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Pitch A Tent With Me

Come and pitch a tent with me

In God’s country amongst the leaves

Where man’s foot seldom trods

Let’s take a break from technology

And mindless chatter

Fish for our supper

Sit by a fire

Discuss topics that matter

Stare up at the stars

Fall asleep to the sound of crickets

Brew some camp coffee

Take a walk through the woods

Breath in air that is pure

Take a swim in a clear mountain stream

Yes, I will do it

It’s not just a Dream

E.A. Fussell

Adventure Still Awaits

I thought of you today

Your dancing eyes

Your lilting voice

Your intelligent mind

That has so totally

Interested mine

We are not young

And not yet old

Sometimes I ponder

What if we had met sooner

Would we have

Scaled up rocky cliffs to

Pitch a tent on mountain tops

Dove the waters deep to

See colorful ocean plants

And swim with fishes sweet

Flown high above the clouds

Piloting our own private plane

Carrying us places

Beautiful and grand

Would we have set the world on fire

With vibrant life

Flowing through our veins

Maybe

Or maybe not

Life has a way of

Stilling

Even the deepest passions

But not completely

Snuffing them out

So now

As age sets in and

Years rush past

Let us do what we can

We can drive to mountain tops

Rent a room or a cozy cabin

Watch the sunrise, watch the sunset

We can walk through aquarium parks

Viewing what the deep waters hold

See the fishes with their colors bold

We can buy a plane ticket

Visit places beautiful and grand

As we hold each other’s hand

We can embrace

Whatever life has left for us

Let us experience each moment

With awe and appreciation

And while we are far apart

Let us remember

We look upon the same sun

We look upon the same moon

The connection between us

Cannot be denied

Nor completely understood

But one thing is certain

For both us it has been

Very good

E.A. Fussell

One Day

One day

We will grab a basket

Filled with goodies

And a blanket

And a book

And steal away

To a quiet place

Perhaps beside

A mountain brook

We will laze away the day

Reading

Talking

Laughing

Making beautiful memories

And at the end of the day

We will give thanks

And pray

For one more precious day

Together

E.A.Fussell

Ladybug

My nickname for you was “Ladybug”

Because it is believed they are signs of

Good luck, magical moments,

And protection

You were all those things for me

Eight days ago

We were sitting on your back porch

One of your favorite places

Talking and laughing

Less than twelve hours later

Completely out of the blue

Your heart gave out

You were fighting for your life

All of us who loved you so

Prayed to God for a miracle

Begged you to stay with us

Broke down and cried

As the doctors tried everything possible

Again

And

Again

And

Again

At the end of the day

Just before midnight

It was official

You had passed on to the next life

And those of us who loved you

Were irreparably broken

In the week since loosing you

The memories flood in

At unexpected times

Sometimes I laugh

Sometimes I cry

Always there is a void in my heart

An empty place that will never be filled

Until my next life when I see you again

I thank God that He sent you to me

That He allowed me to call you friend

That He allowed you to be such an important part of my life

You were the one I would call when I was desperately trying to understand my sons choices

You were the one I would call when I was terrified my dad wouldn’t make it through his medical challenges

You were the one I would call when I thought I might be falling in love again

You were the one I would call when my heart had been broken again

My heart is broken now

And you are not here to call

They say in Japan

Gold is used to repair a broken vessel

The flaw is seen as a unique part

Of the object’s history

Adding to it’s beauty

Your words of wisdom and caring

Served as the gold that filled

So many of my broken moments

And my life was made more bearable

More beautiful

By your friendship

Your sudden passing generated

Raw understanding of how fragile life is

And renewed in me the intention

To enjoy life

Work less

Learn new things

Love passionately

Dare to live

I’m not sure who will be the gold that fixes my brokenness now

But I am so very thankful

You were the one

Who held me together

These past many years and

Your golden mark

Will forever be on my heart

E.A. Fussell

Sunday January 14, 2018

Sunday, today you are beautiful

Bathed in the Florida sunshine

A touch of coolness in the air

A gentle breeze whisking my hair

Way out here in the middle of nowhere

Pausing I try to capture the moment

A touch of sadness enters in

I want to bask in all this glory

Listen to the birds, watch the fish jump

Instead of pausing for only a moment

A romantic picnic would be perfect

On a day like today

But my path leads to an office

And that’s a whole different story

Where in lies none of nature’s glory

E.A. Fussell

A Divine Appointment

Forty-nine days ago

We were strangers

And then we met

Two strangers unaware

We were about to attend

A Divine Appointment

Two traveling strangers who

Ended up at the same table

For one cup of coffee

Angels are great orchestrators

A few minutes one-way-or-the-other

And we would never have met

The conversation came easy

And a special feeling of connection

Quickly became obvious

When we said our goodbyes

We didn’t know how we knew

But we knew

A beautiful adventure had just begun

At a Divine appointment

On a mountainside under the rising sun

E.A.Fussell

Deep Conversation

Come sit beside me

On a cold winter’s eve

Let’s have a deep conversation

Share with me the words

Locked inside your heart

The ones silently shining

In the depths of your eyes

Let’s speak of things

Like plans and dreams

Share with me what you desire

What you believe in

What you long for

What you need

As we warm our souls

By the light of a fire

E.A. Fussell

Fun & Fabric Roadtrip Day 4

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End of Day Four Tuesday, November 21, 2017
It is the fourth day of our nine day roadtrip. Last night was our second night at the Paducha Inn Boutique Hotel in Paducah, Kentucky. Russell, the Inn keeper who took care of us during our stay, fed us a wonderful made to order breakfast and then we decided to take a detour to St. Louis, Missouri to see the Gateway arch.

We enjoyed the scenery of Kentucky and Missouri as we made our way from Paducah to St. Louis. Sharon did an excellent job of piloting us through the traffic. The only time it got a little complicated was when we neared St. Louis and hit the eight lane highways. As calmly as Sharon maneuvered us through back-to-back semis traveling at high speed you would never have guessed that she learned to drive on the dirt roads of Palmdale, Florida.

The Gateway Arch is visible from across the Mississippi river so you can see it quite a distance before actually arriving at it. We were able to park at the base of the steps on the river side of the arch. We had hoped to  grab a hotdog from the food stand by the river and eat on the steps leading up to the arch but the stand was closed for the day. The arch is so simple, yet so impressive. Standing 630 feet tall it is the world’s tallest arch. It’s width is also 630 feet at the base which makes it difficult to get the entire arch into one photograph when you are at it. The arch is clad in stainless steel and shimmers in the sunlight. It was designed by architect Eero Saarinen in 1947 whose team won the architectural competition for a memorial commemorating the Mississippi River and it’s essential role in establishing St. Louis in the westward expansion of the United States. Construction began on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965 the contractor was MacDonald Construction Co. of St Louis at a contract amount of $11,442,418.00 for the arch and visitor center. If you ever get to St. Louis, take the time to visit the Gateway Arch, it is worth seeing this amazing architectural art.

We left St. Louis and discovered a small quilt shop in Jacksonville, Illinois called the Quilted Cow Emporium where Sharon invested in more fabric and I enjoyed the display of completed quilt works. One of my favorite displays included several quilted wall hangings made by local women in recognition of Breast Cancer Survivors. Across the street from the quilt shop we found a place to have a late lunch called Brickhouse BBQ and tried our very first fried Twinkie. I have to admit, it was delicious. This trip hasn’t done anything good for my diet, but I am enjoying every indulgence.

Our afternoon drive to Champaign, Illinois where we would spend the evening was pleasantly uneventful and filled with more lovely scenery. This day was a great reminder of how fun surprise detours on a roadtrip can be.

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