Tag: acrostic

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Black Rock Mountain Stop

On the way home from visiting my brother in Bethlehem, North Carolina last weekend, we made two quick stops at campgrounds in North Georgia: Tallulah Gorge and Black Rock Mountain. These are two of my favorites for scenery alone – – particularly Black Rock Mountain, which is Georgia’s highest elevation state park and is on the eastern continental divide. It’s quite a car-climb to get there, and we wanted to scope out the campsites to see which might be our favorite one to try to reserve. You can read more about Black Rock Mountain State Park here. Tallulah Gorge is also a gorgeous campground, and we love its unique history with Karl Wallenda having walked across. Both are located near the town of Clayton, Georgia, which has many wonderful eateries and even a meadery downtown. We like the farm-to-table chefs who change the menus based on what’s fresh and in season.

We’re ready for the summer, for some travel and relaxed pacing of days to be able to read in the hammock and sit around the campfire under the stars. These are the times we look most forward to – – – slow travel, relaxed days, dog walks and leisurely morning coffee seeping down to firefly dusk. There are cottages (including dog-friendly cottages) here, too! If you’re ever in Black Rock Mountain State Park in Georgia and looking for a place to make memories, Cottage 5 looks like the one I’d recommend…..

Black Rock Acrostic

Brunch in the late morning

Lingering over coffee

Afterglow horizon sunsets

Camping on Black Mountain

Keeping it simple

Reading, talking, holding presence

On Black Mountain

Camping in the clouds

Knowing each moment

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The Value of TIME

Even though the days leading up to Dad’s death had some tears along the way, the laughter and the honest moments discussing the fine arts of bodily business got us through what could have been much sadder times. My brother and I found such humor in Dad’s way of putting things. He was a man of words, often high-brow words that no one else in the room knew, but every now and then he’d throw out a zinger of a word that left no question about its meaning yet still raised an eyebrow because it was so unexpected. The Reverend Dr. Wilson Felix Haynes, Jr., our dad, was a man who could talk backwoods Georgia slang and discuss the finer points of art by Michelangelo with layered meanings in scripture in the same 5 minute conversation, in which we also discussed the value of TIME.

Today, I share an acrostic poem inspired by the recorded conversation above.

On the Sculpting of David

T here’s an angel

I n this rock,

M ichelangelo

E xplained

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SHINE

In Dad’s final days, he shared stories with us. I recorded them, and my brother and I are celebrating these memories and stories throughout the month of July. In today’s audio clip, Dad shares an acrostic he has written in the middle of the night using an acrostic from the Bible verse Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men……” using the word SHINE. Here is Dad’s middle-of-the-night acrostic poem:

Dad’s SHINE Acrostic

Set goals

Hang tough

Invest wisely (it’s not money….it’s time)

Nurture others

Empathize

He says the Jim Valvano speech is the best ever, and that we should all listen to it, so I’m linking it here: https://youtu.be/HuoVM9nm42E. Today, in memory of Felix Haynes and Jimmy Valvano, let’s all go out and laugh and think….and cry.

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Felix Stories: Peace that Passes All Understanding

Dad shares words of wisdom in his final days of life, and my brother and I captured many of his stories by audio recording so that we could return to the nuggets of wisdom again and again as we work through the grief process. Today’s poem is an acrostic, where each beginning letter of each line spells the word PEACE vertically – – the pursuit of peace is where he was in these final days, and he shares more about this in today’s clip, which you can hear below:

PEACE

Peace that passes all understanding

Ever Dad’s pursuit in his final days

All in all, I am totally fine

Carefully sorting the complete picture….

Eventually, he explains, you must release it

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Day 4 of the August 2024 Open Write at www.ethicalela.com

Today’s host for Day 4 of the August Open write at http://www.ethicalela.com is Jeanie White of Missouri, who inspires us to write postcard poems. You can read her full prompt here.

Jeania encourages us to think of ourselves as a sock in a suitcase and somewhere we might find ourselves, or to write from a place we have never been. She encourages us to use one of the short forms – a form that would fit on a postcard.

I’m choosing an acrostic, in which the place I most want to visit reads vertically and each letter starts a new line.

Travel Fever

I want to pack my bags, go where it’s

Cold – to soak in thermal springs, to

Explore an ice cave in the

Land of Ice and Fire

Aurora Borealis dancing as the

Northern Lights

Delight the eyes and soul

Facts retrieved from: https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/facts-about-iceland/

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Day 4 of #VerseLove with Jennifer Jowett, inspiring us with Alphabeticals

Donkeys on the south side of the Funny Farm

Today, Jennifer Jowett of Michigan is our host at http://www.ethicalela.com for our fourth day of #VerseLove 2024. She offers a spectacular Alphabeticals prompt, using letters of the alphabet to create a poem. You can read her full prompt and the poems of others here.

My mind went straight to the farm as I looked at the letters on the keyboard. There’s a whole world of things to see if you let your eyes see what is held in each letter. Donkeys belonging to someone in our area keep getting loose, and my sister in law and I helped some other neighbors for two hours on Tuesday trying to trailer them, finally herding them into another neighbor’s fenced pasture. When they turned up in her yard again Wednesday, we decided to just make friends with them – they’re not halter trained, and we think they are lonely and seeking the companionship of humans.

They know they’ve found folks who are friendly. They’d rather live here on the Funny Farm, where things are amusingly quirky. 

RELAXing on the Funny Farm

R hangs out in the
barn, his back against the wall
relaxing cowboy

E stalls two horses
or goats or donkeys or mules
safe from elements

L stands firm, holds reins
hitching post for keeping us
right where we belong

A swing for sweethearts
porch side sunset views, sweet tea
two-strawed Mason jar

X makes a manger
to feed all of God’s creatures
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Gratitude for Felix – Stafford Challenge Day 27

Tomorrow is my father’s birthday, and he’ll be celebrating eight decades of this journey. He loves his Schnoodle, Kona, and takes her to the dog park so that she can socialize with her friends while he socializes with his. Here he is, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day red, talking over the big dog/little dog fence to a fellow canine enthusiast. 

Happy Birthday, Felix! 

Father's birthday tomorrow, so
Everyone join me in wishing Felix a
Lovely day
In all his favorite
Xenial dog park conversations!
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Gratitude for Mallory – The Stafford Challenge Day 9

It’s my daughter’s 37th birthday, and I wrote an acrostic poem for her today. She’s celebrating on a trip to Arizona with her boyfriend, and they’re enjoying their time together, exploring the sights! 

My daughter’s birthday

Arizona gift trip

Loving the cactus desert weather

Living the good side of life

Out for adventure

Rock-hounding enthusiast

Youthfully energetic

*She sent me this picture of a random cactus with this explanation: “We stopped for a wee and a fill up. This cactus was at the gas station. We’re 20 minutes from Tucson.”Classic Mallory text. I’m so happy that she is celebrating her birthday today!

Christmas 2018
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Gratitude Acrostic: Sawyer’s 9th Birthday

Sawyer

Our second grandson was born on this day nine years ago, and what a blessing he is in our lives! Each time he finishes a Harry Potter book, he is allowed to watch the movie. His parents are teaching him the timeless truth that the book is almost always better than the movie! Today, he’ll spend his birthday in Harry Potter World, and he has no idea that this is part of the surprise.

His mother and I were texting last night, and she said he thought he was going to a state park to hike and explore, and was so excited about that, and it seemed almost at first as if he was a little disappointed, since he is an outdoor-loving adventure kind of kid. Then, once they got into the park, he said it was the best birthday ever, despite the throngs of people. She reminded me that they are not used to crowds at all beyond their family and the grocery store, so this is a cultural awakening for them. “We are not in any way, shape, or form ‘crowd people,’ ” she texted.

“Tomorrow is going to be different. He won’t be able to contain himself with all the happiness of Harry Potter World,” she added.

We can’t wait to hear all about his birthday with his family in Harry Potter World.

Happy birthday, dear Sawyer!

Scientist

Adventuring kayaker

Water-loving fisherman

Youthful energy

Every day homeschooling, learning

Rock and mineral enthusiast

World is his family, his priority

Interesting question-asker

Loves Harry Potter and Jurassic Park

Spending today in Harry Potter World!

Our grandson

Never a dull moment

Moment-savorer

Extends his heart, spends time

Yard out back is marsh and river

Extroverted eldest sibling of five

Reader

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Gratitude: Ansley’s Birthday

Today is my youngest child’s 30th birthday, and I could not be prouder of her! Happy Birthday, Ansley! Here’s an acrostic poem to celebrate you on your special day, using the letters of your name vertically to begin each line!

Ansley Claire Meyer

Artistic gifts galore

Nonnie – your nickname

Soloist extraordinare

Lloyd writer the on bathroom wall??

Expressive and sincere

Youthful spirit

Cherished daughter

Lover of coffee and books

Aunt of 6

In inches – 59 – (4’11”)

Restorer of furniture

Eye for fashion

Musically talented

Ever the quietest baby girl

You, child: coolest urban kazoo player EVER

Enthusiasm for life

Rock solid believer in God