cherry blossoms, passing

In Japan the blossoms of the cherry tree represent the ultimate beauty, but because they bloom and fall so quickly, they also represent the brevity of life. wonder | wander | women always feel a sense of loss when we see the clouds of pink thin out and begin to show more new green leaves.

Painting of the cherry tree in Tavistock Square

the power of a beautiful question

The poetry of David Whyte captures the human experience of longing, soul searching and the drive towards meaning making. It powerfully directs us back to the often muffled inner voice which is such a potent guide when we allow the space to listen. Sweet balm for our battered souls.

wonder | wander | women value the benefits of carving out time in our lives to go on regular retreats. Purposefully disengage and seclude from the material and mundane. Retire to some serene sanctuary for self renewal. 

prairie grass

For the past three years our annual pilgrimages were interrupted. It was concerning to risk travel or exposing ourselves outside our bubble of safety during these pandemic years. Home based retreats are the preferred option for now. 

female poets we love

April is National Poetry Month. March was Women's History Month. wonder | wander | women love a worthy excuse to call attention to our sisters' achievements. As we honor them today with our personal list of favorites. 

free copy of the official poster for the April 2022

The first-ever National Poetry Month was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, but the history of poetry itself goes back thousands of years ago.

Natalie Diaz | Post-Colonial Love Poem

National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers.

to the river charles

River! that in silence windest

Through the meadows, bright and free,

Till at length thy rest thou findest

In the bosom of the sea! 

George Washington Bridge & NYC across the Hudson River

Four long years of mingled feeling,

Half in rest, and half in strife,

I have seen thy waters stealing

Onward, like the stream of life. 

poets, conservationists, activists on nature

The world stands out on either side

No wider than the heart is wide;

Above the world is stretched the sky,

No higher than the soul is high.

The heart can push the sea and land

Farther away on either hand;

The soul can split the sky in two,

And let the face of God shine through. 

But East and West will pinch the heart

That can not keep them pushed apart;

And he whose soul is flat—the sky

Will cave in on him by and by.

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), Renascence

Issa & Mahala at Crawford Lake - Ontario, Canada, June 2018

We know the elements of erosion - wind, water, and time - have shaped the spectacular physical landscape of our nation. These women bravely explore the many forms of erosion we face - democracy, science, compassion, and trust.

Turtle and Wolf Clan Longhouses, Iroquoian Village, Crawford Lake