As Young as Spring by Veronica Jorge
March 22, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as bloom, refresh, Spring, Veronica Jorge, youth
Don’t spend money on green drinks, wrinkle creams, and hair dyes to take out the grey. It’s Springtime. Immerse yourself in nature and rejuvenate!
And of course, read a book. Here are a few titles guaranteed to make you flower and bloom.
Paradise Under Glass: The Education of An Indoor Gardener by Ruth Kassinger relates the author’s personal story of loss and how she found emotional healing in creating an indoor garden.
The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly is the tale of three women in three different time periods and how the one garden they inhabit reveals secrets and changes lives.
The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl, art by Billy Renkl takes the reader on a journey through the four seasons asking us to stop and notice the natural world around us that will cleanse, redeem, and take our breath away.
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Did you know that trees talk to each other?! This book brings us into the secret world of how trees feel, how they communicate, support each other, share nutrients, and even warn each other of dangers.
For history enthusiasts, nature lovers, and those who enjoy learning new things American Canopy: Trees, Forest, and the Making of a Nation by Eric Rutkow, relates how trees were essential to the early years of the United States and contributed a great deal to the nation’s rise as an empire and as a civilization.
For the youngsters in your life consider the following picture books. (Adults will like them too. I certainly do.)
The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Broughton, a story about a young boy seeking color in a dreary world. He plants a seed on his balcony and when he least expects it, something extraordinary happens.
All Around Us by Xelena Gonzalez, illustrated by Adraina M. Garcia, is a warm and tender intergenerational story of a grandfather teaching his granddaughter about our connection with the earth, the parts that we can and cannot see, and the amazing circle of life.
The Weedy Garden by Margaret Renkl, illustrated by Billy Renkl is a lavish spread of art and imagination as the reader explores a backyard filled with hungry squirrels, busy bumblebees and sleepy fireflies, among other wonderful creatures waiting to be discovered.
A good title for Women’s History Month and for Black History Month is, Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis by Robin Gourley. Edna was a descendant of slaves who grew up to become a famous chef. In September of 2014, she was honored on a United States Postage Stamp as part of the Celebrity Chefs series. The book also includes a few kid-friendly recipes.
The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food by Joseph Tychonievish, illustrated by Liz Anna Kozik, is a graphic novel guide for ages 4-7, (I found it very helpful too), of how to grow a successful vegetable garden.
So, spend more time outdoors in nature this year. It can help to ease stress and diminish the worry lines and wrinkles on your face and forehead, and turn your frown downside up into a smile.
Take a walk and put a spring in your step.
Smell a flower; it’s a new perfume.
Sit in the yard or in a park and enjoy a free musical bird song concert. Or take a restful nap. Forty winks can work wonders.
And try planting a few seeds of comfort and hope in someone else’s life.
You’ll feel as young as Spring!
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on April 22nd!
Books Reviewed by Veronica
Chocolate? I’m Listening
February 22, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as chocolate
Every Valentine’s Day chocolate in all shapes and sizes: loose, bagged, heart-shaped boxes, can be found everywhere. Including in my pantry, in the candy dish, on my plate. Well, you get the picture. I like chocolate. (I indulge year round).
But how did chocolate become associated with Valentine’s Day? And who was Valentine?
While traditions and origin stories may vary, two prevalent tales persist. The first is that of a Catholic priest named, Valentine, who performed wedding ceremonies for soldiers even though Rome had prohibited it. He was subsequently executed around 269 A.D. for defying Emperor Claudius II’s orders. Another relates the story of Bishop Valentine of Terni, who during his imprisonment healed the jailer’s blind daughter. Just before he was martyred, he left the girl a note, “From your Valentine.” In 496 A.D., the Church officially established February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day.
Thereafter, the Saint’s day became associated with love and notes and gifts were exchanged. In the 19th and 20th centuries chocolate became associated with the holiday because it was a symbol of sweetness, indulgence, and sensory pleasure.
Ah, ain’t love grand?!
On the practical side, professional opinions change as to the benefits, or lack thereof, of chocolate.
Dark chocolate in particular is rich in antioxidants and contains iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium among other essential minerals. It improves heart health, brain function, and mood.
And let’s face it. It tastes good. So, what’s not to like about chocolate?
On the down side, chocolate can be high in sugar, saturated fat, and calories. Some of the seeds of the cacao plant, from which chocolate is made, can be contaminated by cadmium and lead from polluted soil.
Therefore, being informed and reading labels is important.
I wonder. Would chocolate have become so popular and associated with love if these two priests had not been martyred?
I suppose that the take away from the story and origin of St. Valentine’s Day is that all things can be enjoyed in moderation. But we should live and love LAVISHLY!
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on March 22nd!
Books Reviewed by Veronica Jorge
Veronica Jorge: January Featured Author
January 28, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured author, Reviewed by Veronica Jorge, Veronica Jorge, Write from the heart
Manager, Educator, and former High School Social Studies teacher, Veronica credits her love of history to the potpourri of cultures that make up her own life and to her upbringing in diverse Brooklyn, New York.
Her genres of choice are historical fiction, where she always makes new discoveries, literary works because she loves beautiful writing, and children’s picture books because there are so many wonderful worlds yet to be imagined and visited.
She currently resides in Macungie, PA., but she’s still a Brooklyn girl at heart. How sweet it is!
Veronica’s story “Fiona Malone’s Fesh,” was featured in the Fall 2021 Issue of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable and is archived above.
In addition to her fiction, she has a monthly column, Write from the Heart, here on A Slice of Orange where she writes about writing, life and does book reviews.
Connect with her on Facebook @VeronicaJorgeauthor
Books Reviewed by Veronica
Peace in Winter by Veronica Jorge
January 22, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge
It’s the dead of winter and I’m still raking leaves and collecting branches that the winds have broken and scattered; all of which will eventually be ground into mulch and reused and reclaimed to nourish the soil. I even pick up a few feathers from fallen birds; taking off my gloves to feel the smoothness of the feathers, and to admire the colors and designs in each one.
I see life reflected in nature. Fallen and broken people, crushed and snuffed out by wars. We may never know each one’s vibrant colors, or how they have nourished the soils where they were planted and grew.
I bow my head. A teardrop falls on a patch of snow.
The messy yard reminds me of work to be completed.
Ignore the backache, the strain on the knees, the cramped hands, and the allergies.
Keep going.
Don’t give up.
Don’t get discouraged.
Mercy, like raindrops, washes away the ice and frozen snow. Hints of green peek through. Hope?
I think back to the holiday that just passed and reflect on the Christmas message of, ‘Peace on earth and good will toward men.’ A weight lifts off of my heart. Encouragement strengthens me. I straighten my back and lean into my work. My job’s not done. I have to keep on working and do my part to make my world better than I found it.
Alone in my backyard, I sing a song from my youth.
“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on February 22nd!
Books Reviewed by Veronica
Veronica Jorge: January Featured Author
January 14, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured author, Reviewed by Veronica Jorge, Veronica Jorge, Write from the heart
Manager, Educator, and former High School Social Studies teacher, Veronica credits her love of history to the potpourri of cultures that make up her own life and to her upbringing in diverse Brooklyn, New York.
Her genres of choice are historical fiction, where she always makes new discoveries, literary works because she loves beautiful writing, and children’s picture books because there are so many wonderful worlds yet to be imagined and visited.
She currently resides in Macungie, PA., but she’s still a Brooklyn girl at heart. How sweet it is!
Veronica’s story “Fiona Malone’s Fesh,” was featured in the Fall 2021 Issue of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable and is archived above.
In addition to her fiction, she has a monthly column, Write from the Heart, here on A Slice of Orange where she writes about writing, life and does book reviews.
Connect with her on Facebook @VeronicaJorgeauthor
Books Reviewed by Veronica
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