TRAVELING THROUGH LIFE
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
THE PROPOSAL
His outstretched arms
And smiling eyes
Had me all but
Mesmerized
His lips formed
The letters o-o-o
But what he said
I did not know
I smiled at him
As I tilted my head
His lips brushed mine
What had he said
Then as if the sounds
Suddenly came to life
I saw the words
Love of my life
I looked again
As O’s became clear
Now they said
I love you my dear
Once more silence
Came to life
I saw the words
Please be my wife
A SITTING ROCK
One day I found
A sitting rock
Beside a shaded stream
It beckoned me
To stop a while
To spin a little dream
I sat and gazed
Into that brook
Watching pebbles play
While morning breezes
Swept the trees
And silver leaves did sway
WAR AND DESTINY
It was in the spring of ’43. A tired
soldier sat beneath an old gnarled tree.
In his calloused hands he held his destiny, a small box of creams and
caramel. Tucked beneath the chocolate
delicacies, peeked a pink lace-edged paper.
Its message short and sweet. Good luck, God bless, and write to me, signed
Jean Marie.
A smile curved the young man’s lips as he began to write, but first he
sampled one delicious bite. Over many
months the letters flew with regularity.
Pictures exchanged, endearments became a common refrain as their love
grew.
One day the war was over. The young
man returned with joy to meet the woman of his dreams, and touch her tender
cheek. In his hands he held the box, now
filled with letters from Jean Marie.
He looked at that first pink lace-edged page, his destiny, and thought of
the way his life was changed. He dreamed
of making her his wife. Softly, he practiced, marry me, my sweet Jean Marie.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
TRAVELING THROUGH LIFE is a poetic and photographic journey as experienced by a daughter, a wife, a mother- ultimately a woman's personal perspective on this universal path called life.
Travel with Leona through beginnings -the birth of a baby, the hatching of a robin's egg, the first-time witnessing the breath-taking vistas of natural deep valleys and endless skylines.
Experience the vibrant sights and dulcet sounds of a woman hearing-disabled since childhood through words that hum, sing, whisper, holler, forget and remember a life lived well.
Reflect with Leona as she travels
. . . through the seasons . . . the hills of
The senses delight in the rhythm, the feelings, the spirit -all embodied in verse that shares the itinerant life of a sentient woman who savors the moment forever in words and photographs.
The sweet scent of spring, a forbidden kiss, a morning stroll, a song of sorrow- the pungent power of words wrought from the fragrant heart of everywoman.
Relive her life, this life, your life, the upheaval and affirmation, the first time and the death dance. Take time now to say good-bye, for a new beginning awaits us all.
Be bold. Step forward. And begin
your own journey, TRAVELING THROUGH LIFE.
About the Author
Leona Schwartz, a retiree, worked two professional careers as a medical technician and recreational therapist for many years, raising two sons along the way. A practicing vegetarian and self-taught nutritionist, her major interests include family and friends, a healthy lifestyle, travel, ecology and nature -all reflected in her poetry.
A lifelong poet, TRAVELING THROUGH LIFE is Leona's "retirement project." Motivated by the reading and sharing of her fellow scribes in her monthly poetry workshop, Leona combined her love of prose with husband Fred's passion for photography in a first-time collaboration between the long-time married couple. The result is a compelling travelogue of words and pictures illustrating the many cherished moments of a multi-faceted woman who took time to enjoy the journey.
Leona and Fred Schwartz currently
reside in