Hello, Readers!
It's Friday night in the Great Lakes Region
and the September skies have not disappointed us.
If you listen while you gaze upward in wonder
you will hear the wind.
The sound of the invisible power
that blows one season into the next.
If you listen you will also hear
the soft drone of the bumble bee
as it moves sunflower to sunflower.
Mother nature gives us autumn golds and purples
side by side.
If my ears do not pick up the flutter of a butterfly,
my heart does.
Sometimes out in nature
one must listen with her heart.
Our hearts were broken
and restored again
after spending time with family
at my Uncle's funeral last weekend.
Here is my dad remembering
his brother-in-law and friend
along Neshannock Creek
at The Griper's Club in New Castle,
which was my uncle's favorite spot to hang out.
Spending time in a spot so beloved by my uncle
helped to understand his life.
We shared stories
and admired his artwork,
and made pre-season projections about his beloved
Pittsburgh Steelers.
My cousins and mom shared stories strange happenings
shortly after his passing--
wind chimes chiming,
gusts of wind snatching a written remembrance,
radios that came on suddenly with no one in the room.
I was almost jealous that I never got a sign.
Nothing of the sort happened to me.
However, if you know old Eloise,
I tend to miss a thing or two.
Admittedly, I never noticed
the big, yellow, Walmart pole
that I drove directly into.
I listened for chimes,
or cheers,
or even a fish jumping--
nothing.
As I do in most new places I visit,
I decided to listen with my lens.
I poked along the edge of Neshannock Creek
with my camera,
where Uncle Bill liked to fish.
I found it peaceful and calm.
From a distance I spotted some pretty flowers.
I had to climb down the bank a bit to get them
into focus.
Forget Me Nots!
Picture This! Plant App confirmed!
Symbolism Across Cultures
Forget-me-nots have been treasured for their symbolism of remembrance and undying love. In medieval times, knights would wear these flowers as a symbol of devotion to their ladies. In German folklore, a tale exists where a knight, picking these flowers for his beloved, fell into a river and, before drowning, threw them to her and exclaimed 'vergiss mein nicht!' ('forget me not!'). Over time, this story turned the flower into a global symbol of love and remembrance.
Memorial Services
One of the most prominent occasions for using forget-me-nots is during memorial services. These flowers are an emblem of remembrance, making them a fitting tribute to loved ones who have passed away. Their delicate appearance juxtaposed with their heavy symbolic weight provides a comforting presence in moments of mourning.
and caught this--
actually I listened to Mr. Lamp Post
yelling from the yard,
Come with your camera, NOW!
What's Eloise reading this week?
This, of course!
It is recommended in its audio format.
In keeping with me missing things...
I got to the end and didn't hear the lie.
So now Eloise is working on
READ for the Lie.
There are a couple of cool things
that Word Nerds would like about the word listen.
If you write it like this
lisTEN
That represents the number of times
Miss Natalie has won the 50-50.
She won again at tonight's away football game
in North East.
Here's another:
Weekend homework:
If you haven't discovered Jefferson Fisher yet,
look him up on YouTube,
TikTok,
or your favorite podcast app.
I recommend his YouTube shorts.
They are all about bettering your communication.
and
are good ones to start with.
And listen,
if anyone sees this,
I need a copy!
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Have a great weekend!
Eloise
