Amazon Review
Congratulations to Gabriela, Hikari, and Contributers! Hiaku for Soulmates is #1 in Japan, US & UK!
Author / Cheryl Batavia
Perfect Mothers? Perfect Children?
Perfect Mothers? Perfect Children?
No perfect parents,
no perfect children exist!
But love perfects us.
Love brings us perfect joy in
a world of imperfection.
Copyright © 2026 by Cheryl Batavia
Happy Mother’s Day!
Wishing a Joyous Mother’s Day to Mothers and Families Everywhere!
I am overjoyed to be celebrating Mother’s Day with my daughters on the annual road trip we have missed for the last two years due to Robert’s and my illnesses. My daughters are giving me the swim with the dolphins in the Keys that I missed last year as a Mother’s Day gift. My daughter Katey is making me photo albums with old and new family photos for Mother’s Day. We will be taking two boat tours in Everglades National Park. I plan on eating a little Key lime pie and hopefully, seeing some flamingos.
Our visit will be from 5/14- 5/20. I will share a post on our trip after we return.
I am also looking forward to a Mother’s day call from my son. We will celebrate when we can!
Ellen and Katey Meet Skipper, the Dolphin: Shallow Water Dolphin Swim, Theater of the Sea, Islamorada, FL
Haiku for Soulmates Anthology coming soon!
Gabriela Marie Milton, Editor
Many thanks to Gabriela for the opportunity to participate in this anthology project. It was fun writing the haiku, and it is an honor to have my work included. Congratulations to Gabriela and to all the many contributors!
Since moving to this house five years ago, one thing I have missed is the ecstatic serenades of mockingbirds. This spring, a virtuoso mockingbird moved into our neighborhood. Here is a tribute to that talented new neighbor who has been singing his heart out all morning!
Mockingbird performs
sweet repertoire of songs;
joy to my morning!
Copyright© 2026 by Cheryl Batavia
We Call for Peace
Los Angeles, No Kings Protest. Photo by Chris Long from Unsplash.
*I have no issues with constitutional monarchies.
We Call for Peace
We Citizens of the World,
banners unfurled,
support human rights,
and we’ve set our sights
on democracy and equality,
justice and opportunity.
We call for wars to cease,
an era of good will and peace.
Copyright© 2026 by Cheryl Batavia
PEACE!
Netting in Lemon Bay, Reblog
Netting in Lemon Bay
For several hours that morning, in blazing sun,
our group waded in the knee-deep muck
of Lemon Bay, netting sea creatures
and collecting them in pails. Then we gathered
on shore with the naturalist to observe and
discuss the animals we had found:
juvenile flounder, shrimp, tiny crabs…
I left a bit early because I had a lunch date
with a man who lived nearby.
We had been communicating on Plenty of Fish
and were meeting for the first time.
Woops! There were no showers at the park!
I cleaned up the best I could with a wet towel.
Still sweaty on top and muddy on the bottom,
I went to meet my date at Chili’s.
We met in the parking lot with a hug
and a kiss on the cheek, not my usual handshake.
We talked for two hours over chicken fajitas.
Time flew by! I felt I had known him forever!
…That’s how I met my soul mate!
Reprinted from Life in Inspiring Places
Copyright© 2019 by Cheryl Batavia
Robert and I have been together for eleven very happy years since that meeting at Chili’s. I was sixty-five, and he was sixty-six when we met. My husband had been dead for over twelve years before I started dating, and I had nearly given up on ever finding a soul mate… someone with whom I have so much in common!
Favorite Photos
Favorite Photos
Some photos retain their magic,
their power to evoke memories
and affections awakened
some time ago.
Robert, I never thought
I would love a man
who wore his hat indoors
or went to bed with his socks on.
This photo reminds me
how quickly I changed my mind
when I met you!
Maybe it was the flowers…
and a thousand other things!
I’ll love you always.
Copyright © 2026 by Cheryl Batavia
This photo was taken in 2014. The poem was one of the first written for Robert and made into a card.
When the Sun Shines
When the Sun Shines
When the sun shines, I love you.
When the rain falls, I love you.
When the wind blows, I love you.
In the moonlight, I love you.
In the starlight, I love you.
In the dark of night, I love you.
In the hurricanes of life, you are there.
When all of nature smiles, you are there.
Every moment of my life is better
because you are there!
Copyright© 2026 by Cheryl Batavia
Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️
Love to our soulmates,
to friends and family,
to fellow bloggers.
Love and Joy to the world!
Life on the Blue Planet Here! Finally!
My Mother, Marian Nicholson at the beach a week before her 90th birthday.
Quoting Mom
__Life on the Blue Planet
You Might as Well Laugh as Cry!
For about three years, this book has been ready to be published. I approved it for publication in September, 2025 and announced here on my blog that it was coming soon. I am so sorry for the delay in publication and for the unauthorized disaster of an ebook!
I do not understand quite how that happened, but rather than trying to place blame, I will just take my mother’s good advice… laugh, and continue working on the projects I have underway. I hope to return to blogging soon.
Love to all my Fellow Bloggers,
Cheryl
Press Release
Foreword &Acknowledgments
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
❤️
Happy Holidays! 2026
Winter Wonderland, Christmas Market in Old Toronto, Canada. Photo by Manpreet Singh from Unsplash.
We Celebrate Life
We celebrate life
in the sad, dark days of wars…
an act of courage!
Believing in a future
of brighter, happier days.
Living in chaos…
We envision harmony!
Living in wartime…
We seek negotiation,
cooperation, and peace!
Whether Diwali,
Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas,
Kwanzaa, or Solstice,
we celebrate brotherhood
and one human family!
We celebrate life,
cherishing nature’s wonders ,
and our hopes and dreams.
Mindful of the light that shines
in the darkest hour of night.
We celebrate life
in the sad, dark days of war…
an act of courage!
Hope, like a glowing candle,
illuminates the new year.
Diwali lamp. Photo by Janardan Mahto from Unsplash.
Ramadan Lanterns. Photo by Rawan Yasser from Unsplash.
Hanukkah Menorah. Photo by Robert Thiemann from Unsplash
Advent Wreath, Christmas. Photo by KaLisa Veer from Unsplash.
Photo by Greta Hoffman from Pexels
Bonfire, Winter Solstice. Photo by Joe Batavia
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
PEACE
“Let There Be Peace on Earth…”
Happy Holidays!
Wishing You a Joyous and Peaceful Holiday Season!
Robert & Cheryl
Turkeys’ Thanksgiving
Turkeys’ Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day we gather,
turkeys of many feathers.
Together we celebrate
not being on someone’s plate.
Whatever our race or creed,
Thankful hearts are all we need.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Photo by Joanna Koskinska from Unsplash
Happy Holidays from Robert and Cheryl!
I am going to be off the blog celebrating the holidays. The holiday gift I want most is a world at peace. Let’s hope 2026 will be peaceful. See you in the New Year!
Gulf Coast Poet 