TO BE LOVED by Carolyn Riker
“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of her life, every quality of her mind, is written large in her words.” – Virginia Woolf
Carolyn’s first book, Blue Clouds: A Collection of SOUL’S CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE is also available for purchase from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more information on Carolyn’s books visit the book page on her website.
About Carolyn:
“Carolyn (Riker) Avalani, MA, LMHC is a writer, counselor, and teacher residing in the Pacific Northwest. Her poetry and prose have appeared in various journals and five anthologies. This Is Love is her second collection of poetry and prose. Her first, Blue Clouds, was published in 2016. Carolyn has a vivid imagination, supported well by her plump ginger cat. She has a private counseling practice and also provides writing workshops. Her third and fourth book of poems is in the incubation phase of unfolding truths.” From the back book jacket of This is Love
To learn more about Carolyn visit her website, and follow her on the following social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Carolyn and I began following one another on Twitter several years ago, and she has become someone I see as a friend. Her words are lyrical and always leave me in a deep state of reflection, often speechless and for those who know me, well, let’s just say they know I am seldom speechless. Carolyn writes about much more than love, she also writes about the things that are relevant to our world today, whether it’s standing up for those who struggle to stand up for themselves, the injustice of life, racism, and the political climate we have found ourselves in since the 2016 Presidential campaign. Carolyn is also a strong advocate of voting and recently wrote the following on the topic:
“Voting is important but it is also important to vote for ourselves. What I mean by that is we can each make a difference by adding our voice, actions, commitment, and involvement to our community, family, churches, temple, and schools. We can find ways to make connections with neighbors. That gathering of young parents might need the eldership of one who has been there who can smile and support and love. Laughter is the joy of generations. When we can cultivate a dialogue with people who are different than you and me, all sorts of unseen beauty can pour through. We can feel the commonality when trust sees our heart and empathy expands across languages and beliefs and into the subtle smiles, tears, waves, head nods, shaking of a hand and if we are fortunate to receive as well as give a compassionate hug. When we vote, let’s put our names on the ballot too because we are the people who are seeing the feels, healing the bruises, sharing the grocery stores, having that spare egg or sugar or flour when a neighbor runs out. We are the infrastructure under those we vote for and that to me is the democracy I want to be a part of.” – With much Love & Respect, Carolyn
When it comes down to it, this too is love.
Book Reviews & Musings 