The Journey
Welcome to The Journey, a space where Mary McKSchmidt shares her transition from business executive to advocate, photographer, poet, and storyteller. Here, she invites you to walk alongside her as she explores life in the Great Lakes region, its beauty and fragility, and the bonds that connect us all.
After the Election
plodding along the streethead downafraid of fallingheel to toe heel to toein the early frostof autumncoldsadscaredheel to toeheel to toeYou take my handand I look upas dawn’s lightlavishes the earthwith exuberanceheel to toeheel to toeI will not fallheel to toeheel to...
Why Vacations Matter
As we motor-sail through the Manitou PassageI lean into distant memories of forget-me-nots populating Pyramid Pointthe red trillium peeking through shadows on South Manitou Islandthe surprise snow blanketingthe dunes of Sleeping Bearand add the pink rainbow of...
Without Consent
He erasedthe smileshe used to weareverywhereand now, guarded,gifts onlyto the robinawakening with songat daybreak. “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women,” Donald Trump said in a 2005 conversation caught on a hot mic. “I just start kissing them, it’s like a...
Gravity
"Seek first to understand," Stephen Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It sounds so easy but can be so difficult! A good air day is a breeze of 10-12 knots off the beam butit is also when the breath of angels provides insight into the...
Something in Her Eyes
Perhaps she was exhausted in a good way,grateful for the once-familiar chaos of family,the slamming of screen doors, clanking of dishes, continuous squeak of the refrigerator door, boisterous voices around the table.Perhaps she was determined to catch her...
And I Lugged a Wheelchair
The first time Mother and I saw the windmill turn its blades was when her twin flew from Albuquerque to Holland to celebrate their 90th birthday. The second time was nearly eight years later, her first day home in two months. Thursday, she walked to her bench at the...
Snippets
July was tough for Mother. A series of mishaps landed her in Medilodge of Holland for rehabilitation. She’s determined to go home. Many people are intent on helping. To say thank you, we decided to write short, humorous poems to make everyone smile. We call them...
Like Glass
When I say the lake is like glass I mean the kind of glass on which I once loved to skate,back in the days when I waited patiently for the Zambonito shave the frosted chunks off the iceand the pools of water to evaporate.I remember lugging a...
While I Pray, He Counts
Is it okay to be afraid? I whisper,my words slipping out unintentionallyas lightning illuminates an angry skyand thunder explodes like circling cannons. Sails down, we huddle in the companionway,knowing the mast on our sailboat is a conduit for the electrical fury...
Before Sailing out the Channel
Before sailing out the channel,an army of sweat beesemerges from the forestas if telling meit’s time to leave. Thank you to Mother, who agreed to move into respite care while Rubin and I sail out the channel and head north. (Respite care is designed to provide...
Losses
Death, certainly, is the most permanent. Like the time my older sister lost her kittento the teeth of the dog next door. Or the morning he, who could no longer speak, said goodbye to his wife with his eyes. But I also have wept after...
Birdsongs
Two deaths in three days. A brother. A poetry friend. And yet, the robins, finches, cardinals, and chickadees are singing from the trees at dawn. Their songs remind me it is a new day rich in possibilities.How do I want to live my “one wild and precious life?”...