Author: D.L Finn, Author

 

GONE

Gone are the days when I lay on the couch

By the crackling wood stove

Huddled under a blanket with five cats…

Sleeping on, or near me.

 

Gone are the cabin fevered stares

Of those cats who don’t understand

When I tell them it’s too cold outside…

It’s snowing.

 

Gone are the silent crisp nights

When I have to convince

Our two dogs they need to go outside…

They can’t hold it all night

 

Gone are the mornings

When I leave early to remove the built-up snow

From my car’s windshield…

And drive more carefully on the ice.

 

Gone are the times

When I sit in wonder.

Watching the landscape turn white…

In a beautiful dance of the snowflakes.

 

Gone is the silence of snow

And the soothing patter of rain

Or the roar of the wind…

Pounding its fury against the house.

 

Gone are those candle lit nights

When the outside rages on

Gone are the coats, boots, hats and mittens…

All tucked away until next season.

 

These things are gone

But, they are coming back

Until then I sit outside…

Surrounded by life.

 

The birds are singing,

And the crows screeching

As I catch the sweet scent of the flowers…

A small fluffy cloud floats by.

 

The cats sit by me, again

Basking in the sun, along with my dogs

This will be gone soon, too…

When the leaves start to fall.

 

Each season is unique

In what they have to offer

Now, I’m blessed in a spring moment…

In its blissful brilliance before–it’s gone.

 

Embrace your inner child with poetry! D.L. Finn

Happy Spring! It is a season of awakening spectacular renewal! The birds return making their nests, flowers burst forth blooms of brilliant hues and the landscape is alive with growth and change. I can’t help but feel the transformation and beauty that surrounds me. I feel renewed after my immersion into winter’s powerful storms that left a healing or insight behind.  Each season brings about its own transformation that I gladly welcome.

Books do the same thing for me.  They each have their own voice and story to tell like the seasons. I’m very thankful for all the stories I have been lucky enough to read over the years. In the past couple of years, I have been devoting more time to reading indie authors. It has been a creative and honest world I’ve found. Some books I’ve read have deeply touched me either with: insight, style, a journey, laughter, tears, or a visit to a new world. Here is my first, but not last, list of adult or YA indie books that left me a better person in one form or another–and a better writer after reading them. I’ll be doing a list for each new season this year!

Books That Changed Me—Spring Edition:

1. Letting Go into Perfect Love, Discovering the Extraordinary After Abuse 

by Gwendolyn M. Plano

This is a  book I need to go back and re-read. I’ll never think of angels in the same way–and now I can feel the comfort of their wings, too.

Here’s my 5-star review:

For such a difficult subject to write about (and read) I found myself inspired by the time I finished Letting Go Into Perfect Love, Discovering the Extraordinary After Abuse. Ms. Plano takes her readers through her pain and disappointments in life. The abuse she suffered at the hands of the person who should have held her up in love, could have made her cold or give up. She did neither of those things. Instead, her faith and hope only increased. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has been a victim of abuse or anyone who needs to be uplifted by strength, hope and faith.​

 

2. The Convict and the Rose (Flowers and Stone #2 )

by Jan Sikes

I loved the entire series, but this book holds a special place in my heart. It showed me that love can overcome anything.

Here’s my 5-star review:

I have been looking forward to reading the second book of this series. The fictionalized true-story continues for Luke and Darlina after he goes to prison–for a crime he didn’t commit. The couple decides Darlina should go on with her life, while Luke deals with prison in his usual rebellious fashion. They go through changes and grow–which keeps you turning the page long into the night to see what happens next. The process of how Luke and Darlina handle this situation is captivating to read. I not only found the physical changes in their lives compelling, but the spiritual process amazing.  It’s a book that shows us to never give up and how to make the best of a bad situation while at the same time it’s about a love that can overcome anything. It is beautifully written and I’ll be continuing this journey in the next book. I highly recommend this if you are a fan of love –or like reading about change and the strength of what the human spirit can overcome.

3. The One Discovered (Chronicles of the Diasodz Book 1) 

by Yvette M Calleiro

I was drawn into a new world that I didn’t want to leave. I found the perfect blend of everything I love in this YA fantasy series!

Here’s my 5-star review:

I admit to having read (and loved) the second book of the Diasodz series “The Enlightened One”—first. My plan was to read the first book before continuing with book three. Part of me wondered if doing so would rehash everything I knew, but I found that wasn’t an issue. I was quickly lost in “The One Discovered”. The depth and creativity to which Ms. Calleiro takes her story and characters pulled me in as I learned more about my favorites like: Sophia, Ar’ch, and Angel! Watching Sophia discover things aren’t what they seem, and the developing love triangle was fascinating. I don’t want to give too much away in this amazing YA story, but if you love a skillfully blended mix of romance, adventure, fantasy, magic and other worldly beings– along with a mix of new age and earth lore–you will love this. I eagerly dove into book 3 “The One Betrayed” and cannot wait to see where Ms. Calleiro takes us next. I highly recommend this book!

Embrace your inner child with a awesome indie book! D.L. Finn

I’ve traveled to many wonderful places including: Italy, Alaska and Hawaii. But, the trip I remember most fondly was made in 1983 in an old brown Dodge van. It had two brown captain seats, one bench on the side with a vinyl bed in the back, and an ice chest full of beer and Pepsi light. There were no reservations or plans in place as my soon-to-be husband and I grabbed some clothes, chips, beef jerky and left our responsibilities behind.

We decided to head south, but that wasn’t a huge surprise–with my love of Disneyland. Arriving in Anaheim we located a motel we could afford. It was a place to sleep that had a vibrating bed, what more could you ask for? Besides, the owners were so accommodating allowing you to pay either by the night or hour. (Yes, I made sure the room had been cleaned first…) The next morning, I woke-up early ready to go. Day one was Disneyland. We followed up with Universal Studios where we had a close-up experience with “Jaws” and the final day of amusement parks the western-themed Knott’s Berry Farm, where the water log ride was the high point.

Then, we decided to explore the area more. We spent a day at the beach, and made sure to see Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, (where I quickly found out how large my foot was compared to the stars) and took a tour of the stars houses. We were most excited to see where Lucille Ball lived being enormous “I Love Lucy” fans.

Heading south again towards San Diego we surprised a friend who graciously offered her couch to us for the night. We got a delicious Mexican dinner and a day at the San Diego Zoo. We ended our trek south splurging on a motel room with an ocean view. We were pretty impressed with ourselves at that point.

Finally, it was time to head north back to the Bay Area. We still had a couple of days left so we decided to forgo that boring Interstate Highway 5 drive through endless nothing and take the amazing Pacific Coast Highway (including a detour or two around mud slides). With the windows down and the salt air blowing in, I took in the breathtaking ocean scenery. We quickly learned restaurants were very obliging, even if they weren’t open yet, when you couldn’t find a bathroom along the way.

The first night we ended up in Morro Bay. We found an uncrowded parking lot that allowed camping and slept in the van next to the beach. We fell asleep to the sound of ocean waves and woke up when the sun lit up the inside of the van. Stepping outside with the ocean spread out in front of us, we found the beach was scattered with hundreds of sand dollars. I’ve never seen anything like that again and still have a sand dollar from the trip. After brushing our teeth and locating food we continued north. We stopped to explore a couple of beaches, admire the view, or feed tame squirrels.

It was getting dark as we pulled into our final and last night in Big Sur. We got lucky at a campground and found a spot to park and sleep in the redwoods. We equipped ourselves with marshmallows to roast around the campfire after finding an incredible burger joint. In the morning, we hiked around the grounds before reluctantly leaving our newly found paradise. We drove along the ocean’s edge until we arrived in Santa Cruz. Then, it was time to part ways with the mighty ocean and head back to our everyday lives.

Why am I reminiscing about a trip made years ago? Well, I’ve been thinking about the innocence I saw the world through then. Now, going on a trip is made through jaded eyes. I’m more guarded and plan things out, but I don’t want to lose that wonder– even if the world tells me otherwise. With a road trip planned this spring I realize the direction traveled doesn’t matter, nor does the vehicle– be it an old van or towing a long, long trailer. What’s important is to look through eyes filled with joy and wonder like I did 35 years ago—or embracing that inner child.