BW19: Happy Mother's Day

 

She Is the Quiet

by

Jen Ambrose

She is the quiet that settles in after the storm,

not the thunder,

not the flash—

but the stillness that holds the house together

when everyone else forgets to breathe.

She is the hand that never lets go,

even when it seems like she has.

Invisible strength tucked in folded laundry,

school lunches,

and the way she always remembers

what you forgot to say.

She doesn’t ask the world for attention.

She listens for the creak of the floorboards,

knows the weight of each footstep,

feels the shift in the air

when someone needs her.

Her love isn’t loud.

It’s the worn chair at the kitchen table,

the light left on in the hallway,

the way she knew before you did—

what you were carrying.

She is the thread.

Not the needle. Not the fabric.

But the thing that binds it all

so gently

you don’t realize it’s there

until something unravels.

And still, she stays.

Even when she’s tired,

even when her heart is stretching

farther than it should,

she stays.

Not because she has to.

Because she chooses to.

Every day.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

BW16: Happy Easter

 

God, give us eyes to see

the beauty of the Spring,

And to behold Your majesty

in every living thing –

And may we see in lacy leaves

and every budding flower

The Hand that rules the universe

with gentleness and power –

And may this Easter grandeur

that Spring lavishly imparts

Awaken faded flowers of faith

lying dormant in our hearts,

And give us ears to hear, dear God,

the Springtime song of birds

With messages more meaningful

than man’s often empty words

Telling harried human beings

who are lost in dark despair –

‘Be like us and do not worry

for God has you in His care.

–Helen Steiner Rice

BW11: Kickin up our heels for Spring

Happy Sunday!  Who else is kickin up their heels with the arrival of Spring on March 20th?  I think springtime is my favorite season. The temperatures are perfect, the flowers are starting to bloom, the urge to take on a new project, or declutter. And read new books or dive into old favorites.  

We have an eclectic mix of lists this week to peruse, which may also lead to a bunch of rabbit trails. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. 

Town and Country Magazine's The 49 Must-Read Books of Spring 2025

ABA's The Spring 2025 Reading Group Guide Preview

Pretty Little Memoir The Perfect Spring 2025 Reads for Every Mood

Milkweed Org's Spring 2025 Catalog

Book Bub's Here Are the Must-Read Books of Spring

Goodread's Spring Reads 

Happy Spring!

BW6: Fascination

 

Happy Sunday! For some reason, I lost last week. All week I thought it was this  week and Friday was Valentine's Day.  I kissed hubby and wished him happy VD day as I headed out the door to work on Friday. The plan was to give him the card I bought when I got home and make a special meal on Saturday.  He calls me a few minutes later to let me know I was off by a week.  So every day now, he's wishing me happy Valentine's day. LOL!  Well, at least he won't forget now.  

To celebrate our day of love, according to the hallmark calendar, and the year in and year out love for everyone else, this week read a book which has Valentine or love in the title, or has a pink cover, with or without flowers, hearts, or is part of the book's theme. 

Fascination  ~ Nat King Cole 

It was fascination, I know

And it might have ended right then, at the start

Just a passing glance, just a brief romance

And I might have gone on my way empty hearted

It was fascination, I know

Seeing you alone with the moonlight above

Then I touch your hand and next moment I kissed you

Fascination turned to love

It was fascination, I know

Seeing you alone with the moonlight above

Then I touch your hand and next moment I kissed you

Fascination turned to love

Happy Valentine's Day

BW49: Countdown to Christmas!

 

Big D, little d, what begins with D. Why, December of course. Welcome to December and all the celebrations this month with Advent, St. Nicholas Day, Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, St Lucia Day,   December Solstice, Las Posadas, Festivus for the rest of us Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and ending with New Year's Eve. 

Time to pull out our Christmas books, curl up by the fire or wrap up in our favorite blankets, fill a mug full of hot goodness, and read. 

15 Christmas Classics

33 Contemporary Christmas Novels

The 100 Greatest Christmas Books

Best Advent Devotionals

Jewish Holiday Collections

What books do you traditionally read during the month of December, for advent, for Hanukkah or Christmas or the holy days or holidays?  

BW48: Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

On Waking

by 

John O'Donohue

I give thanks for arriving

Safely in a new dawn,

For the gift of eyes

To see the world,

The gift of mind

To feel at home

In my life,

The waves of possibility

Breaking on the shore of dawn,

The harvest of the past

That awaits my hunger,

And all the furtherings

This new day will bring.

Books About Cooks, and the Ingredients That Can’t Be Measured

A Feast of Thanksgiving Reads

13 Books That Didn't Forget About Thanksgiving

Big E, little e, what begins with E - Epics and epilogues, epiphanies and essays, experimental and expressionism all begin with E. 

50 Books beginning with E - How many have you read? 

Read-Alikes For Authors With Last Names Beginning E

BW25: Happy Father's Day

 

Happy Sunday and happy Father's day to all our dad's. The June Solstice is upon us as of the 20th which means we are celebrating the beginning of Summer here in the Northern hemisphere and Winter in the Southern hemisphere.  

An Ode To Dads

by 

Melodia Ortez

Dads are the rock that holds us strong,

A compass to guide us all along,

The foundation of our lives they create,

A stronghold of love that's never late.

With strength and support, they stand by our side,

A beacon of hope that never hides,

Dads are the world we live in each day,

And their love is what lights the way.

Y is for Yabba Dabba Do, Yesteryear, Yum, and Yes.

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BW47: Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Sunday! Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. We have much to be grateful for and remember this week as our family gathers together this week to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and those who have gone on to eternal rest. I am also thankful for each and every one of you in our 52 Books family of readers.

Thanksgiving Delights

By

Joanna Fuchs

On Thanksgiving Day we're thankful for

Our blessings all year through,

For family we dearly love,

For good friends, old and new.

For sun to light and warm our days,

For stars that glow at night,

For trees of green and skies of blue,

And puffy clouds of white.

We're grateful for our eyes that see

The beauty all around,

For arms to hug, and legs to walk,

And ears to hear each sound.

The list of all we're grateful for

Would fill a great big book;

Our thankful hearts find new delights

Everywhere we look!

Our post brought to us by the letter F for facts and fabulous fables.

BW24: The Flag That Makes Men Free by Kate Brownlee Sherwood

 

The Flag that Makes Men Free

by 

Kate Brownlee Sherwood

The battle clouds obscured the land and dimmed the nether seas,

The dread alarms of war wailed out on every swelling breeze;

The land the fathers wrestled for in hunger, cold and thirst,

Lay bound and bleeding in the toils of tyranny accursed.

They sought for sign or symbol, but to rescue there was none,

When lo, across the darkness flashed the flag of Washington;

The bonny flag, the beauteous flag, the flag of colors three,

Your flag, my flag, the people's flag,

The flag that makes men free.

And red for human brotherhood; no matter creed or clan,

The same rich blood proclaims us one in God's eternal plan;

And white for peace and purity and heaven on earth begun,

And blue the expanding canopy, the clustered stars in one;

They kissed its folds and through the years of storm and stress they came,

The ragged Continentals crowned with earth-compelling fame;

Their star-bespangled banner streaming over land and sea,

Your flag, my flag, the people's flag,

The flag that makes men free.

And lo, the scene was shifted and while the people slept,

Through marts of trade and traffic the toes of freedom crept;

For pride and power they wrestled, for lust of greed and gain,

They forged the human shackles and might resumed her reign;

As jeer and sneer run riot where dread and discord reel,

The rights of man lay trampled beneath the tyrants' heel;

They fired the torch of treason and mocked with anarchy

Your flag, my flag, the people's flag,

The flag that makes men free.

Then shop and school and farm and mine and factory outpour,

And thrice a hundred thousand men are marshalled at the fore;

And thrice a hundred thousand men with purpose staunch and true

On storied height, on gory plain, to die for me and you;

To consecrate our flag anew to truth's unending fame,

Equality, fraternity, in thunder tones proclaim;

To fly from fort and citadel for aye, exultantly,

Your flag, my flag, the people's flag,

The flag that makes men free.

What word, O fallen heroes, within the portals low,

Where underneath the southern cross the sweet magnolias blow?

Guard well that flag! lest while you sleep, the foe should haul it down,

While weeping fills our peaceful land and cannons flame and frown!

Guard well that flag! lest greed and graft should splash those stars of light,

And followed by the orphan's moan fair freedom takes her flight!

Guard well that flag! for faith and hope and better days to be,

Your flag, my flag, the people's flag,

The flag that makes men free!

In honor of Flag Day, June 14, 1777

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BW22: Memorial Day by Frederick W. Emerson

 

Memorial Day 

by

Frederick W. Emerson

Our Nation is reverently thinking today

Of the loved ones sleeping beneath the cold clay;

Of the sacrifice made, and the brave deeds done,

To preserve our Union as a glorious one.

We ne'er will be able to pay the great cost

Of the noble, the true, and the brave that we've lost;

But over their graves, with tears like the dew,

We'll lay our sweet flowers of red, white and blue.

Our Nation is paying its tribute today

Upon the green mounds where its loyal men lay;

While statesman, and orator, fondly repeat

The story of those who knew no defeat.

They tell of the Union united again,

By the triumph of those who died not in vain;

Of the forty-four states all loyal and free,

Of the peace, and the freedom, from sea to sea.

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BW20: Happy Mother's Day!

 

My Mother Kept a Garden

My Mother kept a garden,

A garden of the heart.

She planted all the good things

That gave my life its start.

She turned me to the sunshine

And encouraged me to dream.

Fostering and nurturing

The seeds of self-esteem.

I am my Mother’s garden.

I am her legacy.

And I hope today she feels the love

Reflected from me.

Author — Unknown

Happy Mother's Day 

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BW15: Happy Easter

 

The Splendor of Lilies

by 

 Margaret Elizabeth Munson Sangster

Oh, rare as the splendor of lilies,

And sweet as the violet’s breath,

Comes the jubilant morning of Easter,

The triumph of life over death;

And fresh from the earth’s quickened bosom

Full baskets of flowers we bring,

And scatter their satin soft petals

To carpet a path for our King.

In the countless green blades of the meadow.

The sheen of the daffodil’s gold,

In the tremulous blue on the mountains,

The opaline mist on the wold.

In the tinkle of brooks through the pasture,

The river’s strong sweep to the sea.

Are signs of the day that is hasting

In gladness to you and to me.

Oh, dawn in thy splendor of lilies,

Thy fluttering violet breath,

Oh, jubilant morning of Easter,

Thou triumph of life over death!

Then fresh from the earth’s quickened bosom

Full baskets of flowers we bring,

And scatter their satin soft petals

To carpet a path for our King.

Happy Easter to all! 

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BW11: St. Patrick's Day

 

Happy Sunday! St Patrick's Day is officially March 17th, however, we're going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day all week long.   My father's side of the family came from Cork county, Ireland which is known as the food capital of Ireland. Plus it's northwest of the  Blarney castle where my grandparents have kissed the blarney stone a few times.  We have a plaque in our home my grandmother gave us that says "Fluent Blarney spoken here."  

Instead of loading our wish lists down with more books, let's find a book on our shelves about Ireland, with Irish characters, or with green on the cover or in the title. 

St. Patrick’s Day

BY 

Jean Blewett

There’s an Isle, a green Isle, set in the sea,

     Here’s to the Saint that blessed it!

And here’s to the billows wild and free

     That for centuries have caressed it!

Here’s to the day when the men that roam

     Send longing eyes o’er the water!

Here’s to the land that still spells home

     To each loyal son and daughter!

Here’s to old Ireland—fair, I ween,

     With the blue skies stretched above her!

Here’s to her shamrock warm and green,

     And here’s to the hearts that love her!

Our post is sponsored by the letter K which stands for kiss, kind, knight, kneel, kittens, and kites. 

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BW7: Ode to Common Things to Pablo Neruda

Wishing you the happiest of days, the happiest of weeks as we celebrate Super Bowl Sunday, Galentine's Day, Valentine's Day, Singles Awareness Day, Do a Grouch a Favor day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, and of course, National Drink Wine day. 

As I was meandering about the internet I came across Meanderings and Muses (Don't you love that name) Odes to Common things. And wouldn't you just know it, I fell down a rabbit hole.  Found The Examined Life's article on Pablo Neruda's Sublime Poetic Wonder at Meaning and Utility in Everyday Things.   Then stumbled upon Interludes where his poetry inspired  The Music of Poetry - Pablo Neruda: Odes to Common Things.   Yes, he even penned An Ode to a Book, but I liked his Common Things better.  

Shall we should all write an ode to our books, our lives, our loves?   Have an adventure and read a book of Odes, offbeat odes, an ode to stardust, or An Ode to Snow. 

Ode to Common Things 

By 

Pablo  Neruda

I have a crazy,

crazy love of things.

I like pliers,

and scissors.

I love

cups,

rings,

and bowls –

not to speak, of course,

of hats.

I love

all things,

not just

the grandest,

also

the

infinite-

ly

small –

thimbles,

spurs,

plates,

and flower vases.

 Oh yes,

the planet

is sublime!

It’s full of

pipes

weaving

hand-held

through tobacco smoke,

and keys

and salt shakers –

everything,

I mean,

that is made

by the hand of man, every little thing :

shapely shoes,

and fabric,

and each new

bloodless birth

of gold,

eyeglasses,

carpenter’s nails,

brushes,

clocks, compasses,

coins, and the so-soft

softness of chairs.

 Mankind has

built

oh so many

perfect

things!

Built them of wool

and of wood,

of glass and

of rope :

remarkable

tables,

ships, and stairways.

 

I love

all

things,

not because they are

passionate

or sweet smelling

but because,

I don’t know,

because

this ocean is yours,

and mine :

these buttons

and wheels

and little

forgotten

treasures,

fans upon

whose feathers

love has scattered

its blossoms,

glasses, knives and

scissors –

all bear

the trace

of someone’s fingers

on their handle or surface,

the trace of a distant hand

lost

in the depths of forgetfulness.

 I pause in houses,

streets and

elevators,

touching things,

identifying objects

that I secretly covet :

this one because it rings,

that one because

it’s as soft

as the softness of a woman’s hip,

that one there for its deep-sea color,

and that one for its velvet feel.

 

O irrevocable

river

of things :

no one can say

that I loved

only

fish,

or the plants of the jungle and the field,

that I loved

only

those things that leap and climb, desire, and survive.

It’s not true :

many things conspired

to tell me the whole story.

Not only did they touch me,

or my hand touched them :

they were

so close

that they were a part

of my being,

they were so alive with me

that they lived half my life

and will die half my death.

Our post is sponsored by the letter G this week: Genres full of gorgeous, gregarious, generous, or gallant characters who gadabout.

Happy Reading!  

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BW16: Renew, Rebirth, Recharge, Restore

"Revel in your freedom. Live wholeheartedly,

laugh loud, love much, spread joy, be truthful,

and give yourself to everything.

You, who are already whole, can lose nothing.

Your ego may fall from time to time,

but you will not. Live big!"  ~~Robert Holden

Happy Easter, my friends. Our letter of the week is R and the word, the theme this week is rebirth, recharge, renewal, or restore. 

“Poetry is the renewal of words, setting them free,

and that’s what a poet is doing:

loosening the words.” ~~Robert Frost

Or how about resurrection, rejoice, renaissance, revival or rejuvenation. 

“It is not easy to convey a sense of wonder,

let alone resurrection wonder, to another.

It’s the very nature of wonder to catch us off guard,

to circumvent expectations and assumptions.

Wonder can’t be packaged, and it can’t be worked up.

It requires some sense of being there

and some sense of engagement.” ~~Eugene H. Peterson

Let's revel in whatever Re- word you chose this week, because, you guessed it; it's all related to reading or rereading our favorite books. 

“A truly great book should be read in youth,

again in maturity and once more in old age,

as a fine building should be seen by

morning light, at noon and

by moonlight.” ~~ Robertson Davies

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BW7: 52 Books Bingo - She Did What?

Happy Sunday! I'm declaring this week Valentine's Week as we continue with our romance theme for the month.  I'm combining it with our 52 Books Bingo category "She Did What?" which bumps it up into a lot of different genres including literary, suspense, thriller, psychological, or maybe young adult. What do you think of when someone says 'She did what?"  Said yes, or no? ran away, started her own business, blasted into outer space, or stole something from someone?  

9 Books Similar to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

20 Best Romantic Suspense Novels

Unlikely Romances

Literary Romance Novels, 20 Love Stories for Every Reader

 11 Fictional Female Scientists Who'd Rule the Lab

12 Books That Prove Women Outlaws Are Even Cooler than Women Heroes

Could be anything! Even a book title. 

A to Z and Back Again -  Our letter and word of the week are G and Gadfly

Happy Galentine's Day!

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BW25: Happy Father's Day

Exhibit of Bil Keane in the McCormick-Stillman Railroad park in Scottsdale, Az

My Dad

By

Vicky Frye

If I could write a story,

It would be the greatest ever told.

I’d write about my daddy,

For he had a heart of gold.

My dad, he was no hero

Known around this world.

He was everything to me,

For I was his baby girl.

I’d write about the lessons.

He taught me right from wrong.

He instilled in me the values

That one day I’d be strong.

He taught me to face my fears,

Take each day as it comes,

For there are things that we can’t change.

He would say what’s done is done.

He would say hold your head up high,

Carry yourself with pride.

Thanks to him, I am somebody,

I will never run and hide.

If I could write a story,

It would be the greatest ever told.

I’d write about my daddy,

For he had a heart of gold.

History of Father's Day , Lesser-known ways dads improve children’s lives, Fatherly Advice Given From Famous Dads in Literature, 30 most memorable literary fathers, and 20 Father’s Day Books That Cover All of Your Dad’s Interests

Happy Father's Day to all our dads.

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BW24: June Solstice

The June Solstice is upon us as of the 20th and we are beginning either summertime or winter, depending on your location. Today is also Flag day, the start of National Flag Week, so please take a moment to pause for the Pledge and how the underappreciated flag provides messages of Unity and those who risked it all for old glory.

Books to broaden your horizons, by Hilary Mantel, Simon Schama, Lisa Taddeo and more

Books Like Us: Introducing a New Own Voices Video Series

9 Books We’re Reading to Educate Ourselves on Anti-Racism

Civil Unrest, Civil War, Fantasy, Fiction | What We're Reading and Watching

Using a book as a bridge to bring people together

9 Books that Will Give You Hope in Uncertain Times

31 Books That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity

The 25 Best Beach Reads to Add to Your Summer Reading List

The 17 Must-Read Books of Winter 2020

“Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all.”

― Emily Dickinson

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