And yet another Thanksgiving

November 27, 2025

Ten years ago I wrote what is still a rare poem for me. I've since published a short volume of poems that is available only on Kindle Unlimited, and it's been years since I've added anything to it. Writing poems is not my strong suite, but every once in a while, something comes to mind. 

This year I'm revisiting that early Thanksgiving poem.  My days are very different now. I'm on my own. But looking back, I was on my own even when my parents and grandparents lived. The fracturing of family began long ago but now the cousins and I are rebuilding our version of family. It doesn't look the same as when the two older generations were alive, but that's okay. Today, my family is more accepting, having learned those same lessons I was taught. We're kinder now.  

I wrote this poem after a solitary walk in the woods. I walked to steel myself for the day ahead, for the demands that would be made of me. It truly was "conform or be cast out" in those days. It did suck the air away from me. 

Today, the last verse has taken on a new meaning. The road does lead home to all that is mine, and with the passing of time, the path is truly mine. Having lived with unattainable demands, I now sit back and listen to the two younger generations and simply enjoy them for who they are. Our roots are entwined, but I put no pressure on them to bend in my direction. 

They are young trees. Let them grow where they will. Let their memories of Thanksgiving be full of air. 

_*_*_

Standing Guard

Long ago I tread a path
A misty woodland way
I had no company along the trek
So the trees could have their say

They spoke to me in silence
With movement seen not heard
And I replied in quiet kind
Walking without a word

The day ahead held demands
Devoid of mist and air
I could not whine or complain
Or do what trees don't dare

Beneath the ground unseen by all
Their roots do intertwine
Reminding me the path ahead
Leads home to all that's mine

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: 
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
Visit my bookshelf at: 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/KCKendricks

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at The Hideaway/Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Thanksgiving, family, LGBT gay romance, Kindle romance, m/m romance, changing times, generations, a writer's life, new style family, poems, Just the Rain

I got lucky

 November 22, 2025

I had a little incident with a deer two weeks or so ago. 

I got lucky, not dead. The rut is on and a doe ran out of the woods and into my car. I saw her coming so I was almost stopped, but she suddenly came towards me instead of veering away. BOOM!

More of the story is posted over at Holly Tree Manor with pictures of my Charger. 

https://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com/2025/11/and-then-this-happened.html

I got lucky.

KC Kendricks

I gave myself permission

 

November 13, 2025

I gave myself permission to go MIA on the blogs. I was having a difficult time keeping up with everything and I finally just yelled STOP. Stop. 

So I stopped for a little while. Do you know how difficult that was to do? I'm the generation who listened to Helen Reddy proclaim, "I am woman, hear me roar!" The thing is, I wasn't roaring. I was spinning my wheels. So I stopped. 

It was time to do something different so I made some videos. Yea, me! Go check them out to see me gardening, riding around on the tractor, using a chainsaw, and other real-life country pursuits. I didn't do anything special, I just did my day. I'll probably do more videos so that some day in the distant future I can show the old codgers in the nursing home that I really did all these things. 

Giving myself permission to stop did come with a price. I have three manuscripts that remain unfinished. I reminded myself that in the beginning, I did not set out to be a published author. I set out to write a book, which I did. That was my goal - write a book. Somewhere along the line my priorities shifted and I tried to please my mother and my husband. But did I please myself? Yes, I did, at least for a while. Now I'm reflecting back on the years to see them in a clearer light. 

I think I need to give myself permission to once again be a writer. I think my years as a caregiver to my stepfather, to my mother, to my husband took a huge toll on my emotional health. Then I needed to go through the beginning stages of grief, and grieving doesn't end. It changes, but it's always there. 

So many seasons have passed in my life, and there are many more to come. I hope I'm ready because they will come whether they are welcome or not. 

_*_*_*_*_*_*_

KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: 
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
Visit my bookshelf at: 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KCKendricks

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at The Hideaway/Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, life seasons, m/m romance, writing, LGBT gay romance, Kindle romance, grief, grieving process, life permissions