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There Is A Time
Life reflections
(formerly "a time for love")
I am writing some thoughts.



Where Goodness Rests
Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness. – Anne Frank Where Goodness Rests There is a hunger deep inside of us. I believe this emptiness is the place where goodness rests. … Continue reading “Where Goodness Rests”
Elaine Barrett
Aug 14, 2017


Appointed with Truth
There is more power in unity than division.–Emanuel Cleaver The American flag flies in front of my little house, waving bold colors for all to see. Divided, though the stripes are, the lines drawn have beauty that can make the strongest among us weep in unity and love. I fly it there because I feel … Continue reading “Appointed with Truth”
Elaine Barrett
Jul 27, 2017


A Moment
“I imagine that ‘yes’ is the only living thing.”— e.e. cummings To Be Now At this moment, I hear the sounds of practice and passion I once knew. They pour from a stranger’s guitar, filling the space before me. The voice singing softly in the room stirs the memory of someone intensely alive, someone I … Continue reading “A Moment”
Elaine Barrett
May 30, 2017


Red, Black, and Blue
There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness, and truth.- Leo Tolstoy Red, Black, and Blue Red, black, and blue. Hurt, injured. Broken? Oh, where is the grace that we asked God to shed on thee? Red, black, and blue. Wounded, are we still free? Can’t it be? Although this impact is so … Continue reading “Red, Black, and Blue”
Elaine Barrett
Feb 25, 2017


Hold on, Happy New Year
“As long as the world is turning and spinning, we’re gonna be dizzy and we’re gonna make mistakes.” – Mel Brooks Hold On. Happy New Year. The world keeps turning.Some of us smile; some of us suffer as we ride its spin. I live with confusion and fear,yet I am warm and well fed. I … Continue reading “Hold on, Happy New Year”
Elaine Barrett
Dec 28, 2016


What to say?
What to say? I can, of course, think what I want, just like everyone else. I simply have to refrain from saying everything I think.- Margrethe II of Denmark So the gray day is slipping into a heavy and mournful night, and I am sitting here at my kitchen island, and my computer is … Continue reading “What to say?”
Elaine Barrett
Nov 9, 2016


Give Me Blue Sky
“The voyage of a lifetime starts at the windowsill.” ― Khang Kijarro Nguyen (Is the voyage halted there too?) Give Me Blue Sky Give me the blue sky, on a warm autumn day, to frame the fading green and give me a window, open halfway. Let me bask in the stillness of this day and … Continue reading “Give Me Blue Sky”
Elaine Barrett
Oct 19, 2016


August Is Green
“Summertime. It was a song. It was a season. I wondered if that season would ever live inside of me.” ― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Last Night I Sang to the Monster August Is Green When the day is inviting and warm, yet full of both promise and reminiscence, it is unsettling to be on the … Continue reading “August Is Green”
Elaine Barrett
Aug 29, 2016


Spring Promise
“We’re all islands shouting lies to each other across seas of misunderstanding.” ― Rudyard Kipling, The Light That Failed It is a beautiful spring day today. I see shadows of the wispy, waking trees on the side of the garage. I hear the vibrant conversations of feathered friends. I feel the cool breeze on my … Continue reading “Spring Promise”
Elaine Barrett
Apr 28, 2016


Love and Ashes
“You were a fire that burned away everything I knew, and I was born in the ashes.” William C. Hannan It is February.There are hearts and flowers to deliver.And if you are Catholic, as I am, there are ashes traced on foreheads. Love and ashes.What do they ask of us? I think of fire.Of embers … Continue reading “Love and Ashes”
Elaine Barrett
Feb 10, 2016


An Impression of Thanksgiving
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart “I wish you a Thanksgiving where you see a state of nothing. Not a “nothing” that lacks meaning but rather one that is a window toward a light. A light that brings you clarity, satisfaction and peace.”- … Continue reading “An Impression of Thanksgiving”
Elaine Barrett
Nov 24, 2015


Thin String
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.- Havelock Ellis When is letting go and holding on the same thing? I think I am doing both right now. I remember when I was about eight years old, I went to the zoo with my younger sister and … Continue reading “Thin String”
Elaine Barrett
Oct 24, 2015


Time Enough to Love.
I was fortunate enough to travel to the Redwood National and State Parks in July this past summer. My recollection of the energetic and wild Pacific Ocean leaves me with a feeling of reverence and uncertainty. This place is ever-changing, and it holds very little of substance. Tides roll in and out, washing the beaches … Continue reading “Time Enough to Love.”
Elaine Barrett
Sep 21, 2015


Look. Think. Love.
We are family. We are devotion. We are love. We are humanity.
Elaine Barrett
Aug 11, 2015


Finding Gratitude in Life’s Challenges
Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it – Irving Berlin
Elaine Barrett
Jul 2, 2015


Reality Shift
When reality shifts, what then?
Elaine Barrett
Jul 2, 2015


Heartstrings
I’ve heard about heartstrings. I’ve probably sung about them. I don’t think I quite understood them until today. Heartstrings tie us to others. They are real. I felt mine today. Being human is being connected to others. It is love, sacrifice, and the absolute forfeiture of us that brings about “we”. It is in the … Continue reading “Heartstrings”
Elaine Barrett
Aug 26, 2013


Turning A Corner
“Don’t look back, you’re not going that way!”- If only I’d known how many turns she’d take!- 7/2015 Are We Turning the Corner? Yesterday, truly, I felt paused and in an anxious halt. My child didn’t want to talk about what was to come. They seemed paralyzed in the moment. I felt frustrated and confused. … Continue reading “Turning A Corner”
Elaine Barrett
Aug 23, 2013


See What Happens
Trust, when the colors fall on the page they will look like a feeling.
Elaine Barrett
Aug 19, 2013


Joy
Update: Joy, this has followed this daughter from the start of her life apart from me. As her mother, I am still being fed with her dreams. 7/2015 There is joy in a morning, any morning. It is the start of a new day. The beginning of something, maybe something magnificent and unexpected. There is … Continue reading “Joy”
Elaine Barrett
Aug 1, 2013


Clothes
I don’t think that I’m alone in this. Parting with clothes is not easy to do for me. Obviously neither is it a manageable task for my oldest daughter! I don’t like to separate from the time that something fit me, looked fine on me or furnished me with convenience or fashion. I don’t like … Continue reading “Clothes”
Elaine Barrett
Jul 30, 2013


Daily Prompt: A to Zo
I tried this. Here it is. Mother A mother sits on the cusp on something different. Beginning something new to her, yet familiar to so many others. Counting the days, hours, and moments till quiet replaces footsteps. Dreaming of what she wishes for them and wondering what she might remember about … Continue reading “Daily Prompt: A to Zo”
Elaine Barrett
Jul 28, 2013


There Are Places “I” Remember
“The precision of naming takes away from the uniqueness of seeing.” – Pierre Bonnard Memories for me are very visual. I am a visual learner and thinker. I think in images and pictures. My children are both listeners. I’m certain their memories are in the form of music, voices and sound. My mind conjures up … Continue reading “There Are Places “I” Remember”
Elaine Barrett
Jul 28, 2013


About A Month Or So
“Yea, I shall return with the tide.”- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet I had not thought about the tide and how it brings things back. Again, if only I’d known! I didn’t. I don’t know if I’d have felt differently then. I know I do now.- 7/2015 I’ve named this Blog spot, “There Is A Time”, … Continue reading “About A Month Or So”
Elaine Barrett
Jul 26, 2013
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