Bread & With It

After dealing with over 24" of snow the past week or so, a lovely warm front blew in. After a couple of 70-degree days, the ice dams have finally melted off my roof. There is even some green-ish grass showing through now. I couldn't be happier. This week's poems were an eclectic bunch, but very fun to write. Bet you can't guess my color inspiration for this week... Yep! It's Green! Saint Patrick, is the patron saint of Ireland, and has been celebrated by Catholics and other

After I choose my colors each week, I start by researching what that Crayola crayon looks like. I then think all around the name for ideas, pulling images from my photos or online for inspiration. When I finally start to write, I believe I know the direction my writing will take me. Then, suddenly, my muse surprises me with a different idea, and I usually like it better. Well, this week I chose the colors: Denim Blush Gold They showed me they had something unexpected in commo

There are. few things I really don't mind about winter in New England. Getting to wear my oversized snuggly sweaters, The amazing blue color of the sky How thick, rich, warm soups taste on a snowy day and if you just stop and listen, the silence you hear trudging through the snow. But I have to admit.... on a few of these sub-zero days, I begin to understand why snowbirds fly south. Brrrrrr! Outside my window this week during the blizzard. Inspired by New England winters, he

Growing up in a mostly white town, my only interaction with people of color were Karen Miller and Pat Davis in my home room, who were bused in from Boston in the late '70's VERY early every morning to the suburbs for their education. And even then, homeroom was so short that you really didn't have time to get to know each other. When I think about it now, I can't imagine the stress busing added to the students and their families. I am embarrassed to say that, till recently,

During the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020- May 2023), the word KINDNESS began popping up everywhere. One of my favorite places was the Kindness 101 segments on TV. They were a welcome respite from our isolation and lifted morale across our homes. CBS's Steve Hartman and his children hosted KINDNESS 101, a series of classes featuring inspiring stories of people being kind. You can read more about them here . (These are great things to share with your kids.) Here is one of my

Color + Love.... Hmmmm, I wonder what I can do with this? It sure has been fun working on this series of poems inspired by COLOR. I honestly cannot wait to sit down each morning and work on them. Sometimes I wake up at 5:30 am staring at the ceiling, my mind swirling with colors and ideas. With Valentine's Day on the calendar this week, I looked over my spreadsheet of color names and wondered which crayons would inspire me and which might go together on the theme of LOVE. He

I have always been fascinated by the sky- its deep blues on cool fall days, Lake Winthrop, Holliston, MA ©Cathy Stenquist the incredible colors that sunrise and sunset can bring, Yarmouth, MA. ©Cathy Stenquist and the mystery of a moon-lit evening sky. ©Cathy Stenquist I'm not too keen on flying, but what makes air travel so appealing to me is being above the clouds and seeing them from a new perspective. I am filled with gratitude for this life and the beauty God has c

" The thing with an artistic license is, you have to be artistic if you want to use the license. " Anonymous Check out these literal, artistic licenses! See more of Greg Constantine's amazing art here . I decided to take some artistic license on my COLOR project this week, to make it more interesting for y'all. Originally, I wanted to write poetry using for inspiration, the actual 64 Crayola colors that would have been in the box I received at 9 years old (around 1968). I c

Color and B&W images allow me to see things in very different ways. Color's power, in this unedited Nantucket sunset (taken at Madaket Beach 10 years ago), is its ability to add emotion— peacefulness, gratitude, and awe. Look at that... How can it be real? Truly a moment given by God. The longer we stayed, the more beautiful the colors became. But there is something about a B&W image I love. Check out this other image taken in Nantucket. It strips away all the distractions

The first box of 8 Crayola Crayons was sold in 1903. Ever since, they have become an iconic part of so many young children's lives. Each September, I headed off to school with a new green and yellow pack and tucked it into my school desk. There was nothing like a new, fresh pack of 8 crayons to spur the imagination. I loved coloring because it was very meditative and a way to escape into my own little world for a while. I dabbed and layered the 8 colors to make new ones, p

Taking the Christmas tree down was a bittersweet activity yesterday. Unlike the evening we gathered to decorate, Nat King Cole and his Christmas carols were silent; no anticipation in my grandson's eyes or the smell of Swedish coffee bread hot from the oven... just memory after memory making me smile as each ornament was lifted from its branch. After the final ornament was layered in a box for next time, I stopped to look at the star. The lights lit up the ceiling with wings

Have you ever walked by the chips aisle at your grocery store, resplendent with every crunchy, salty, imaginable temptation, and bite your lip, steering quickly past? Boy, I have! We know those snacks aren't good for you, but occasionally I stop and indulge myself. Well, today. .. You are in luck , my friend. I have a snack for you that can be eaten one tiny bite at a time, has zero sodium and calories, and is sure to make not only your tummy, but your spirit feel better..

Not having much voice left after sharing their gift at Midnight Mass, a kind quartet—who knew the 11:30 morning Mass would need music to feel like Christmas—showed up. After Communion, Chris Tomlin's song, "Noel," sparkled through the arches of St. Mary's. I closed my eyes and was carried away to perfect peace, as the delicate weaving of acapella notes tugged at my heart. Tears flowed, and when the last notes hung in the air, applause filled the church in thankfulness for th