This past weekend was an aunnual event in my family. My brother,
Brian, opens his cottage to my siblings and spouces for a long weekend on the shores of upper Lake Michigan.
This year my deceased brother’s wife Kathy, joined us.
The talk revolved around the people no longer at the table.
My sister asked, “Have any of you had dreams about Mike “? We thought at first she was teasing, but she was serious. None of us were sure what she wanted to hear.
I talked first, stating I had a dream with my first husband and my brother in it. I couldn’t remember the details bout the dream . My other two brothers were not sure if they had any dreams of him.
Kathy was looking for any stories that Mike was ok. This led to several disscussions about memories, death and what is possible with close family connections.
My oldest brother Bob stated,”I will keep an open mind”. That night he did dream about when his brother Mike surprized him in Guam with a visit. They talked and when Bob awoke, he had several emotions. In the end he was glad to have had the dream.
Last night , I woke to the smell of coffee. In my dream, I felt the back of a large , tall man. He turned and I recognized my brother. We talked and he went to get me some coffee. I awoke to find no coffee nor Mike, but I had a lasting feeling of contentment.
The powere of suggestion, old memories, or a contact from beyond the grave? I don’t know. I do know that the feelings were a gift to me. Below is an ad for my new book that was released on the same weekend. It is called”Leaf Memories” .This is the first and last time I will use this blog as a promotion. ***
LEAF MEMORIES
A book of poetry and photos by Carol Farnsworth / C 2021
In e-book and print from Amazon and Smashwords / 44 pages in print
Cover image, full synopsis, author bio, direct buying links, and free text sample:
https://www.dldbooks.com/carolfarnsworth/
Synopsis:
I have always loved walking in the woods. I usually explore with my husband or daughter to act as a sighted guide. They find flora for me to touch. When I had some vision, they would point out fauna—a deer, or a bird taking flight. At those times, I was lucky to see the white of a retreating deer or hear the sound of wings in flight.
When I became totally blind, I developed my senses of touch, hearing, smell, and taste to see the world. I incorporated visual memories to complete the picture.
After two hip replacements, I could no longer walk the woods I loved. My husband and I became a tandem cycling team. This allowed me to experience nature in a different way.
I wrote this chapbook of poems after I lost my sight. I found there are many ways to enjoy nature, such as using your hands to explore, along with your other senses.
From Leonore Dvorkin, editor of Leaf Memories:
The poems are arranged according to the seasons of the year, starting with summer. They mainly tell of the author’s appreciation of the beauty of nature and her concern for the environment and wildlife. Three joyful photos show her laughing little daughter in a huge pile of fall leaves (on the cover and inside the book), Carol helping to make maple syrup, and Carol and her husband standing by their tandem bicycle.
carolaspot@aol.com
copyright 8-5-2021
traveling up and down the blind highway 