FIFTY-ONE YEARS—REALLY?

 

A series of essays….

A TICK IN TIME THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes 

You know it when you first turn your head, maybe it’s to the left, and the natural light transfers a simple scene into something so warm and wonderful, it’s difficult to look away. And you find yourself looking for your camera because you would be amiss to have squandered an opportunity to savor this moment—forever!

That was how I was feeling our anniversary weekend when I captured this early morning portrait of one of the most photogenic places I know, our friend’s farmstead near Jackson, Michigan. 

The sheer joy of open land (green fields, trees) makes me happy. I enter the world of childhood memories whenever I’m there. Their beautiful, white, clapboard farmhouse mimics my grandparent’s in northern Indiana, surrounded by open fields, an apple orchard, and the sun dancing along the golden tassels of corn swaying to nature’s melodies like happy soldiers protecting the house on the hill.

The word ‘softness’ comes to mind in this instance. The male part of the corn plant (tassel) contains the fine, powdery substance (pollen) that is transported by the wind, insects, or other animals. But, below, there is the  iridescent corn silk, the female part of the equation, made up of 300 to 600 corn silks or glossy, thread-like strands found between the corn husk and ear. They are a key part of the vegetable’s reproductive system and essential to crop pollination.

As a little girl, one of my favorite jobs in the summer was to shuck the corn by removing their husks and stripping the corn silk from the golden ears before Mom rinsed and prepared them for the pot of boiling water. I enjoyed my job filling-up the brown paper grocery bag with husks and silk while sitting on the back porch steps. All I kept thinking about was holding a steaming ear of corn, dripping with butter, by two plastic corn holders and pretending my pattern of eating left to right was simulating the carriage of the Royal Typewriter my Mom always used. This was a truly delicious summer treat.

So, what better place to express our happiness after sharing fifty-one years of marriage together? Absolutely, with good friends on a summer’s day in September! And, it just so happens that their forty-ninth anniversary was just two days before ours on the 13th of September.

The joy of life can be a combination of places that stir the imagination: sharing intimate celebrations at a table set for four, taking crisp walks down an unpaved country road as the stars begin to cover our heads with a zillion sparkles, and leaving on a day trip after breakfast and catching the perfect morning light illuminating the outbuildings on the farm because I happened to turn left at the right moment.

All of the above paved our way into the next year of living, loving, and being together. What a special way to usher in year fifty-two and year fifty, together. We are looking forward to a large party for our friends with family and friends in 2025 for their Golden Celebration.

Dan and I thank you, dear friends, for the perfect weekend. It’s a pleasure to capture the special moments that being at the Farm have to offer a photography enthusiast like myself. Love and Cheers!

Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS

 

A series of essays and poetry,,,,

                 

RED ROSE: IT’S THE ROSE OF ROMANCE AND DEEP FEELINGS
BUT CAN RELAY DESIRE, BEAUTY, VICTORY, 
HARMONY, JOY, LUCK AND PRIDE

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Friendship can touch a multitude of lives in many different ways. It may have a slightly different meaning for each person involved, but, for the most part, being friendly towards one another, kind and loving, is the preferred attitude in life and so many people are newly discovering the innate beauty of this philosophy.

The poetry class I attend twice a month is entitled Voices on the Margin. May I say that this group of eight strong women, evolving from various educational backgrounds and careers, take extreme pride in revealing our own strengths and weaknesses, knowing that we will always be listened to by one another. 

We will not be belittled or bullied no matter what we have to contribute to the group. And, conveniently, we learn about other poets (women and men, past and present) their writing styles and content and attempt to emulate them via our own poetry as best we can. 

I find complete joy in reading our own poems out loud to the group and embracing the feedback conjured up by their fertile minds and taking away, if we desire it, their changes. We write, we learn, we respond, and we offer encouragement.

With our wedding anniversary coming up this Sunday, lifelong friendship has piqued my interest yet again in relating to decades of sharing big feelings together; appreciating individual opinions and the coziness of sharing them with one another along this amazing journey.

I dedicate this poem to my life partner and hope that others will realize that friendship can be the glue in a cohesive force that allows for controversial opinions, change, time, and understanding to shine through:

No Matter What Happens 💞

I respect that you’re going through difficult times. 

Not feeling yourself? Haven’t showered in a week? Don’t worry. 

You are appreciated for who you are. Come what may.

I want you to know that I am a safe place for you. 

So, laugh yourself silly, exaggerate the ugly cry and never

feel judged by me. I love you in every way. 

I accept and honor your controversial opinions. It doesn’t 

matter if we agree or not, I’m here for your unedited thoughts 

because we both will grow smarter, stronger. Come what may.

I understand when you let yourself be you. Be funny, be crazy, 

be loud, be obnoxious. I will love you more for the loudness 

and always cheer your enthusiasm for life. 

I want you to know that age is only a number. If we figure it out,

hold hands, walk down the same path with heads held high,

the future will be comforting. Come what may.

I keep trying to understand where you are coming from. It would be

a pleasure to have you skip, hop, and jump back into my life. Know

that I am your cheerleader—be brave. 

I want all of you to feel free to be yourselves around me. Do what you

do. Be funny, crazy, tired, loud, opinionated, talented. Luxuriate 

in all of your big feelings. Own them and never look back. 

Come what may.

Jacqueline E Hughes 9-09-24

Each stanza refers to one person or another who has entered my life, made it a little bit better, and has changed my perspective as to why I even exist. That’s definitely powerful. This poem reflects the years that flash by all of us and profusely change our lives in an instant. 

Not wanting to allow myself to change the flow of big feelings of anyone else, I insist that you, my friend, not change yourself for my sake. I encourage your boisterous laughter, opinions that don’t match my own, holding hands as we slowly walk into old age, exaggerate your ugly cry in dark times, and experience profound joy in good times.

To my dear husband of 51 years: through our many ups and downs, via joy and sadness, playfulness and laughter—please know that the bond we share together will always be strong no matter what happens, come what may.

Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline E Hughes 

All rights reserved

PUZZLE ME THIS

 

A series of essays….

PLACING ALL OF THE PIECES TOGETHER IN THE RIGHT
SPACES CAN BE A TEDIOUS AND DIFFICULT TASK

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes 

With many connections to various news sources online, it’s easy to get drop-downs on my i-Pad during any given writing session. They highlight what’s going on in the world at the moment and then fold back up (into tiny, dark spaces) only to take me down various rabbit holes later, when there is time to peruse them.

These drop-downs exist for the same reason the current time stamp, day, and date appear in the upper left hand corner of the screen: they keep me aware of what’s happening in the world around me in, for the most part, real time. 

Upon occasion, the dynamic news presented on the wallpaper of my Lock Screen can immediately capture my attention and has led me to incorporate this newfound information into stories currently being worked on. As a freshman at Indiana University South Bend, my journalist classes were the foundation for becoming a (creative) writer and a catalyst for my extreme curiosity. 

Clinging to the bits and pieces of reality ingeniously fed to me via these news posts, I view the world as the giant jigsaw puzzle that it is. Now it is up to me to decipher the meaning and accuracy of what is presented and choose to dig deeper or not until all of the pieces fit together as one, complete picture. Often, as in real life scenarios, the individual components don’t always add up or even fit together as a precision cut puzzle should. There can be so many rough, misshapen edges made up of lies, hate, hopelessness, fear, uncertainty—sadness.

As I work, a drop-down informs me of yet another school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Four innocent souls are dead. Two students. Two teachers. Nine people injured by gunshot wounds. A fourteen-year-old is responsible. More terrible news to digest. More puzzle pieces waiting for us to twist and turn and try to make fit; trying to make sense out of such horrific actions. 

Pinch me because right now I feel numb. Help me feel the acute pain of having children die and families left in limbo asking why—and their lives will never be the same. What fourteen-year-old is justified in thinking that he has the right to change the lives of others, forever?

Another drop-down, this time by National Geographic, tells me that studies show that corn can sweat! Apparently, on a hot day, fields of corn transpiring water, also known as "corn sweat", can raise local humidity levels by 30 to 40 percent. And all that moisture produced by more than 90 million acres of corn nationwide can make temperatures hotter and more miserable. That’s an interesting puzzle piece to be inserted under the title of ‘climate change.’

With the world getting hotter and hotter, we should remind ourselves to ‘byob’ (bring your own bag) while driving down our country roads this summer. You never know when we might be able to fill them up with popcorn from the overheated, sweaty corn fields!

Please don’t worry. I’m not here looking for leprechauns. I found my very own leprechaun named John at the top of the Caha Mountains in County Kerry, Ireland back in 2006. 

I’m not here to relate faerie tales about the Good People even when I believe in them, wholeheartedly. It’s important to note that the news is essential to stay informed about what’s going on in the world around us. And often, it’s unavoidable on our social media feeds.

However, news can be stressful, disheartening, and even scary.

Learning how to manage this stress is essential, especially in a world where we’re so connected through technology and social media. Even I know that it’s possible to stop the drop-downs, but I choose to see them and pick and choose what I read afterwards. At least I feel I am directly connected to the world around me.

When these small, white puzzle pieces drop down in front of me to be read as quickly as possible, I collect them in a special place in my head even before they are wrenched from my sight and sucked back up into oblivion. While news can bring up lots of stress for some, reminding yourself of what is in your control and what isn’t can help you create some mental space. 

This space is used, wisely. The current puzzles I am working on, while making the pieces fit in some coherent manner, are called my weekly posts. Sometimes each piece is twisted and turned until it fits into its appropriate slot and, I am happy. Fulfilled. This is the world as seen through my eyes!

Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

HE GAVE HIS BEST TO US: THE LEGACY OF A GREAT MAN

 

A series of essays….

DEMOCRACY: OURS TO LOSE UNLESS WE FIGHT HARD TO RETAIN IT!

….as seen through my eyes!

“Let me know in my heart

When my days are through

America, America

I gave my best to you

America

I gave my best to you”

— Joe Biden

From American Anthem by Nora Jones

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Wow, Monday night made it all so real for me! I have shivers just thinking about this momentous presidential convention and our commitment to freedom and democracy while protecting individual rights for all people. 

If we can take just one piece of truth, one segment of reality, or one nugget of solid memory from an administration that is summarized as helping and loving all of the people who fall under its care—let it be this song and lyrics by Nora Jones, personalized and quoted by Joe Biden.

We often seek out one thought or memory offered as a gift to us by someone or something that will live in our hearts, forever. That’s exactly what I had hoped to take away from the first night of the DNC. And, even though I waited a long time for it to arrive, at last, I found it as Joe was closing his speech to the nation: “I gave my best to you.”

My own laughter and waterworks rang true throughout the hours of accolades bestowed upon Joe. The random intimate stories of hard work, hardships, newfound joy and happiness, some we’d heard before and others new, was the running theme of the evening. Ultimately, after fifty years of service to his country, his decision to step down from his presidency is the greatest personal sacrifice he could every make. This selfless act should and will live within us until the end of time.

The ego is not something to be taken for granted. If we’re lucky, the ego relates the appropriate pride in oneself that offers up the self-esteem required to make the very best of our life and be able to share this with others. If we, the recipients of this ego, build a better life for ourselves and those we love because of it, the circle of life contains a sparkling silver lining to be passed down from generation to generation.

Joe, unlike most of us, was able to sacrifice everything he worked so hard to create within his career as a public servant. Politics to Joe is the runway that helps him take flight and become the best he can possibly be. Family is the fuel that energizes him. We, the people, are the grateful recipients that thrive under all of his kindness and love.

Aren’t we fortunate to know Joe Biden? You’re damn right we are! Who else would leave a position of such high importance for the benefit of you and me? I will bet it took an enormous amount of soul searching, confidence in the person he is passing the baton to, and faith (in his God and his family) to pull this one off. Does he have some regrets, do you think? After all, he is only human.

His fifty-two minute speech packed a punch. Delivered with strength in his convictions, it was the perfect keynote address to the nation. It was powerful! Taking such pride in all you have accomplished as president in the last four years is an act of extreme self confidence and belief in the Constitution and this great nation.

If need be, I would have stayed awake to hear his speech well into the early hours of the morning. It was necessary to hear him speak to us; be the Joe Biden that led us out of a pandemic (totally exasperated by the negative powers that be) and into a positive future the likes we have not witnessed for decades. 

Thank you, Joe!

Maybe that sounds too simple, too naive. We know it comes from the very depths of our souls. Joe knows it, too. Such a collective effort of Pride and Love and Hope.

I have been a Nora Jones fan for many years and remember watching the Ken Burn’s documentary, The War. But the years have a way of passing us by, too quickly. I did not take American Anthem to heart as, obviously, the Biden family has done. Shouldn’t we all read these Nora Jones’s lyrics (her poetic epitaph) with a true sense of patriotism; a tone of giving our life for the betterment of others? Joe did. Joe does. Joe always will and he will be lovingly immortalized for it.

I love this man. I love Joe Biden and I always will. His profound grace exists within his successor, Kamala Harris, as well. May God bless our nation and lead us forward into the light.

“I love my job, but I love my country more.”  —Joe Biden

Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved