Poems by Sal–and more.
September 13, 2018 by Sally Paradysz in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as Bethlehem Writers Group, BWG, life, new beginnings, poems, Sally Paradysz
I always feel a little sad each month when the 13th rolls around, and I realize that Sal is no longer with us.
But this time I have good news. First, A Slice of Orange is pleased to publish two of Sal’s poems. Next, members of the Bethlehem Writers Group have volunteered to write columns for the 13th.
Here is the schedule so far:
October: Diane Sismour
November: A. E. Decker
December: Carol L. Wright
January: Jodi Bogert
February: Christopher D. Ochs
March: DT Krippene
Sal was one of the founding members of Bethlehem Writers Group, and I think she would be over the moon that her fellow members are filling her spot.
Marianne
Poems by Sal
ANCIENT RITUALS
Sally Paradysz
Next, I heard some named penance an ancient tradition. A struggle between senses and sense.
Lash marks bled on bare backs. Knees on scarred hardwood, calloused and worn, bent until they screamed for relief.
Men seek to give lessons, but silence was the teacher. Then, we are swept clean and told to go forward in purity.
Penitent, but longing still.
SILENT PAIN, SILENT LOVE
Sally Paradysz
In this world where personal
commitment, with all of its
delicate forms, seems
to be shattering apart,
And unconditional and
undying love has become
nothing more than a
matter of convenience,
There are some of us still,
who find the intelligence
and passion born of living…
In some who approach their
life without analysis,
which can destroy the Whole,
There is some magic in this life,
you know, where if
you only consistently
look at the pieces,
They will just as surely
blow away in the wind
and demolish the All…
Are we becoming obsolete
within a world of
organization, rules, regulations,
in “Bud” we trust,
to borrow a phrase…
Will this magic disappear
with stick-on name tags and
clothes that make us
all look alike…
It is with this passion and
controlled arrow-like intensity,
mixed with warmth,
That I will approach the time
of day when white months
are on the wing,
And in the heat of that
summer’s evening, will let
myself be taken away,
To transcend and merge in
the Light, where such certainty
comes only once, no matter how
many lifetimes you live…
In this dance with the
universe, my eagerness gives way
to shaman-like silence,
Discarding all sense of
anything linear and spiraling toward
millions of candles,
Where my constant companion
of loneliness disappears for
the last time,
And I become consumed and out
of a world that seems
to be God-abandoned…
Never again will I live with dust
on my heart, or feel
trapped by foggy mornings,
Instead I am forever grateful
for the four billion years
Of love,
Which will help me with my
systems of balance and order
in the lifetime I have left…
I have ceased being separate
and now feel free to continue
the dance of integration…
0 1 Read more
Paths by Sally Paradysz @A_SliceofOrange
October 13, 2017 by Sally Paradysz in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group, Writing tagged as journey, life, Paths, writing
Paths
I love paths. We have one that goes to the field for our tractor, but the best ones are those I’ve made to my writing/meditation cabin, and the one I use to walk to the field. These two I’ve lined with rocks and as I stroll by I’m always amazed by the large roots that grow above ground. Different and yet so eye catching. It took a long while to clear the brush away, find and place the stones alongside, and then try to keep them clear enough to follow over the years.
Special attention paid to the little things on my land makes a huge difference to me. These are the points of life that mark my growth as I go forward. Time spent in nature with love and opportunity all encompassed into this one small three-acre-place that I call home.
God has given us a world full of hope for everything and everyone. We are all unfinished people, moving forward at the rate of speed we are meant to travel. And as we wander on our different paths, finding and following our own heart’s desires, let us take time to be thankful for what we have right now. It can all change in a moment, and then this opportunity will be behind us….
Sal
Sally Paradysz writes from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She is an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she has provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sally has completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She is definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
You can like Sal on Facebook, or read her monthly column, From a Cabin in the Woods, here on A Slice of Orange, or on her personal blog, Sally Paradysz.
2 0 Read moreBurls
September 13, 2017 by Sally Paradysz in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as imperfect, intriguing, natureOn the outskirts of the area where I split wood stands a cherry tree. It isn’t huge, but it has at least two burls on it that I can see. I find burls extremely interesting, and at times I can’t stop staring at them. It is a living thing, and something that resembles sap drips from all over it and down onto the forest floor. I have one that I split open years ago, and it is gorgeous on the inside.
Actually, burls are a valuable wood product for artists, furniture makers, and wood sculptors. Some of the most exotic salad bowls and serving bowls I have ever seen are made from burls just like these.
From my book-lined cabin in the woods beside my home, I can see many of these burls standing out proudly from the trees on my land. The sap seems to draw the sunlight to them, and their glow is intriguing. It is yet another example of what can be hidden inside a shell or a human being. Something exquisite emerges once it is opened to be examined. This author of imperfect words wishes that once we open ourselves up to the world, we can walk away with hope and new life passions that will change our life forever……
Sal
Sally Paradysz writes from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She is an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she has provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sally has completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She is definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
You can read more from Sally on Facebook
Her book is available here:
From a Cabin in the Woods: New Life by Sally Paradysz
August 13, 2017 by Sally Paradysz in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as life, nature, Sally Paradysz, writing
The fawns are here!
On my wooded acreage here in Bucks County I have new life. The fawns are here! So far one of the does has a set of twins, and another doe of my same herd has a new fawn as well. They are not teeny tiny anymore as they grow up quickly, and seemingly right in front of my eyes. Fawns are amazing animals. Just minutes after they are born they are able to nurse, and soon after that, they are able to stand. As quickly as they can travel, sometimes in just hours, the mom leads them away from the birth area and somehow persuades her babies to hide. The fawn/fawns creep under a low growing plant or bush, curls into a ball that would fit onto a dinner plate, and stays there. If she has twins she will lead the other to a different place, she doesn’t want them together because of predators.
What a blessing it is to watch these new fawns grow.
But now they are large enough to follow their moms all around my woods. They drink out of my ground water bath, and nurse right in front of me while I sit on my porch. Never have I seen such gentleness in the eyes of the does. What a blessing it is to watch these new fawns grow. I do feel tension when I see fox or the occasional coyote walking around, but I feel confident that the does are well aware of any danger and will act accordingly and swiftly.
I’m not sure if I have enough wood drying in the field to get me through this coming winter, but these fawns seem to enjoy walking around the pile that is left to split. I still have a lot of work to do this summer, and I’m hopeful that I will get most of it completed while these fawns grow and play.
A sigh of contentment escapes as I continue to live on my “Winnie the Pooh” land, and I think I must be the richest woman in the world…..
Sally
Sally Paradysz writes from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She is an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she has provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sally has completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She is definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
Read more about Sally’s life as she builds her home :
Summer, Porches, and Nature
July 13, 2017 by Sally Paradysz in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group
Porches, especially the screened variety, go hand in hand with summer. Wooden doors that slam, the sound of flip flops on the brick path, and birdsong from my wooded acreage, all play a role in my summertime pleasure.
Dawn on my porch begins with a steaming mug of hazelnut coffee and kitties. Maine Coons are a part of my life and own me completely. Snoozing on the soft chairs with mom close by is a joy for them as well. I hope.
As I cradle my caffeine, I realize that all too soon the sun will be rising to its zenith, but for now, the world is mine alone. I can hear the scampering of little feet in the leaves, watch my two foxes run past, and wait for the arrival of my doe with her twin fawns. Just last night they stood close beside my screens, and I watched the nursing process. (It was not gentle!)
What a world I have surrounding me. My journey here, as I said in my book FROM SCRATCH, has been like something I’d read in a novel. A yarn about a woman who was about to make remarkable changes in herself, as well as her physical environment. Unquestioned belief that the life ahead was a first-rate choice.
Building this new home myself has been remarkable, and my spirit came alive while I was hard at work. Many nights I lay awake knowing my life had to change, but I lacked the necessary courage to make it happen. Making the choice to rebuild my life, while building my home, kept my spark glimmering. I was afraid, but that is in the past. What I learned is fear can defeat life. It begins in your mind, and you can feel yourself weakening a little more each day. Hope and trust slither away like a snake. I know I fought hard but didn’t know how to win the battle, and I became the architect of my own pain.
Now I barely recognize myself as I sit here on my porch. I still have sleepless nights, but now they are the result of excitement, not fear. Shadows are now passing over my brick pathway as the sun rises, and I have an inner feeling that I want to build a porch for everyone. Ha, imagine! I still weep, on occasion, as I look into the woods on this land of mine. Turkeys, squirrels, deer, and fox, they still take my breath away…
Sally Paradysz writes from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She is an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she has provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sally has completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She is definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
You can read more about Sally’s life in her memoir:
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