be from rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.
 
There are 41 species of snakes in Georgia...I am glad we found one of the NON-venomous ones!
 
 If there are any herpetologists out there, then please feel free to leave a comment here!
 
Do you see the eye of the snake in the first photo? Compare it to the eye of the snake below.
Of course, you might not want to get this close to any snake!
 
What about you, would you rescue a snake entwined in netting like this?
 
And hey!  I took all the photos for this post, just goes to show how much I want to take pictures if the other choice is getting close to a snake!
 
 


 

Copperhead (I took this photo in our front yard last July!)







 


Friday, November 15, 2013

Lake Alexander/Walking On Water




Lake Alexander at Panola Mountain State Park is beautiful in all seasons and at all times of the day.  Richard and I just stopped on the boardwalk yesterday and had a chat with a fellow walker. We spoke quietly as the sun was setting, the almost full moon was reflected in the lake and a heron on the shoreline totally ignored us...it was quiet and still and the air was fresh and cool.   He told us that it was a shame that Mr. Alexander did not live long enough to see the completed trail...he said that although Mr. Alexander wanted to leave his six hundred acres to Panola Mountain State Park, his family was against it, that some members of the family wanted to develop it and build houses on this beautiful land.  I am so thankful that this did not happen and that we are able to enjoy this natural beauty.



The lake is lovely.  If you look at my last post, you will see that there is Upper Alexander Lake and Lower Alexander Lake, separated by the small road.  As you walk on this road, it is like walking on water. It is for bikers and hikers only (although the park rangers will sometimes drive their trucks on it, they always look out for us, since WE are the ones with the right-of-way!)  The boardwalk that is across the wetlands area of Upper Alexander Lake is wonderful, it arches out so much into the lake, that it too feels as if you are walking on water.
 I found a poem by Sarah Rossiter. I hope you like it too.


Would you believe I walked on water as Jesus did, and
Peter too, that is, until fear weighed him down? It wasn’t
A miracle, not like his, though as I slid across the pond,
Lily pads swayed underfoot while minnows slipped,
Slim silver needles through water like transparent silk.
Which is to say it felt like one for even though the black ice
Held, who can trust what can’t be seen, and, so, like Peter,
I felt fear. And yet, I walked--I didn’t sink--on polished glass
Between two worlds, the one we live in, and the next where
From cold depths, a turtle rose with eyes like dark seeds, bright,
Unblinking, until he stopped, surprised by ice, a mirrored sheet
Of shining light through which, as I lay down we looked,
To see each other face to face.   


by Sarah Rossiter