Looking for hope?

~ Shannon Blood ~ Leave a comment
White and purple striped crocus with gold stamen.

glint of gold/under grey clouds/a bold crocus

Not to put too fine a point on it, 2026 has gotten off to a rough start. Where can people look for encouragement, strength, inspiration, hope? Mother Nature offers guidance: look for the hidden gold, the unexpected. What we focus on, grows. Stick together–there is strength in numbers: a joy shared is doubled; a sorrow shared is halved. Planting seeds and tending plants means rain, not just sun. It means mucking about in mud and manure. It means remembering there is a time and season for everything in the world. Renewal comes to all. Find your sacred place of replenishment. Grant yourself space and grace. Peace comes in small, precious moments. Nurtured and defended, it will grow.

A New Year’s Toast

~ Shannon Blood ~ Leave a comment

Grey kitty curls up between my calves,

her purr thrums in counterpoint to the drunk five floors down.

I hear the dual tones of elevator doors open

and wonder at the neighbors I don’t yet know.

Her purr thrums in counterpoint to the drunk shouting below–

once she was as gaunt as he is now.

Wondering about neighbors I’ll never know

I lift blood red wine in silent toast.

Once she was as gaunt as the drunk five floors down

now round she still cries to fill an empty belly.

I lift blood red wine in silent toast

and offer grey kitty treats between regular meals.

Now rotund, she still cries plagued by hungry memory.

I hear the dual tones of the elevator – what do the neighbors hear?

I offer treats to calm her cries, ‘till filled, she curls up and sighs.

Grey kitty relaxing on a purple blanket.

the return

~ Shannon Blood ~ Leave a comment

the long watch/for slivers of silver/leaping the falls

Early childhood memories and even as a young mother three decades ago, confirm the impact people have had on the lifeways around them. The salmon runs are moving from diminished to disappearing. Take a few minutes to read and reflect on the profound impacts of past policy and actions, and the current efforts to protect and preserve a vital species. Ask yourself: what action can you take to help ensure future generations of healthy, thriving salmon? Their health and survival say a great deal about our health and survival.