Steven Colbert said on his show that he had learned to love the thing he hated the most. And I thought that was a very good idea. Hmmmm. Obviously, what I hated the most was losing my child and spouse. How could I learn to love that? And immediately the answer came in this way.

I only have one gift and that is putting my feelings down in pixels. It comes so easy to me that it seems to happen on its own. I am not channeling, though. I am just working my one gift and enjoying it.

Let’s say that I have a rose that blooms prolifically and magically and that all I have to do is love it. In response to this love, the rose blooms for me. But the petals die and I don’t want to waste them, so I make potpourri.

I put the petals in an old cut-glass vase that my grandmother gave me. It soon fills to the brim with the petals and now there is a nice scent. I place the vase by my keyboard so I can enjoy the aroma while I type. And the notes become almost alive.

What happened to the hate I carried for these two huge losses? It is obvious that that love has crept into the picture, whether consciously or unconsciously. You might say that love just happened.

That may not be a very good example, but it seems to work for me.

The Rose Bowl

The bowl belonged to my grandmother.
She owned a beauty shop back in the day.
She had some wealthy clients and one gave
Her a beautiful cut-glass rose bowl.
It was passed down to me.
We both lost children and that’s a fact.

My grandmother never spoke of her two boys gone too soon.
But she doted on her grandchildren as if in compensation.
She spoke little, loved opera and irises.

My grandmother had a strange name,
Piney Maud.
She sang in a nasal twang about the
Babes lost in the woods.
Now I am sure about what she meant.
And I write on.

Vicki Woodyard