Turning toward fall, I give thanks for the restorative time spent this summer with family, friends, and the earth! Always, too, I give thanks for birds. I am a secret poet and not a very good one at that. I especially like to write poemish things to remember some of the birds I see and… Continue reading Turning
I hope your summer reading is off to an invigorating, relaxing, mysterious, romantic, adventurous, historical, fantastical start! We had a great turnout for Girls of Summer 2017; perhaps some of those amazing books for amazing girls have found a spot in your beach bag! As I'm preparing to to journey up to Massachusetts, where I'll… Continue reading Reading for Resilience
The last couple of weeks have been filled up with amazing women doing amazing work. This year, when the YWCA of Richmond selected me as their third Pat Asch Social Justice Fellow, (I freaked out and) I joined Cheryl Groce-Wright and Leslie Lytle in an emerging sisterhood of justice-seeking women living and working in Richmond.… Continue reading A Gracious Plenty
With thanks to the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine for sharing and developing, this excellent and helpful infographic of the brain is a terrific tool for everyone with a brain!
My earliest memories of comfort and solace and courage, of overcoming fear, learning something new, and connecting to creation involve my grandparents. Each of my books revolves around multiple generations and depicts a kid overcoming adversity with the help and safe companionship of an old person ("person" being loosely defined as human or horse). As… Continue reading Elderhood in Children’s Books
Earlier this week, the Washington Post ran the story, Girls suffer childhood trauma more. New research shows how yoga can help heal them. This headline speaks volumes to me. As a female, a mom to a daughter, a certified yoga teacher, a researcher, and a community advocate, much of what I believe and aim to… Continue reading If the Washington Post Says It…
Beyond thrilled to share that our special guest author for Girls of Summer 2017 is the amazing Rita Williams-Garcia! Join us at the Richmond Public Library on 6/21/17 at 7 pm. Please share far and wide!
Earlier this spring, my friend Free Egunfemi of Untold RVA and I met up for lunch at Cava Grille near VCU. In name and in presence, Free speaks of imagination, possibility, and awareness of ancestors, an unbroken line of people who have gone on ahead, but who are not gone from our reach. It's good… Continue reading Growth Through Change
Gigi has penned seven books for children and young adults and has a heart for telling stories that help youths feel connected and valued. Her most recent novel, Two for Joy, is a three-generational story about family caregiving and about how a child and an elder accept each other wholly. Enjoy her Q&A with LifeUntapped, in which she details her author journey and shares about her books and characters.
What is your primary goal as an author? I hope that my readers will connect with something in their own lives that makes them curious, inspired, or willing to keep going. The themes that I return to tend to be: access, belonging, overcoming trauma, resilience, intergenerational connections…
It’s MLK Day in our nation, during a time when our country is heartbreakingly fractured. On Saturday, January 14, 2017, the two of us took a stand and walked in the March on Monument, a peaceful coming together of the various social justice groups that serve the Richmond community. Two thousand or so of our neighbors stood… Continue reading Taking a Stand for Girls
Sharing this beautiful post by Bruce Black. One way my yoga practice is rooted is with my pony. She’s been battling a neurological disorder for about a year, so our time together is no longer about trotting or cantering or getting out in the woods.
These days we walk beside each other in the covered ring. I sing Train & Ray LaMontagne songs to keep time. Angel steps carefully and with intent, not fully aware of where her hind end is in space.
We walk for about 20 minutes, then end always with a short yoga practice, one where she keeps me rooted and grounded. Warrior I, Warrior II, Exalted Warrior, Reverse Triangle, King Dancer. Change sides; repeat.
Big sigh from pony; big sigh from me. Namaste.
“The practice of yoga will be firmly rooted when it is maintained consistently and with dedication over a long period.” – from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
I love the image of a tree that Patanjali paints with a single word: rooted.
And I love how he suggests our practice is like a tree, rooted deeply into the earth, expanding toward the sky, bending with the wind, swaying, dancing, celebrating the miracle of our bodies, the joy of life, the mystery of the divine.
But what does it mean to be firmly rooted?
Perhaps it means feeling not just that our roots are planted in the earth, but that they are held in the earth’s embrace in such a way that they form a strong foundation for our practice and our life.
How would you describe the “roots” of your practice?
Author Christine Meunier has just released Free Reign, Book 3 of her Free Rein Series, a Christian-based, horse series for kids. She lives in Australia, and is also the author of Horse Country, a day-to-day look inside the Thoroughbred industry. Nature and animals bring me closer to God, too, so I invited Christine to share… Continue reading Guest Author: Christine Meunier
My poor, neglected blog! One sure thing about a personal blog: it only gets updated if you update it. I have a backlog of pictures, guest posts, and wonderful horse books to share. But time remains finite, and I guess I always find ways to spend my time other than here. Back in February, I… Continue reading Morning meditation
Brotherhood by A.B. Westrick Middle grade fiction, Ages 10 and up Viking, 2013 978-0-670-01439-2 It's been my pleasure to know A.B. Westrick for several years. We've worked together in school-based and community settings on many projects related to reading and writing. She is a stickler for details and likes to get things right. Her middle-grade… Continue reading 1867: A Nod to Horses
I met Katie Cerminara through her work with Canine Adventure. We needed someone to care for Biscuit over a string of upcoming out-of-town engagements. And, Bub and I were both working so much that we thought Biscuit might like to get out of the house and onto the trail for some adventure walks. When Katie… Continue reading Conversations with the Silent by Katie Cerminara
This week, I'm hitting the trail to share with readers my love of horses and a new horse story, Macadoo of the Maury River, the second in the Horses of the Maury River series from Candlewick Press, set in my beautiful home state of Virginia. The series features six horses: Chancey, an Appaloosa (see his… Continue reading See Ya on the Trail!
Sometimes I lay off blogging because I feel like I don't have enough time to get my words right. The thought of doing what I'm doing now...just going commando in the post window freaks me out. Even just this second, I almost backed up to take out those ... because I read a post elsewhere… Continue reading Never Give Up
If you enjoyed your ride, kiss your horse 