Author Questions and Answers

What Makes Morning Light, Quiet Nights special?

Although this book is similar to Nature’s Quiet Wisdom, I’ve included more whimsical poems in Morning Light, Quiet Nights. Poems like “I Love You, Moon”, “Turtle Dreams”, and “Little Dolphin Dreams” and many others can be shared with children. I’ve always wanted to write a book like this, and I’m excited to finally be able to do that.

Childlike wonder is a theme that runs through your nature poems. Was that a deliberate choice?

No, it wasn’t. It is my natural reaction to everything I experience in nature. Nature is fascinating and fills me with wonder. As adults, we need to recapture those feelings that we had as children when we would watch the waddle of baby ducks or collect colorful autumn leaves, or find the pictures in the sky’s clouds. It will make us feel young and joyful like a child again.

Why do you think being connected to nature is so important?

There is so much to delight all our senses. Whatever we experience will only happen in that moment in time, and we get to be witness to that. I believe in the restorative power of being in nature. It can lift our spirits, calm our fears, and give us a fresh perspective. Nature is my refuge from life’s craziness.

Your poetry is about nature and its beauty. Have you always been a nature lover, or did that develop over time?

The small yard around our house in the city was my only experience with nature when I was growing up.  I loved finding pictures in the clouds.  My favorite hiding place was under a Japanese red maple tree where I could be alone to daydream.  Out back was a huge mimosa tree with feathery pink blossoms that looked like the wings of fairies to me.  I loved those trees.

But it wasn’t until I met my husband who loves being outdoors that I became a nature lover. We spent a lot of time hiking and that’s when I began to notice and appreciate all the details I could find in nature.  When I go too long without being in nature, I don’t feel my best.  I get a craving, kind of like craving chocolate, that must be satisfied.

When did you start writing prose poetry? 

I started over 10 years ago in a class I was taking.  I didn’t know I was writing prose poetry at the time.  I just wrote about what I saw in nature and people who read the work liked it.  The first piece I wrote, “Difference of a Day”, is in the book.  I like the economy of words that forces me to choose words that paint images  of what I see and feel.  The sparseness of poetry can be very powerful.

You mention several different animals in your poetry. If you had to choose a favorite animal in nature, which one would it be and why?

Choosing a favorite is so difficult.  I love rabbits.  I love watching them nibble grass and then hop away when they think you are getting too close.  I am fascinated by the majesty of hawks.   I’m in awe of their patience in waiting for prey.  And they are magnificent in flight.  I could go on.

Your husband paints gorgeous landscapes, and you write about nature. What a duo! How long has he painted?

My husband has been painting for over 20 years.  He uses oil paint to capture scenes mostly from Virginia.  Sometimes he paints outside (plein air), sometimes from photos he has taken.  He says, “When the muse is working, the sense of place flows with the paint, and these scenes become so real that although we may not know where they are, we know we have been there.”  I am so pleased I could use one of his paintings for the cover of my first book.    

Who do you believe will benefit the most from reading Abundant Strength? 

Abundant Strength is for any caregiver, but especially adult children caring for elderly parents. The language in these poetic prayers is specific about the challenging situations and deep emotions that come with caregiving—the frustration, loneliness, exhaustion, and feelings of not knowing what to do. But the prayers also offer hope that a caregiver can find peace and comfort with the Lord.

Is there a prayer in your new book that you think epitomizes your entire message?

There are two prayers that sum up my message. “A Caregiver’s Psalm” at the beginning of the book lists the emotions of caregiving and asks the Lord for all the virtues needed to cope with the challenges. “The Lord Waits for Me,” which occurs halfway through the book, reflects the deep discouragement that a caregiver can feel after caring for loved ones for a long time, but the prayer ends with a deep connection to the Lord with comforting words that promise his help.  

What was it like to be so transparent on the page while you took care of your parents? 

The book started as writing journal entries so I could cope with what I was experiencing as a caregiver. Being specific about what I was seeing, hearing, and feeling was my way of working my feelings out. It helped, but it wasn’t enough. That’s when the poems became prayers to the Lord because I was desperate for help to keep going. I kept this approach for the book because it was important to me to show a real picture of the very difficult job of caregiving. I wanted people to know that others had walked this path, that what they were experiencing was normal and didn’t make them a bad caregiver, and that there was hope and help.