CLAY COUNTY – The beauty of nature has a profound effect on us all, even if we’re not aware of it.

It’s the gateway from which the world outside is reflected inwards. When we appreciate the beauty of the outside world, we nourish the soul within. When we find wonder in nature, we are reminded of our enthusiasm for life. When we make peace with the world around us, we find peace in ourselves.

But what is it about nature that makes us feel or declare that it is beautiful? What drives us to write poetry and paint landscapes, to capture the beauty that is all around us?

For many, beauty comes from the delight of simply being alive. It is the growth and development of all things, a cycle of life and death. For Clay County resident, Mandarin High Principal and poet Dr. Donna Richardson, beauty is the presence of God. It is a reminder that life is precious, and that we mustn't take it for granted.

“The observance of nature and the presence of God in every part of life spurs my creativity,” said Richardson. “I write odes, to remind myself and others to be grateful for the world around us. In a world full of ugliness, we must focus on beauty.”

Richardson just published her first collection, “Hear my Heart: Poems That Speak to Life,” which covers 50 years of writing poetry. The heart-warming book became available on Sept. 7 and covers many topics from beauty and the appreciation of nature, God, family and the journey that has led her to where she is today. The collection can be found on Amazon.

Many of Richardson’s poems come from her experience as a young woman to a wife, mother, student, teacher, principal, friend, grandmother – and always a Christian.

“My poems are spiritual in nature,” said Richardson.

Although Richardson didn’t grow up with a literary background, she was inspired to write by a very influential Christian role model named Yvonne White. White sang in the Baptist Church Choir just two blocks from Richardson’s childhood home for many years.

“I never forgot her influence in my life and can still hear her singing "His Eye is on the Sparrow '' in my dreams. She had a beautiful soprano voice,” Richardson said.

Many of Richardson's poems emulate the rhythm, flow, and expression of a spiritual hymn.

“I want my poetry to sing,” she said.

“Hear My Heart: Poems that Speak to Life” captures both the beauty of life and the challenges along the way. But even through those challenges, Richardson trusts in her faith to lead her through even the most trying aspects of life.

“Having a child with Leukemia impacted my heart and made me gain insight into the power of prayer and the responsibility of parenting,” she said. “Losing my parents was another difficult trial while marrying my high school sweetheart was a beautiful experience. Becoming a mother and a grandmother enveloped me in love and inspired me to write. Working on my four college degrees and becoming a teacher and principal inspired and rewarded me. Even retirement and growing older motivates me to write and provides me more time to do so.”

Throughout her busy career, Richardson lets life “just roll over her.” The beautiful and the ugly. “I took moments to compose some of my deepest thoughts. I wrote all of these on pieces of paper and just tucked them away until I decided to share them with the world,” she said.

The poems deal with both the beauty and fleetingness of life and the importance of treasuring every second that we have. The words within this volume will speak to anyone journeying through this life and searching for a companion. They are written from Donna's heart to an audience of whoever wishes to share her story.

“I want people to gain pleasure, comfort, and possibly a similar connection to one or more of my experiences and emotions,” she said. “I hope to entertain and evoke certain emotions from the reader, as, when I wrote each one of them, I included a part of myself which I can never recapture.”

Beauty can be found even in the most unlikely places. We don’t need to open our eyes to find them, but our hearts. While there is so much beauty in this collection; “A kiss of dew upon a rose, a ray of light at dawn, a butterfly wing in a graceful pose, and a swiftly fleeing fawn. A tiger stalking a lonely prey, a beetle seeking cover. A mallard soaring above the day, and a seagull's perfect hover," she wrote in “A Kiss of Dew,” real beauty is more than just jotted observations from an open window.

It comes from the emotional response of the reader, the feeling of joy and grief and wonder and everything in between. Thus, Richardson captures the most crucial part of the experience of beauty. She captures the essence of life.

“Writing fulfills me and enables me to share my heart with my fellow man. I want people to gain pleasure, comfort, and possibly a similar connection to one or more of my experiences and emotions,” she said. A sampling of comments on the book’s recent publication includes:

“After reading through these heart-felt poems I was truly touched and impressed with the poet’s grasp of words and rhyme. She certainly touched my heart and I will read them over and over again. I loved it!”

Isabelle Batchelder

Clay County Resident

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“Hear My Heart: Poems That Speak To Life'' is indeed a book from the heart. It is an invitation into the author’s own life as a faithful woman, wife, mother, and educator. The beauty of the landscape of Dr. Richardson’s life is reflected in her poetry. These poems will engage and inspire the reader.”

The Rev. Celeste R. Tisdelle

Green Cove Springs

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“Dr. Donna Richardson’s “Hear My Heart: Poems That Speak To Life” is set to inaudible music, a timbre to lift the soul. It imagines vividly, speaks volumes and gives life to those unspoken words we wish we had said, but left unsaid often. Poems are rooted in the tapestry of our lives, rich in color and sown with fabric which can be spun only if the heart desires. This book is a triumph of serenity, solace, and strength, occasionally punctuated with a sense of poignancy, that can only rise to the surface from a heart tethered to a gentle soul. It is a labor of love imbued with an opulence of dignity.”

Shoumen Palit Austin Datta

MIT School of Engineering