Leah Vidal's Blog, page 8

Graceful

This photo shared as part of this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge: Graceful

The Note

Her hands tremble as she smooths out the crumpled piece of lined yellow paper. She can barely make out the smeared blue ink. The words come out in broken whispers, “I am unable to go on. My lips no longer form the battle cry I have summoned in years past. This world keeps shrinking and my disquiet has made me…

The Place I Do Not Rest

I made my way slowly through the aisles with purpose, though what purpose I wasn’t sure. My eyes took in letters which made up words, clothed in different colors. I was the hunter with no idea of my prey though I was certain it would be made clear in that moment when I happened upon…

Dreams Unraveled

  This was not the day she had imagined when her alarm clock went off this morning. Notorious for running late, she still took the time to straighten her hair and apply makeup. It was the first day of her senior year, and Clarice was ready to graduate and pursue her dream. She stood before…

The Christmas Wreath

The boxes sat stacked by twos in the corner of the living room. Her dad had pulled them out and placed them there as he did every year. She never knew for sure where they were stored. I suppose that added to the magic that filled this time of year. The boxes would sit there day…

Desperate Tones

I held the baby a little tighter as I followed the rocky path along the shoreline. My eyes refused to adjust to the darkness and the moon provided little guidance. The baby slept, peacefully buried in my bosom, oblivious to the life altering journey before us. I prayed she wouldn’t wake until we were far…

Football Friday

“Opportunites are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.” – William Arthur Ward “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.” – William Arthur Ward

How Eye Contact Instills Compassion

Eye contact is key in communication. Many memorable scenes culminate when two people stare into each other’s eyes. Soft music plays in the background, the star-crossed lovers inch ever closer for that first kiss, never taking their eyes off each other. The world around them disappears until there is only the two of them as they…

Finding Sound Advice In History

If we pay attention to history, we will surprise ourselves by the many hidden gems of wisdom we are sure to uncover. While flipping gingerly through my 1877 collection of Dickens’ Works, a birthday gift from my family, my daughter and I discovered several newspaper clippings tucked into the pages. We felt like we had…

Catching Humanity In A Sea Of Funny

“Erma Bombeck wasn’t solely a humorist. Even when she was being funny, there was always an element of human interest in her writing. She took the every day and shined a spotlight of reality onto it. She allowed us to laugh at what seemed monumental, breaking down what once appeared as insurmountable into tiny morsels…