To Do List

I have so many thoughts...contemplations meandering through my mind. Some of them full of hope and promise--running wild with happiness and then some that drift sadly to rest at the bottom of my heart...sediment I need to shake up and get rid of. The past few days have been an emotional wake. While I tend to do well during stressful times and keep a positive and encouraging frame of mind, that doesn't mean at some point I don't need to deal with the weight that fills me up. Last Friday my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a rare disease--hardening of the lungs. Have you ever heard of this? The doctors have given her only two years at the most to live. This comes as quite a shock to us as she seems fairly healthy now, with only the average aging ailments to burden her. She's made a "bucket list," so my husband is going to take time off from work to travel with her a few places to accomplish those things she wants to do. I think we all have a bucket list, but what we don't have is a pre-determined time frame in which we need to get everything finished...well, maybe we DO have the time frame, we just don't have knowledge about it. I don't think I would want to know, would you?


There is so much to be thankful for in the every day and no matter what kind of "bucket list" we have it seems to me that our efforts should be grounded in our spiritual attempt to bring the very best of ourselves to God. If we were to lay a gift at His feet we would make certain it was the best of what we had...maybe not the best available, but the very best WE could offer. Shouldn't this be how our lives are lived? Instead of chasing quantity and training our minds to praise God for our tangible blessings, shouldn't we praise Him by the quality of time we fill each moment up with? Imagine offering Him a moment of silence filled with your own deep appreciation of all the unique observations you've been able to experience. I think He'd rather like that - knowing our capacity for love included the very experiences He gifts us with daily. It's strange for me to think about my own mortality. I naturally feel the urge to want to accomplish whatever I have let slip by the wayside or have been unable to do, but part of me also feels an acute need to just be silent and enjoy the every day just as it has been given to me. I do have a "bucket list" but I think I'd rather it be termed something more innovative and renewable to reflect the living aspect...to do for the sake of joy instead of because time is running out. The latter is a given.

Life is short. Be happy.

perspective

I love change. I enjoy the promise of each new morning not knowing what to fully expect. I love that feeling when a plan comes together and it rings of God's touch...when the most complex things are suddenly made to seem simple, ordinary, and very do-able. Makes me wonder what there ever was to worry about. If only the mind would realize what the heart already does...

the simple things

I am so grateful for the quiet joys that fill my heart...
for contentment in simple things.

As I watch my mother rub her aching hands

I know she appreciates these simple things far more than I.

I can smooth the wrinkles from her quilt
that is now on my bed.

I wish I could smooth them from her as easily.

When I touch her face there is so much love.

Sweet softness that will never fade from my heart.

I try to be observant of the wind blowing through the grass

and how each blade reaches toward the sun.

There's more going on here than meets the eye.

Every day there is more going on than I can see,

but I am so thankful for that which is revealed to me
physically, mentally, spiritually.

It's the simplicity I find in these days lately

that makes each breath I take feel meaningful.

Small things give me time to reflect.

When a homeless person thanks me
for the butter on their bread it makes me think.

When my aging mother smiles with her eyes
it melts my heart.

When the day unwinds, my tasks are finished
and I am very aware

of how blessed I am by each moment...

each simple moment.

sharing the love

Today promises to be filled with JOY. My house is still clean from the weekend so that gives me extra time to play. I'm meeting a friend for lunch. I'm starting a new book. There is a nice cool breeze outside. I have almost four weeks of summer vacation left. Donna from Cottage Days & Journeys has gifted me with this lovely award. I am bursting with energy with a multitude of possibilities in how I can spend it. It's going to be another BEAUTIFUL day.



Thank you Donna for Sharing The Love! I visited Memoirs of a Mommy to see how this award originated and it is a touching story. I would encourage everyone to read it. It brings great joy to help others, but we never really know when we might be the ones needing a little generosity ourselves. This story speaks volumes about the grace that is found in the relationship between giving and receiving. I believe I am suppose to share this award and I always have such difficulty picking and choosing for these things and especially for this one because you have ALL shared your love with encouraging words and little hugs along the way. I would really like to share this loving little icon with every one of you who take the time to read my blog...so take it and then YOU go share the love! Oh and if you are looking for ideas or ways to reach out to others...visit Here or Here. Sharing The Love is a big idea, but I really think we can pull this off if we put all of our small ideas together and I would LOVE to hear what yours is or how others have helped you.

Make sure when you take this award you link it back to its creator at

Memoirs of a Mommy.

just beautiful

WISHING you a day of appreciation...

~a few moments to be still in,

where you can just be your beautiful self

in this beautiful world

on this beautiful Monday...

(I know I'm stretching it a bit,
but it's always best to have an optimistic approach).

make a wish

"A weed is just a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Childhood wishes blowing in the wind...little moments filled with the promises of all that ever could be...

I hope I never get so old or serious that I don't take time to blow the soft seeds of a dandelion crown and watch them drift away...

Today I wish for...
a sense of accomplishment, a little sign that will reassure me all this hard work is getting me closer to my goal.

What's your wish?

Wishing you a day to feel in

to breathe in

to contemplate your dreams in

A day that will blossom and reveal

all the possibilities you didn't

know were there before.

Goodbye January...

Goodbye January of my 43rd year. Each month comes and goes...like the ocean tide. Each one bringing a few unexpected treasures and sometimes a little debris to deal with...and even though the sand shifts and the landscape changes, it is a beautiful place to be. I am wondering what will roll in with February...

Fun Times

Ah, saturday....another day to love and learn in. I had so much fun yesterday. I met my friend for lunch and we visited for a very long time. Both our birthdays are in May but we have not seen each other so we exchanged long overdue gifts with one another. We planned a day trip one day next week to go to the coast, I hope that works out. She is so cute, she got her nose pierced, something I have actually thought about doing but just haven't gotten up the nerve. Our reasons for doing so are quite different but nonetheless I think it is cute on her. I have thought about doing it because I am a very strong advocate of embracing diversity. In the classroom I want to reach students beyond Shakespeare and Chaucer because I know that if they feel a connection with the teacher they will be more enthusiastic about the material. I genuinely care about the students and I know they have many things going on in their busy lives. Many people say they celebrate diversity but talking the talk and walking the walk are entirely different. I think a nose piercing is a notion of walking the walk and it could possibly bridge the gap of generational stagnancy. One of my teacher friends says it will make be bi-lingual and that has kind of stuck in my head. In California, nose piercings are quite common. Of course many other things are as well, but nose piercings have almost reached the social acceptance of ear piercings. I haven't done it yet but I am thinking about it. Last night Kristin had to babysit and after she got the children to bed she had me come over and watch a movie with her. It was fun hanging out with her. She is so wonderful with the children. She is going to make a good mommy someday. She generally makes more money babysitting than she does at the coffee house. She currently has 3 families that she sits for and they call months in advance to get her. She babysat until 1:00 a.m. and then had to be at the coffeehouse by 5:30 a.m. She is going to be very tired today. This evening is Stephen's wedding. I can't believe some of these kids are getting married. I have a gift basket to put together for them. Thank goodness it is in the evening because it has been particularly hot. Well have a wonderful weekend doing whatever you love to do. I do not post on Sundays but on Monday I will be back with news and hopefully pictures of completed Summer projects!

Music, Kids, and Nature

"Good Day Sunshine"...I have that song by The Beatles bouncing around in my head this morning. Music in the morning is a good indicator that it is destined to be a wonderful day. I am getting a rather late start to my morning. I actually slept in this morning until 8:45, but I haven't decided whether that is good or bad. It felt good, yes, but I really feel cheated out of "Quiet Time" which I find to be an essential part of my being. Yesterday turned out to be such a nice day. I came home to my children playing music together. Kristin is writing a song and Erik and her were singing it, getting the tempo right and the bugs worked out. I absolutely loved it. I can't wait for it to be finished. I can't decide who she sounds like. Kind of a blend of Jewel and Imogen Heap? Not sure, but it sounds great. I love to see the kids exploring their talents together! I remember a time when they could not stand to breathe next to each other. They never really fought alot, they just pestered and annoyed each other. Now at the ages of 20 and 17 they get along wonderfully. I had always hoped they would become close. They often do things together and seek advise from each other. I think if I had life to do all over again I would have more children. Maybe two more. Erik and I had this conversation the other day. Many of his friends are engaged or recently married and so far 2 out of 3 are choosing to not have children (of course God may have other plans) and this really surprises me. Erik was explaining how it was biologically responsible and I was dreading to hear that this may be a path he was considering, because I definitely want grandchildren someday. He toyed with me for awhile and then shared that he would like to have 2 children (still 0 population growth). I was relieved because I have big plans for those days. I have enjoyed my children beyond measure and I think the next best thing will be grandchildren. I realize that it is living in the future, but it is something I really look forward to (not for awhile though). Erik has about another year at home before he heads off to grad school and Kristin is just getting started. It will be interesting to see how they grow. Yesterday I drove out to San Luis Wildlife Reserve and it was too hot and dry to witness much activity. I did stop and listen and thought it would be a wonderful place to write. I saw Tule Elk, doves, crawdads, and carp sucking on the banks of the river. They make a funny sound. There were also many wasps and bumblebees flying around so I stayed in the car most of the time. I could see a definite need for picking up litter. The kiosk said the best time for wildlife is November through April. I think I will take my camera out there and spend a day shooting. There is so much to see. Until then I think it would be very satisfying to spend a little time picking up garbage. It is difficult for me to imagine how people could be so careless in such a beautiful area. Litter is probably one of my biggest pet peeves and I don't have many. I need to get busy! I have to mail out some of my Dahlberg Daisy seeds to some of my GardenHere friends. Sharing is fun.