HI THERE! I'M BRIANNE TURCZYNSKI, FREELANCE WRITER, HISTORICAL RESEARCHER, & PERPETUAL SEEKER OF THE HUMAN CONDITION. WELCOME TO MY SPACE WHERE I SHARE THE BOOKS I'M READING, MY SPIRITUAL FINDINGS, FLOWERS IN MY GARDEN, AND LOST STORIES. ALL ARE WELCOME HERE.
I thought time in quarantine would allow me moments of quiet reflection, new creative projects, and the ability to find myself, but instead I seem to be lost. The anxious energy of the world is such that it has penetrated not only my home but my peaceful mind and spirit. The darkness has sought out … Continue reading The Book of Ezra
A SONG OF FREEDOM by Alice Mulligan . . . In Cavan of little lakes / As I was walking with the wind / And no one seen beside me there / There came a song into my mind / It came as if the whispered voice / of one, but none of human kind … Continue reading Irish Poem…
More on my journey back to the neighborhood of Poletown razed for the GM plant in 1981. Found Father Joseph Karasiewicz’s grave today against terrible wind and bone-numbing chill in a deserted graveyard. Father Joe was known as the “iron priest of Poletown”, he fought to save the Immaculate Conception church with his life. He … Continue reading Lost Story about the Iron Priest of Poletown
Oh, the wit of Walpole!! I find myself reading his letters with a perpetual smile on my face. . . . To Richard West, Esq., "About two days ago, about four o'clock in the afternoon, and about an hour after dinner, —from all which you may conclude we dine at two o'clock,—as we were picking … Continue reading Select Letters of Horace Walpole
These are only my own contemplative thoughts. You may disagree and that's OK!! "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." —1 Corinthians 13:11 . . To doubt His mercy … Continue reading First Corinthians…
The sudden warm weather in Michigan has got me thinking of the garden. A couple years ago I wrote a garden blog every week dedicated to the garden writings of Vita Sackville-West. Some days I miss her writings, her wonderful way of describing “ordinary” flowers and plants like human beings. She knew them all so … Continue reading Sissinghurst by Vita Sackville-West and Sarah Raven
Finished this yesterday. Sometimes an unread book on my shelf will call me, and I know that I am meant to read it then and there. This is one of those books. The Cevennes Journal of Robert Louis Stevenson is the elongated version of Travels with a Donkey. The editors here have let all of … Continue reading ‘Backpacking’ with Robert Louis Stevenson in the Cevennes Journals
The book of Ruth is one of the shortest books in the Bible. It is only 4 chapters, but it is essential to the lessons we learn through scripture. In Ruth man-made prejudice and rules are broken down and defied in the relationship and love between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. They come from different … Continue reading The Book of Ruth
Talk about a cozy book for the season! Prairie Avenue by Arthur Meeker is that! Prairie Avenue was a really fancy neighborhood in Chicago in the early 1900’s. This story highlights the world that goes on behind closed doors—really fancy ones—and in rooms—really fancy ones with large stone fireplaces and indoor gardens. Despite what we … Continue reading Prairie Avenue by Arthur Meeker
It’s Thanksgiving, and I’m finally getting around to sending out thank you notes from my birthday, complete with a wax insignia. Etiquette tells us thank you notes should be written before two weeks have passed from the event date. I’m just hitting that mark. I love buying stationary because I send a lot of notes. … Continue reading Celebrating Gratitude with Thank You Notes!!
BRIANNE TURCZYNSKI 