Here is an excerpt from my book:

Wildflowers can be found in the most unlikely places… in a field of summer grasses on the side of the road or poking up through a crack in the sidewalk.  They bravely bloom in situations where other flowers would wilt from lack of water. They stand tall despite the trampling of careless feet. Their blossoms are resilient and uniquely beautiful.  Once spent, they cast their seeds into the wind and wait, as seasons come and go, for just the right moment to bloom again.

Finding beauty and joy in everyday life is much like watching for wildflowers… they emerge where we least expect it, in places where we think nothing beautiful could possibly grow… and yet there they are… nodding their heads gently in the breeze.  Woven in amongst all of the ordinariness of everyday life, there is meaning and purpose. Despite the storms, and in fact sometimes because of them, these wildflowers bloom again and again.

Throughout this poetry journal, I invite you to embark on a journey of self-discovery as you search for joy and meaning in the everyday moments of your life.  I hope that in this way, these words will lead you towards greater self-awareness and growth.  Let these words be an encouragement to you, and also a catalyst for inner change.  Use the poetry and reflections in this book as an opportunity… to reflect on your life, to journal, to write poetry of your own.  Allow the words that you write to transform the way you look at your life and inspire you to make positive changes.  Most of all, throughout the everyday moments of your life, may you always be watching for wildflowers. 

          Watching for Wildflowers
              By Krista Longeway

My wish for you is a heart that is strong,
Watching and listening for life’s true song. 
Finding joy in ordinary places,
For flowers grow in surprising spaces.

By the hand of the wind, each new seed sowed,
Growing in the ditch beside a dirt road,
Or between the cracks in a paving stone,
Spreading colourful blossoms on their own.

Blowing, swaying, in a field of long grass,
Or nodding by the water, still as glass. 
Along winding paths in a shaded wood,
Showing their faces where no others could.
 
Rising bravely up again, just as sweet,
After being trampled by careless feet.
Growing, flourishing in a broken world,
Their gentle blooms daring to come unfurled.

Then, casting their seeds into the cool breeze,
They grow once again wherever they please.
With tiny new buds forming strong and bold, 
Bringing beauty to each place they take hold.

So as I meander through life, I pause. 
I know there is beauty and joy because
Throughout the day, whether sun or showers,
I’m carefully watching for wildflowers.