loss – Linda Mahkovec – Author

She is rich who owns the day…

Published on July 7, 2023September 9, 2023 by Linda Mahkovec - AuthorLeave a comment

I recently came across a line (incorrectly attributed to Emerson?) that nevertheless caught my attention: She is rich who owns the day…

I love the sentiment and recognize the same spirit in my character of The Dreams of Youth, a very short collection of stories that tell the larger story of one woman.

These six interrelated pieces tell the story of Maggie, a vibrant individual who is also Everywoman: daughter, dreamer, nurse, friend, wife, mother. Spanning over eighty-five years, they follow her from her youth in Depression-era Illinois to the time when she ventures forth to 1940’s Hollywood and coastal California, and her return to the rural Midwest. Bittersweet and poignant, celebratory and inspiring, these stories portray the exuberance of youth, the delight of friendship, the adventure of going forth into the world, and the disappointment and heartache that are a part of life.

Maggie.

Always running, dreaming, adventurous, and daring.

Where others saw weeds, Maggie saw wishes.

Leafy treetops were enough to fuel her dreams.

And the dream of the ocean sustained her for a lifetime.

https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Youth-Linda-Mahkovec-ebook/dp/B01N8QK2S7

(All images are from my Pinterest boards.)

The Wake

Published on April 1, 2017January 13, 2019 by Linda Mahkovec - AuthorLeave a comment

The Wake

A little death entered us when you went ahead.

So great was the love that tethered us to you,

we would have gladly followed;

Like little cygnets straining to keep up,

their eyes fixed on the beautiful white swan ahead.

The rippling wake, the path to you.

*

But you, nurturing mother,

Said no – the wake is the path you created for us;

The wondrous wake is life itself.

Your wish – for us to embrace it, as you did,

with love and laughter and joy.

*

You, beautiful swan,

turned your head to us, as if gently saying,

this was not our time, but yours;

For us, now, to delight in the beauty around us,

to splash in the waters of life!

Time enough for the later journey.

*

Your gift to us, your legacy:

To live first fully in the wake.