I Let the Light In

I let the light in today

Tossed aside the shades and drew the windows wide,

to glimpse upon a beam of golden hope,

a ray of brilliance amidst the dark winter cold

I never had dared let the light in before

For fear that it wouldn’t be mine to keep

A well-guarded window kept safe all I guarded,

a shade to protect against all I held dear

Yet, a small, quiet voice urged me onward today

Steeling my courage, making me bold

And I stepped out from darkness to look at the sky

A sight I had dreamed of, but never pursued

The light was dazzling, although small

peaking through the clouds, daring to shine

It flickered with uncertainty, almost disappearing

A glimmer of promise…but, the light was there

My eyes rebelled at the glorious sight,

for no light had ever shone like this before

So, I silenced my mind, and opened my heart

And took every ounce of it in

I gazed at the light, embracing its warmth,

and the joy that I felt grew inside

I let myself dream, and I let my heart dance

and my soul felt complete and whole

And my spirit knew true happiness

as I dared to indulge in this dream

But I knew, how I knew, that the light could not stay,

and the clouds gently took it away

A sigh of resignation escaped my lips.

I knew I had stolen a moment or two

with a light that inspired me, thrilled me, warmed me

A moment of hope amidst a season of gray

I let myself take just a minute or two

to delight in the thoughts of all that could be

I let the light in for a second today

to imagine what joy and bliss true love could bring.

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Welcome to my second addition of poetry to the site!  Here’s a poem that actually was part of a larger work, but I decided to ultimately cut that down and make two different poems.  It’s counterpart will focus around a meadow scene, so be sure to look for that one in the upcoming weeks.  Ideally, I’d love to edit this one and adapt it to fit a solid rhyming scheme.  I just had to get these thoughts down last night, and I knew that if I became too concerned with rhyming, I wouldn’t be as articulate and truthful with my words.

The picture above is also mine.  It was taken around sunset, in a moving car, while riding to Cleveland, Ohio…the sun was a lovely winter gold that afternoon.

Happy reading, all!

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What the #FF?!?: My First Follow Friday

Twitter, to all intents and purposes, is sort of like a secret society, which you are slowly inducted into through public humiliation and hazing.  Okay, maybe they don’t make you run through the streets naked while chanting “BANGARANG, RUFIO!”, but you certainly have to make a complete fool of yourself until you’re well-acquainted with the guidelines and slang terms of Twitter.

@….Mention…Re-Tweet…Tiny URL…Small URL…Hashtags…180 Characters…Trends…Following…Followers…Lists…DM…PM…and there’s probably a BM, too…the list goes on and on…

I pride myself in knowing almost all these terms, and today, I take that last step in becoming fully initiated in the Twitterverse:  I will finally use a hashtag, and I will know why.

Hashtags are applicable labels to your Tweets which sort of act like tags on blog posts.  They organize ideas/thoughts/trends/topics all over Twitter so that you can search for, say, #ripePeruvianmelons, or #ChristianBaleRants.  You simply apply a "”#”, or a hashtag, to your topic, and boom…instant organization.  You are now a responsible Tweeter.

Most topics are pretty straight forward (#parenting, #beverages, #movies).  However, there has been one hashtag that has continually perplexed me, and it’s time I put a stop to the madness.  I present for your examination…the elusive hashtag:

#FF

So, you’re probably asking “What the FF?!?”, especially those of you who do not Tweet or cannot Tweet due to a pre-existing medical condition.  “FF” stands for Follow Friday, Friend Follow, or even Followable Folks.  Allow me to open your eyes, ears, and other orifices to what #FF really means, through the use of a brilliant comic from my new favorite website, The Oatmeal (copyright Matthew Inman, 2010):

I’m a Bread Winner! or How I Pinched a Loaf

*ta, ta ta ta*  HEAR YE, HEAR YE!  All ye lords and ladies, gather around for a momentous tale of adventure, wit, skill, and kitchen appliances!  Hear ye, hear ye!  *ta, ta ta ta*

And now, without further ado, I present to the court your own Royal Highness’ first episode with her knight in shining armor, her Kitchen Aid Mixer!

I admit…my first interaction with the yet-unnamed Knight was risky and bold:  I planned to make two loaves of cinnamon bread in a machine I had never worked with before.  PLUS, I also wanted to bake 3 dozens cookies while the loaves were rising.  Pretty ambitious for a Kitchen Aid virgin.

I rolled my sleeves up, donned my apron, and set to work.  I was all a-twitter with excitement.  After carefully melting a butter/milk/sugar/salt mixture on the stove, I added that to some dissolved yeast, waiting patiently for me in my brand new mixing bowl.

I happen to love that picture, because it combines two of my loves this Christmas:  my new camera, and my new appliance.  So much love in one photo…I can’t bear it!

Puppies for Christmas!

After a frantic, late-night packing session, a grueling, tedious, 45 minute drive home, and an equally frantic un-packing session, I am now, officially, home for the holidays.

I now have ample time to watch HGTV, eat copious amounts of dried fruit and cashews, tag all of my photos on my computer, AND catch up on my blogging.

I realize, in my preparation to make my “days be merry and bright,” that I’ve fallen behind with my RAC-centered posts.  I know I’ve got a ton to catch up on….plus, I know that I owe an apology to you all for not keeping up with them.  In an attempt to distract your attention away from the fact I haven’t posted about an RAC in 6 days, I will pair each of my RACs with a dastardly, adorable puppy.  You all get puppies for Christmas!  PUPPIES FOR EVERYONE!