Day of Rest

I couldn't upload at the time, but this was the sunrise on Inaugural Day:



That strip of white is the river frozen over. It's been Arctic, here.

I love the contrast of the gorgeous sky to the wintery-grey landscape.

So: today will prolly be my last post until next weekend. I'll be heading out v. early tomorrow to go traveling with THE John Morgan for John Morgan Seminars in New England. *sigh* I have to do math. On the upside, it's John Morgan!

This Tues. is my b-day. This is when I celebrate my own personal new year. A year ago today I said goodbye to Barkley. This morning when I woke up, I felt her with me. I felt the peace of acceptance, but also the gratitude for having her in my life, and the supreme love that never dies. Last year was full of some difficult good-byes. This year I want to say hello to a few more happy things.

Marlene's Birthday

Last weekend, we celebrated Niece Marlene's 3rd birthday. I LOVE this girl. She's so smart and funny. A familiar refrain is, Marlene! What are you doing? She replies, Plotting and scheming. Thanks to my brother.

On the famous YouTube stairs.

SIL was v. wise to get ONE balloon colour. Noooooo! I want the red ballooooooon! All avoided. It was a smallish affair with just the extended fam of aunties & grandparents. SIL picked up a cake. As a fan of Cakewrecks, I was hoping for something with a bit more wreckiness, but we got this:

You call yourself a Cakewreck?

Cakewreck worthy? Well no. But I do appreciate the migrating border in all its ploppiness. And the squiggly writing. And the brown leaves around the Crisco roses; v. appropriate for the winter season. Cue music: All the leaves are brown . . .all-the-leaves-are-brown . . . and the sky is grey . . . and-the-sky-is-grey . . . . If only it said "Happe Brithday" or we'd had a few misplaced quote marks. Alas.

That night at dinner after the rest of the extended fam left, we were at dinner. Mum asked Marlene how she liked her birthday. It was incredible, she replied. That's right, she's 3.

To the "brithday" gril:

May you're thrid year be

as good as to.

Underneat that write

Yay U in blue

Wild Turkeys

Yesterday, I looked out my window to see a flock of wild turkeys trotting down my driveway. By the time I got my camera, having learned from my previous experience of trying to photograph them, they were pretty much over the crest. It was a huge flock, really! But then, THEN!

I looked out my other window and I saw this:

But they saw me and headed back into the wood. Turkeys are FAST! Did you know Ben Franklin wanted the national bird to be the turkey? They're smart and fast and so tasty.

Anyway, so all I have is this photo that accentuates the dirt on my windows. Really, they don't look that dirty! I can't wash them on the outside without a BIG ladder. Well, I could. If I were my mother.

Seeing clearly

This is a quote from Jerry Stocking's book, Laughing with God. I was going to write an essay around this quote. But . . . I need more clarity. When you see something for what it is, when you shift your awareness, there is an easiness that comes with change. It's not so hard. Life doesn't have to be so hard. It is our struggle against what we think it should be. I recently bought a case of Trader Joe's chocolate truffles. Travel with truffles, I say. I can't eat them myself; I love chocolate but it gives me migraines. I have a fellow Gluten Free person tell me she doesn't buy them because they have gluten in them. I said I wasn't eating them, they were gifts. Well, it's the principle of it, she said with emotional intensity.

Principle? There's a principle? They're truffles! I'm not against eating them. They're just not good for me. I'm for the health of my body. It's OK for other people. They can eat chocolate-animals-gluten-dairy-caffeine-whatever. If someone can get this emotional about glutened chocolate, can you imagine what else we get our panties in a twist about? Have you ever met a peace activitist? I am just not angry enough to be one.

What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Clarity. Still looking.

A day of WOW's

What a day yesterday, huh? Even if you're not an Obama fan, he gives quite the inspirational speech. Can you imagine him helping his daughters with their homework?

Sasha, many before you have tooooooiled with their science projects but they have prevailed! And so will you, for today is a new day of hope for not just you, but aaaaaahll children in our great nation. God bless America!

Kidding aside, I was so inspired by his grace and el-O-quence. And Yo-Yo Ma's cello--HEAVEN! I was lost in the beauty-of-the-moment. WOW!

And then . . . THEN! There was this:

I was on the phone with John talking about the inauguration: Blah blah blah el-O-quent, blah blah blah inspirational . . . and he says, "Did you see that HAT?" Hat? What hat? There was a hat? What do you say to this? WOW. I know that our convo was typical of lots of people. I had the same one with Ex-XM Radio Guy. Great speech . . . Did you see that hat?

Ah, yes. A time of healing. A time of hope. A time of hats. God bless America!

Today is a New Day

There is beauty in this moment

of Light across the land

Time to take a breath

Time to take a stand

To do what's right

To call in peace

With open arms

We are free.

May you have a new happiest day in your life. ~John Morgan

One Man Come

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

B-day Girl

Today we're celebrating Marlene's birthday. She is 3 today. And FABULOUS. Here she is in her famous YouTube film:


Now she wants to go on mylittlepony.com No clue what that is. I'm about to find out. Time to go play.

In case of a water landing

How many times have I flown and heard "in case of a water landing . . . " and thought, Right . . . water landing . . . [smirk] Well, apparently you can land on water, and hop out the door onto a ferry boat waiting there for you.

WOW!

John called me from Charlotte yesterday. Apparently our hypnotherapist Doug O'Brien takes this flight on a regular basis. AMAZING. Everyone survived. YAY for the pilot, Cap'n Sully!

Easy

'member in school when you would write extra big to fill the page when you had a report?
I was looking at Mum's gym class schedule.

Me: This looks like a good class for me.
Mum: Which one?
Me: "Easyfit".
Mum: That's for senior citizens.
Me: Oh.
Mum: I don't take that one.
Me: Of course you don't.

What Season Are You In?

Today is so frosty & c-o-l-d. COLD. I have to venture out into the world today. Have to? I get to. Summer seems so far away, but memories of it keep me warm. As does my toasty wood stove. So much of what we experience in this world is in our own world in our head. It goes through our filters and we decide how to interpret it.

Victor Frankl, was a Holocaust survivor and a psychiatrist. In his book, Man's Search for Meaning, he describes a day of digging in the frozen ground with the rest of the prisoners. It was backbreaking work under inhumane conditions. But in his mind he was with his wife feeling absolute LOVE. And warmth. He never saw her again, and he wouldn't know for years that she had already been exterminated, but for that moment, she was there with him. What he says in his book is that when all else is taken away from us: creature comforts, materials things, our family, and our freedom we still have the ability to choose your attitude and what you focus on.

The other thing is this: strip everything away and there is still love. You have the ability to feel it now at anytime. It is who we are at our core, it is what we are made up of. No matter what the circumstances, no matter what season you're in or how far away it seems, there is always LOVE. All it takes is the sincere prayer to open your heart to it and invite it in. As Rumi says,

LOVE is the religion in me.

Quote-of-the-Day

Lest some of you, and you know who you are, are quick to label this a "Hair Wash Post," read on . . .

This is the field in front of my house:

Last week I heard a noise outside the window and looked to see that it was full of wild turkeys. I counted a flock of 50. 50!!! I snuck out the back door and took a picture . . .


And this is all I got. Apparently you can't sneak up on a flock of wild turkeys.

The only mistakes I regret are those I didn't learn from. ~Richard Branson

If there's a next time, I will endeavor to snap a photo through the window.

He sees as an artist

Saturday, before the dinner-dance, I spent the day at Pioneer Sister's with the kiddliewinks. My nephew, since he was 5, LOVES the camera! So I give it to him and he happily clicks away. He took an absolutely amazing photo of my niece while she was sleeping--perfect composition. He notices colour, line, detail. And occasionally he gets frustrated because my camera doesn't capture what he's seeing. Hahahaha Me too.

Shot off the back porch.

Perfect rainy day afternoon. Incon-thev-able!

Sneaky boy.


AS YOU WISH.

Dinner Dance with Mum

If there's ever a raffle or drawing, my mother always wins something!

They had a live band. We danced to one song before we left. What's that song that Kid Rock does that sounds like Werewolves of London & Sweet Home Alabama? We danced to that.

Mum: What's the name of that dance?

Me: What dance?

Mum: That dance that we just danced to.

Me: No name.

Mum: It doesn't have a name?

Me: No, Mum. It's just called dancing.

Mum: Oh. [Pause] I like Big Bands better.

The best part of the whole evening was I saw my former favourite French teacher & husband. She must have some Dorian Grey picture in the attic that's aging for her, because she doesn't! I used to babysit for them and it was great to catch up, but it was a too-short visit. I also saw an old school friend I could not have picked out of a line up. You know how some people get so old and fat you can't recognize them? This was not her. Drop-dead gorgeous. As soon as she started talking I recognized her, tho--so gregarious & sweet. Anyway, that was our dinner dance evening.

Day of Rest

Pictured above is the collage I did on my 2006 planner/calendar: a couple poems I wrote, a couple phrases lifted from some friend's emails that inspired me. A rock wall from Sedona, a sunrise, my first Hand of God painting, still my favourite. A picture of Shiva, Parvati, & baby Ganesh~a Hindu trinity of sorts. Many people think they have a monopoly on God and then try to impose their version of God on others. They create God in their own image and then get mad when others don't agree. Silly humans!

Jerry Stocking says that the definition of love is inclusion. I think that's the nature of an enlightened experience~feeling included and at one with everything. We are in this world to experience, to learn, to grow, to love. That's my belief, what's yours? We find evidence or lack of anything through our belief systems. Is your God a loving God? Is your God a wrathful God? Is your God indifferent? Is your God non-existent? Is the world a playground or a war zone? You'll find evidence for all these, depending on what belief goggles you're wearing.

When you try on a different pair of goggles, you'll begin to see a different world. Colin Tipping says that when you have the willingness to do something, you create a space for it to manifest. You open the door to allow whatever it is, to show up in your life. What are you willing to have a new willingness about today?

Wasted Daze

The above is my all-time favourite card & quote and my basic motto. I was visiting my old teacher-friend Quinn and catching him up on the lives of my sibs. He said that as long as he's known me (since I was 14) & Brother D, we've always been willing to do something if it was funny. Everything is worth a laugh. When you wear humour goggles, the world is a v. FUNny place to be. I'm spending the a.m. with Pioneer Sister's kids. FUN!

Out of Sight . . .

Just because you can't see something,

doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Teapot Instructions

Brother D & I did some shopping at Costco for the Xmas Fam Gath. As we were walking thru, SIL called and then after he got off the phone, he said, "Oh yeah. What do you want for Christmas, Hal?" I pulled an electric teapot off the shelf. This. I ooohhhed & aaahhhhed when I opened it. "How did you know I wanted one of these? It's perfect!" So I was reading the instructions this a.m. and this is what it said:


Really? Do not pour in the direction of people or OVER people? Hahahahaha

You know that some nut prolly did this, so they have to warn against it. Or their Legal Dept. is ruling out all options of misuse. There was also the do not submerge in water while plugged warning. But I already knew about that one because I have a hairdryer. ;-)

Convo with Mum

So yesterday Mum called me.

Mum: Do you remember Bill McPorter? [not his real name]
Me: Ruth’s friend from school?
Mum: No.
Me: Oh, he was an acolyte at church?
Mum: No, he went to the karate studio.
Me:
Mum: He was a black belt?
Me:
Mum: Well, anyway. He died.
Me: Sorry to hear that?
Mum: Would you like to go to the VHCS dance at the country club with me on Saturday?
Me: Is it formal?
Mum: Well, you do have to get gussied up. You have something to wear, I’m sure.
Me: I pretty much gussy down. But I’ll look.
Mum: I have to go to Bill’s funeral before that, I don’t suppose you’d want to go to that . . .
Me: Is it open casket? Oh….Now I remember you . . . sorry you’re dead.
No, I think I’ll stick with the dance.

Sounds like a Larry David episode, doesn’t it?

Icing

No, not that kind. This kind:

Today is freezing rain. Schools are cancelled and so will my hair appointment be. Good day to stay in and read a good book or watch a movie. And this would be a good one:

Dear Frankie. AWESOME movie!

12th Day of Christmas

On this 12 Day of Christmas, I wish you:

12 months of good cheer

11 laughs a minute

10 hugs a day

9 SMILES for others

8 compliments to you

7 Lightbulb Moments

6 crowns of Glory

5 golden meditations

4 moments of Peace

3 times of BLISS

2 hearts together

1 BLESSED New Year

Day of Rest: Eleven

In honour of the 11th Day of Christmas, I give you Spinal Tap.

May today be an eleven. :-)

My cup runneth over

My cup runneth over is a great phrase, because it has dual meanings; both about abundance.

My cup runneth over: YAY, me! Everything is going my way!

OR

My cup runneth over: Enough, already. It's all too much.

Whatever cup you're holding today, when it's runnething over, it's a good time to take a pause . . . either to have a moment of gratitude for all that abundance

OR

to go to that place of stillness where you can take time to empty some of it out to make room for something different. What do you want to keep? What do you want to let go of? What are you grateful for in this moment?

Never mind if your cup is half-full or half-empty. What are you putting into your cup? You get to choose. Perhaps you're holding more than one cup. Is it yours to hold? In every moment we get to decide:
*how many cups we hold
*what kind they are
*how we will fill them and--with what.

Today my cup is a chalice filled with gratitude for all of it: the good & the bad-- because what I might judge as "bad" today, could be the best thing that ever happened to me 10 years from now. Jerry Stocking says that when you resist the bad, you deny 50% of life. Pushing it away only prolongs it.

My cup runneth over. THANK YOU.

Write it down, make it happen

Write It Down, Make It Happen is a great book. I did mention that I don't have new year's resolutions anymore, but it's because I have goals throught the year. Business & motivational speaker Brian Tracy said that if you just wrote down a list of what you want to accomplish and never looked at it again, you would begin to move toward those things on your list. 6 months later if you were to look at the list, you would find that you had accomplished many of those things. It's kind of like giving an order to the subconscious mind. While you are busy with your daily life, the subconscious remembers the direction you want to go in. I once attended a Science of Mind class with Elaine Silver many years ago. We were instructed to list 100 Things to Do, Be, & Have. Could you do it? Some people got stuck at 5 or 10 or 38. I wrote out 100 things and tucked it away in my journal where I saw it 6 months later. Brian Tracy was right! I'd accomplished 90% of the list, and the other 10% I didn't care about anymore. Time for another 100 Things for 2009.

2009: Better Days

Here's a link for the whole song. Happy 2009!