Unique

Unique

“If everyone else jumped off a bridge,

would you jump too?

You need to be yourself, be unique.

To your own self, be true.”

“Why do you have that wild, purple hair?

Don’t you want to fit in?

People are laughing at you.

Don’t you care?”

It seems to me there’s a fine line

between fitting in and standing out.

Sometimes it takes a lifetime

to know what life is all about.

We struggle to make our marks;

to be our own best selves,

because we all want to be special

...just like everyone else.

***********

My book giveaway ends tomorrow. If you haven't yet entered for a chance to win a copy of my book, Rainbow Chaser, you still have time. Please read my previous post here for details on how to enter. Feel free to tell your friends about the giveaway too. Good luck!

  

Dance in the Fountains ... And a Giveaway!

Dance in the Fountains 

You won't have a choice.

You will spend much of your life 

worrying and working

and doing things you don't want to do.

So to nourish your soul

and revive your spirit,

make sure you also do things 

to take care of you.

Make sure you take time
to dance in the fountains.
Feel the joy of the spray 

as you splatter and splash.

Dance away your troubles
as the water falls around you,
catching the sun 

in sparkle and flash.

**************

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN! ANNOUNCING A GIVEAWAY!

If you don't yet own a copy of my book, Rainbow Chaser, and you would like to, or if you do own a copy and would like to have another to give to a friend, I am holding a giveaway through Amazon for a free paperback edition.  

Here are the requirements for participation:

 * This giveaway is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

 *Entrants must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

 * Entrants must have an Amazon account and follow Connie Biltz on Amazon. (You can easily follow me from the link to enter below. Following me will allow you to have occasional updates from Amazon and from me about my work.)

Click on this link for your chance to enter to win:  

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE!

 NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Giveaway ends the earlier of 1/20/16 at 11:59PM, or when all prizes are claimed. See Official Rules. The official rules for an Amazon Giveaway can be found at this link.

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE! 

Beckoning Beach

Beckoning Beach

Blue twilight skies

hold iridescent clouds

that hide the sinking sun.

Rolling white caps

whisper and whoosh

keeping sandpipers on the run.

The waves embrace 

the cold, wet sand,

sidling closer until within reach.

A gull cries overhead

as the waves retreat 

from the enticing, beckoning beach.

"Come, come, come to the beach.

Write your worries in the sand;

the water will wash them all away.

Collect some shells;

watch the hermit crabs dance."

The beach is beckoning, calling,

"Come, come, come to the sea today."

    

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I will be on a blogging break for a while in order to spend time with my family. I hope the new year brings many blessings to you all.

Family Tree

Family Tree

Take a look at your Christmas tree.
Is yours, like ours, a family history?
Bits of our lives adorn each limb,
scattered among the lights and trim.

Here's an ornament celebrating 
our first Christmas together.
It was such a cold day, with snowy, wintry weather,
but we were warm and cozy inside,
secure in the knowledge that our love would abide.

It wasn't long until our family grew.
We added baby's first Christmas ball in little boy blue.
In a few short years, we added another.
Another blue ornament for a little brother.

Next came handmade treasures
that were made at church and at school.
Bits of ribbon, paper, and glitter
became happy art marking each new yule.

Our hobbies and sports are there on the tree too,
along with the things we love and the things we do.
There are baubles to honor anniversaries and vacations 
that we fondly remember,
and all of these memories come back to us
when the tree goes up each December.

Fragile bits of blown glass from the old five and dime
remind us of another place and another time.
These were left to us by the previous generation. 
They give us reason for reminiscing and contemplation.

Symbols of our faith, are, of course, represented too.
Angels, shepherds, and stars remind us to give proper due
to the real reason for the season, 
the reason we gather around that family tree:
to celebrate the light and love given to us 
that began with the birth of the blessed Baby.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *  

My poetry book, Rainbow Chaser, is now available in ebook format for those who prefer reading on a Kindle, Nook, or other electronic device. It can be ordered from the sources below. Click on a bookstore name to be taken to that site. Thank you for ordering, and if any of you have the time and would like to leave a review of my book at the site where you purchased it, I would be extremely grateful. 

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

BOOKLOCKER

ITUNES

KOBO

Ducks in a Row

Ducks in a Row

"Plan ahead. Be prepared. Be organized."

We grow up being told to get our ducks in a row,

but plans change, the unexpected happens,

and life gets messy, the further along we go.

Sometimes ducks are stolen by predators,

or they swim away, still in sight, but out of reach.

Sometimes ducks have minds of their own.

They swim in circles going nowhere, 

no matter how hard you preach.

You finally realize that some ducks can't be controlled.

So relax! 

Let them swim and quack. 

Take delight in the brilliant sheen 

of the blue and green 

of  their feathers,

and know that, one way or another, 

eventually, 

they'll get back on track,

(and so will you).

To Write a Book

To Write a Book

It takes courage to write a book,
to accept the challenge, if you dare.
You open your soul, share your heart,
and reveal your thoughts--exposed and bare.
You hope others will understand
what you are trying to say.
That they will nod their heads, cry, or smile
and see life in a new way.
When that book is finally published,
you dance around in a fit of glee,
because your words are there in print 
for all the world to see.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

I have exciting news to share! As you might guess from the poem and photo above, I have written a book! The title of the book is Rainbow Chaser, and it is a collection of my poems. The poems in this book were inspired by: nature and its changing seasons; the gratitude I feel for home and family life; and other observations I have had about the world around us. 

For those who are interested, Rainbow Chaser is now available to order online from the publisher, Booklocker.com, at this link. If you prefer, it is also available to order at Amazon and at Barnes and Noble, as well as at bookstores and other online sites. 

I am thrilled to have this book published and am grateful to Angela Hoy from Booklocker and Todd Engel, who designed the cover, for making this dream of mine come true. If you decide to buy it for yourself or as a gift for a friend, I hope you come back and tell me what you think of it. I appreciate you, my blog readers, for all of the encouragement and support you have given me over the years. Thank you!