New York’s Hudson River Valley. November 2019
Nine years ago, I found myself at a crossroads in my life and writing career. After a period of restlessness, I knew it was time to start something new.
Although I’d written two blogs before, I wanted to take those topics that I still loved—beauty and art—and create something different: a new blog. This blog would be beautiful itself, with great design, photos, and writing. I wanted it to be pleasing to the eye, the mind, and the spirit.
Morning walk in the neighborhood. July 2017
The search for a special name for this idea led me to seek out an expert in naming projects—my husband, Mart.
We talked about what the purpose of the blog: writing and showing beauty I’d seen and experienced myself.
Even though there’s so much beauty to discover, we don’t notice it because we are dashing through our days or caught in the rut of routine. Or worse, the ugliness and darkness of the world has deadened us to the presence of beauty, light, and life.
My desire was that others would be encouraged to seek out the beauty in their lives, so their lives could also be enriched and enlivened. By stopping to notice beauty in the moment, they’d be giving themselves permission to pause, catch their breath, and slow down the fast pace of their day. Perhaps they’d get a spark of inspiration or sense of delight in the midst of daily to-dos.
How to say all of this and more in just one name? Hmm…
After brainstorming with Mart, I chose the Middle English word, Glimsen, which means a glimpse or glimmer. So, with this new blog, I’d be sharing glimpses of the beauty around us, whether it’s in nature, the arts, or even the unexpected.
The implication behind the name is that I can show you only glimpses, but there’s so much beauty out there just waiting for you to discover too.
Road trip, Gulfport, MS. March 2022.
After choosing the name, I hired a design firm to build my website and started writing my first posts and collecting photos for them. Then, when I was ready, I threw a blog launch party and invited a houseful of friends and family to come see my latest project and celebrate with me.
Launch party, July 2016
That’s how Glimsen was born nine years ago.
Since then, I’ve been happy with that original design, and many of you have commented through the years about how much you like it too. One person said, “I like your blog. I find it peaceful and engaging and calming. In a world full of noise, you create snatches of tranquility.”
Comments like that keep me going.
Rocky Mountain National Park. September 2025.
Recently, though, I realized it was past time to redesign the website, so I reached out to the design team again a few months ago. Since then, we’ve been collaborating on Glimsen’s new look.
And I’m so excited to be unveiling it to you today!
July 4th with friends in Umbria, Italy. 2018.
Now, to help me celebrate, I’m sponsoring a scavenger hunt on the website with prizes.
The first four people who do one of the things in the list below will get their choice of prizes. Here’s how you can win:
Go to the website at glimsen.net.
In the menu, choose Blog. Look for the recent post “Finding Fall Beauty”. Go to the end of the post, and sign up to receive the blog posts in your inbox. When you do, you’ll receive a free piece of printable art called “Fall Beauty.”
If you are already a subscriber:
Go to the About page. Which of the nature photos on that page do you like best and why? OR
In the Shop, what are the two notecards that are not in the Seasons collection? OR
Share one of my Glimsen posts on Facebook or Instagram.
After doing one of these things, if you are one of the first four people who emails me with your response, you will win one set of your choice of the notecards in the Shop.
If you do two of these things, you will get copy of my book, Glimmers of Hope.
Happy hunting! And remember to email me at glimsenblog@gmail dot com.
Take a look around and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy!
Are you receiving my blog posts by email? Here at Glimsen, I share glimpses of the beauty around us in nature, the arts, and the unexpected. If you would like to see more, click the button below to receive my posts and updates by email, and you'll also get a free printable gift of beauty in your inbox. I look forward to connecting with you!