Cristina Jill

Late Ripeness “Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year, I felt a door opening in me and I entered the clarity of early morning. One after another my former lives were departing, like ships, together with their sorrow. And the countries, cities, gardens, the bays of seas assigned to my brush came closer, ready now to be described better than they were before. I was not separated from people, grief and pity joined us. We forget - I kept saying - that we are all children of the King. For where we come from there is no division into Yes and No, into is, was, and will be. We were miserable, we used no more than a hundredth part of the gift we received for our long journey. Moments from yesterday and from centuries ago - a sword blow, the painting of eyelashes before a mirror of polished metal, a lethal musket shot, a caravel staving its hull against a reef - they dwell in us, waiting for a fulfillment. I knew, always, that I would be a worker in the vineyard, as are all men and women living at the same time, whether they are aware of it or not.” ~ Czeslaw Milosz ~ My name is Cristina Jill Mosqueda Cooper. I pause looking at my name, and think about how much there is to explain with those words alone. My mother gave me a name to use in each of my worlds, Cristina for my Cuban life, and Jill for the American life. I suppose it is there were the paradoxes of my life began. I have been many things in my life, from a housekeeper to a high school history teacher; but no matter what else I did, I was always a writer. I love words and the power and passion which they can be used to create. I love reading words, writing words, speaking words, and listening to words – especially words from people that I love and respect. It is my desire to live life on my own terms, and willingly or not, I have paid the price demanded, by the world, to be myself. I share my life with Kate, with whom I have lived for the last 23 years, and Miss Merry Margaret, our little mutt who really is the world’s most perfect dog. I also travel, cook, garden, sculpt, and make large messes doing all of the above. Welcome to my world, that is all for now.

Web Site: http://thatisallfornow.com


The Dialogue

February 18, 2018

Family on the Day of Mother’s Memorial Service   I believe most of these pictures were taken by Kate.  This was the day of my Mother’s memorial service, January 6, 2013.  The pictures have sat in a photo file for years, literally, as this is not a day I wanted to revisit; however, they...
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Poet’s Corner

February 18, 2018

Clickity Clack I am feeling a need to run and roam. A need to be free, to breath clean air and see clear horizons. I am feeling trapped inside these four windowless walls with fluorescent lights and nine by twelve screens. “May I help you?” “Please hold.” “One moment please.” Clickity clack. Clickity clack....
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Public Square

February 15, 2018

President James Abram Garfield’s Home and Grave Site “The world’s history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains have been pealing along down the centuries, and though there have been mingled the discords of warring cannon and dying men, yet...
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In the Wild!

February 13, 2018

So High Above     Driving through the Grand Tetons, looking out at the Snake River, I spotted this nest, sitting on top of an electric pole.  The romantic in me would like to believe that those are two little eaglets, waiting for mom to come home with supper.     But in truth,...
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Art

February 12, 2018

To love a painting is to feel that this presence is… not an object but a voice. ~ Andre Malraux ~      The Confab by Eastman Johnson Okay, how did they get up so high? Where did that tiny bouquet of flowers come from, it seems rather chilly for fresh flowers. The innocents...
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Perfect Post Cards – Picture and a Thousand Words

February 8, 2018

Good Lucky Olympians!     As the world prepares for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, to be held February 9 to the 25, of 2018, in PyeongChang, South Korea; we would like to stop and wish those competing a safe and successful Olympic experience. This month we share with you a Perfect Post Card,...
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From the Editor

February 1, 2018

Gratitude and Baked Alaska     “The most common claim about the name baked Alaska is that it was coined at Antoine’s, a restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, by its chef de cuisine Antoine Alciatore in 1867 to honor the acquisition by the United States of Alaska from the Russian Empire on March...
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Reflections

January 27, 2018

The International Holocaust Remembrance Day     Holocaust Memorial By Ofra Friedland   There are various days, around the world, which are set aside to remember the six million Jewish people who were murdered in the Holocaust between 1933 and 1945. The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as designated by the United Nations is January...
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In Nature

January 22, 2018

A Baby Coconut Palm       When we bought our house in South Florida, one of its strongest selling points, at least for me, was that the large yard was undeveloped.  There were a few shrubs near the house and a few succulents; but otherwise I had a clean canvas to work on!...
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Favorite Books

January 19, 2018

Sitting By My Bedside     “One sure window into a person’s soul is his reading list.” ~ Mary B. W. Tabor ~ What are you reading?  Are you looking for your next great read?  Here is a look at what is sitting by my bedside, and which I am pleased to recommend. Let...
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Art


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