Midweek reminder: My need of God absolutely clear

Absolutely clear
Don’t surrender your loneliness
So quickly.
Let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight
Has made my eyes so soft,
My voice
So tender,

My need of God
Absolutely
Clear.

-Hāfez (1325–1390)

Friday night grateful moment

Feels good to be back to my regular routine of Friday night gratefulness. I'm all for daily gratitude, but my weekly ritual is one I've come to cherish, especially after a little break.

It was one of those short-long weeks--not enough time in the day to get it all done, but boy did a couple of the days feel especially loooong. (One I even wanted to hit the reset button on.) But, as all weeks do, time passed and here we are at the most marvelous night of them all. 

I'm so grateful for our fireplace. It's not a traditional fireplace, in that it's a pellet stove, but boy the light is lovely and the warmth is welcome. I really enjoyed sitting by the wood stove at my brother and SIL's house over the Thanksgiving break, but the heat actually drove me into the next room a couple of times--powerful stuff! Our stove is more "subtle" (read = less effective), but I do so appreciate the ambience.

The holiday season has arrived like a freight train. I know, the Christmas stuff was up at Costco in August, and many other stores barely got Halloween gear off the shelves before throwing the red and green and tinsel at us, but I managed to hold off until Thanksgiving... mostly. Having Thanksgiving so late in November means the holiday season feels really compressed. (Zoom.) I'm grateful for the holidays and all goodwill associated with this season.

Dear friend Corinne sent me some bulbs for my birthday and they are blooming already! I love an amaryllis bloom! I am grateful for my heirloom friend.

(Catch a glimpse of the sweet pups photobombing my shot? They are dears.)

I'm grateful, always, for inspiration. Whether it's to try a new recipe (thank you Pinterest--shhhh, Lisa!), or new way of listing goals (thanks, Ma and Shelby) or even color (thank you, Pantone), I enjoy looking around and seeing what's new, fresh and lovely to me. Being reminded that all I really need to do is look up and open my eyes; that's the key.

Snow came to visit this week, happily (for me). I was quite excited to wake on Wednesday morning to an inch or two, and with our current deep freeze temperatures, it has stuck around. We are expecting very cold weather through this weekend, at least, and I would love it if we got a bit more snow, just to keep the stuff we already have company!

Just saw this new Nike ad, and it's pretty inspiring too! Fun times in the winter months--might as well enjoy it, since it's going to be here for a while.

With the super-cold temps come worries about pets and pipes and agriculture and people less fortunate. I am grateful to live in a community that looks out for these things, as evidenced by a local church opening up it's doors for those who might be without shelter right now, providing a warm place to sleep. 

I was happy to partake in a birthday dinner this week--four of us have dinner together at some point around this time of year. It started out for just the Oct-Nov ladies, but the other two are Dec-Jan, so why not expand the merrymaking? Joyous times with good conversation and great food--definitely high on my grateful list this week!

Lastly but not leastly, my guys. I am grateful, always, for our love and our affection. I couldn't be more blessed to be loved and cared for by them both.

I hope that wherever you are as you read this, you're warm and feeling grateful.

Peace.

Thirty days of gratitude: Days 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22

Here I am with another weekly wrap-up masquerading as a Friday night grateful moment! What I love about the season right now is that there are grateful moments everywhere, every day. It's what I love about this time of year.

I have been enjoying this photo challenge quite a bit, even though it ends up creeping into the evenings and my creativity gets a little hampered. When I'm savvy enough to look up the daily grateful word in the morning, it can follow me throughout the day, and that's a nice thing. But often I'm up and out the door before I remember, and it's a wild little scramble to get my act together that evening.

But, still, I'm grateful, even in the noise of the day. One morning this week I was caught off guard by a feeling of gratitude while at a traffic light. Probably there was some song playing on the CD player that poked into my sentiment, and I had a little tear at the awesome blessings that we have as a family. Blessed. Loved. Grateful.

Day 18: Change

My one nod to the holidays (so far) has been putting some bulbs out to sprout. And oh how they have sprouted! I love watching the green shoots climb up to the sunshine. Watching how they change is like I imagine God feels, watching a child grow from infancy into adulthood--zoom!

Day 19: Knowledge

When I think of what it is that I really know--as Oprah says, "What I know for sure," it is that love is really all. I think I've heard it said, "No matter what the question, the answer is love." I agree.

Day 20: Scent

This was one of those days when I had nothing. Scent? Grateful for smell? Really? What smell, where? Nothing. Then toward the end of the evening--one of our first really cold nights--I made hot chocolate. The scent wafted up, and I knew what I was grateful for. Hot chocolate is a bit of a ritual around here in the winter, and I love making up mugs for the boys and having mini marshmallows and whipped cream to "enhance" the experience--and the scent!

Later in the week I roasted some garlic and made some croutons with garlic, and I thought of the word again, and was re-grateful for scent. Roasted garlic is really heavenly smelling!

Day 21: Kindness

I am so grateful for kindness in this world, and in my life. There is nothing like kindness to set a day, a person, an act, apart from the ordinary humdrum day, person or act. Kindness makes everything better. Sometimes kindness looks like correction--think of putting a kid on the right path rather than allowing them to continue down the wrong one--but done correctly and with the right heart, kindness really does rule.

Day 22: Home

There are many things I like about our actual physical abode. Right now, on this cold winter night, I love that it is warm--the fire is going and we're all tucked in. In the summer I love the light coming through the windows, and the amazing view. But the best thing about this house isn't something you can touch; it's the love and laughter we have here together, we three.

Wherever you are, I hope you are warm and welcoming the weekend.

Peace.

Thirty days of gratitude: Day 9

The word for today is music.

There are so many styles of music that appeal to me, but when I thought about music I'm grateful for, it's the music of my childhood: hymns. There is nothing like a group of people singing a hymn together--congregational singing, that's what I love. If it's a capella, that's all the better.

This hymn has all the words I need to hear, and need to sing. It's reassuring in times of stress and trial, and full of praise too. If you've been lucky enough to hear it sung well, you know the depth that the "with my soul," can add.

Thirty days of gratitude: Day 6

Today's word is inspiration.

It is hard for me to think of inspiration without thinking of words. In general, I believe that the words I'm meant to see, meant to pay attention to, will make themselves evident in my life, through one channel or another. I believe this because it has happened time and time again, when I open myself up to the possibility.

Sometimes I wonder what mighty words have slipped by me, on the days I'm less awake. But I try to focus on what DOES come my way, what has the ability to move me, soften my heart, make me more of the kind of person I want to be and know I'm capable of being as a child of God.

Today, these were the words that reached out to me. And, as so often happens, they were exactly the words I was meant to hear.

Sept. 16: Things to strive for

The blogging challenge for today: What do you wish you were better at?

This was not a hard list for me to come up with, not because I am hard on myself, but because I like to improve and have goals, and know that I'm not good at everything I put my mind to.

In no particular order of importance:

Singing. I have often said that if I were a gifted singer I would be hard to be around--I would always singing some song or other. Which is humorous, because I sing a lot as it is. My poor family.

Calligraphy. This is one where I know I would get better and better, if I just put the time in. Someday...

example1

example2

example3

Being graceful. Not sure there's enough time in the world to turn me from this:


Into this:


But a girl can dream, can't she?! I have often referred to my awkward stage as one that began at 14 and hasn't ended. That's not quite true, but I do know that I'm built more for energetic movement rather than graceful movement. (So now I sound like a sprinter, and that's not at all the case.)

Sticking with an exercise regimen long term. This relates to the fundamental disconnect between me and my motives for exercising. Is it health (hmmm, sure, if you say so) or is it to stop the jiggling of the thighs (closer to the truth). A few weeks/months in, the jiggle stops and so do I. Not a big mystery, but a repeated trend I'd like to shake up a bit. Surely by my mid-forties, I should be able to exercise for the health of it?

Sewing. Much like calligraphy, a little time (and some increased patience, which I feel I am acquiring in my old age) would do wonders toward turning me into a quilter.

Then I would turn out pieces like this:

applique

colorful

Yes, I want to get better at things such as being flexible/spontaneous more quickly (I need a few minutes to adjust to changes, any changes) and being a better listener. I would also very much like to end my life as someone who has mastered the fine art of forgiveness and unconditional love. Again, a girl can dream, right?!

Onward to continual improvement, whether sewing a straight line or singing on key!

What would you like to get better at? Taking any steps to do so?

Jen and I (and now my mom and Lisa too!) are blog challenging throughout September. You can catch her blog over at Stuff Jen Says. If you want to write along with us, give me a shout and I'll send you the blog prompts.

Sept. 3: Back to school!

I have the fondest memories of the back-to-school phenomenon. From elementary through middle school and high school, I always looked forward to going back to school. I dreamed about it, plotted outfits and hairstyles, fantasized about who I'd see (boys?) and talk to, arranged and rearranged the school supplies, lost sleep the night before... there was a great deal of excitement around the first day. It undoubtedly revolved mostly around the social aspects (chat chat chat chat), but I was not opposed to a little learning, too.

Back-to-school shopping with my mom was always a joy. (Well, maybe the year where I was arm-twisted into wearing dresses one day of every week--seventh grade--wasn't such a *joy,* but other than that...) I think the older I got, the more fun it was--meaning, the less I dressed like an absolute tomboy, the more fun it was to pick out clothes. And even though the fall weather where I grew up in British Columbia stayed pretty warm and pleasant through September, it changed quickly afterward and stocking up on sweaters and corduroys early was a must. I can conjure up so quickly my favorite outfits from each year; I know this makes me sound like a little fashionista, but that's not how I remember it... I just really liked my outfits!

Our junior!

When I reminded Seth yesterday to get his school supplies together, and pick out his first-day-of-school outfit, both he and husband chortled and gave me a "whatever" kind of male reaction. Sigh. So I satisfied that little part of myself by picking out MY back-to-school (um, work) outfit for today.

The back-to-school anticipation that I've maintained in my life involves more than just the love of shopping. I'm a big fan of the school supplies angle--new pens! blank composition books! pencil cases! backpacks!--and everything that these supplies imply: this is a fresh start, and blank slate, a new year waiting to be the best it can be. I feel this way often at the start of a new calendar year (as many a resolution blog post can attest to), at the start of a new month, and even though it's now 23 years since I last started a school year, I still feel that way as fall begins and kids head back to the classroom.

This convocation speech has been shared widely on social media, but I can't help post it here for posterity and a reminder to myself. I love the sentiment that permeates the talk: be kind. Reading it took me back to situations in school where his words about regretting the failures of kindness really struck a nerve. There wasn't always overt meanness, but simply a lack of kindness. It's too easy to say that's just the way kids are; yes, there's a sensitivity that maturity brings. But I do believe that kids can be and are kind, if that is the culture and language that surrounds them.

In some ways, as I read George Saunders' speech, I thought, "I could have written this" about the regret of failures of kindness. There were at a number of examples in elementary school where a combination of subpar social skills and intellectual acuity brought scrutiny and criticism from peers. I have long regretted any role I played in making any fellow student feel "less than." Later, in high school as I looked back on those years, I was able to acknowledge to myself that I am capable of being less than kind. Owning that that propelled me forward into being more kind to those around me; especially those who may be on the fringes of social acceptance. I wish I could say I achieve it every day, but it certainly is a goal I strive for.

My wish for every kid I know is to live out the possibility of kindness this school year. To take the moment to reach out and actively be the friend and support, even just the smile, that makes someone's day better.

What would you wish for your kids, this school year? If you don't have kids in school, what would you like to see our young people focus on as they learn this year?

Jen and I are blog challenging throughout September. You can catch her blog over at Stuff Jen Says. If you want to write along with us, give me a shout and I'll send you the blog prompts.

Sept. 2: Monday morning inspiration: Just write

Day 2: Challenge update: Soon after I posted yesterday, dear friend Jen texted me: "Hey, let's blog challenge together." Apparently I'm not the only one feeling the need for a little blogging boost... This morning, our mutual friend Sunshine also posted that she has undertaken a challenge for the month of September. Obviously the back-to-school mentality is alive and well in the moms of my world; fresh starts, new ideas, challenges! (More on that tomorrow.)

As Jen noted in her first post, if you would like to join in, just message me and I'll send you our list of prompts. The more the merrier! One of things I'm most interested in seeing is how Jen and I (and you?) approach the same prompt. Can't wait to see how it goes.

Monday mornings usually mean inspiration for me (even if it's a holiday morning around here): what will help me make this week the best it can be, and how can I plug into the inspiration around me to accomplish that? In that vein, this morning I am looking for inspiration in writing, from writers.

This piece with writers having written advice on their hands is amusing if not necessarily new or particularly insightful. My favorite is this one, I think because it's a bit brutal, but honest:

I recently saw this beautiful passage by the lovely writer Adrienne Rich below; the last sentence fairly sings to me.

An honorable human relationship—that is, one in which two people have the right to use the word “love”—is a process, delicate, violent, often terrifying to both persons involved, a process of refining the truths they can tell each other.

It is important to do this because it breaks down human self-delusion and isolation.

It is important to do this because in doing so we do justice to our own complexity.

It is important to do this because we can count on so few people to go that hard way with us.

I've never thought about the concept of writers not writing for a full year--to give the rest of us a chance to catch up on information overload--but now that he's mentioned it, I kind of like it. (Usually I just think I need to find better filters for the information I really want to take in, and carve out more time for reading.) How's this for a horrifying stat: "...according to the New York Times, 81% of Americans feel they have a book in them." What a hoot. Imagine how many of them you'd really want to read?

How do you know if something is really worth your while--are you someone who stays with a book or even a longform article to the end, or do you bail if it's not doing it for you? I used to be the former, I am now someone who will give a book a fair shake and then let it go; too many good books in the world to waste time on ones I'm not engrossed by.

Where do you find inspiration for writing--or reading?

Friday night grateful moment

Driving home from post-work errands, I wasn't entirely sure I could muster a list of gratitude tonight. It's been a loooooooong week. Count every "o." Indeed.

But, once I pause and refresh, I am usually up for a little remembering of the gratitude, and of course this night is no exception. I'm fed, my feet are up, husband is near, and the evening outside has been just simply beautiful. Gratitude? In spades.

For family that cares, and reaches out. Thanks, family. (Group texts are the bomb. Am I right or am I right?)

For friends who care, and reach out. Thanks, friends. For responding to my voice messages/texts with sweetness, for encouragement and humor. (And music. Always for the music.)

For blueberries and nectarines and raspberries and blackberries and watermelon and tomatoes and cucumbers and corn and kale and potatoes; I'm grateful that every item I just listed is now ripe within 50 miles. Awesome.

For the weekend. For a day of rest, then a day of productivity, before we get to do it all over again.

For the power of words. I am daily reminded: Choose. Your. Words. (Someone's listening and will be influenced, I guarantee it.)

heavy

For joy.

For sadness, because it reminds me that joy exists in so many (unexpected) places.

For sweet puppies who greet me each night with hops and circles of happiness and licks and smiles.

For clouds that look an awful lot like they are lit from within. For sunsets that feel special, night after night. For wheatfields that go on and on, acre after acre of gold.

For anticipation... I do love having things to look forward to, and there are just enough summer teasers out there to keep me smiling. Nice. :)

For the amazing human body and the ability to heal. I'm especially grateful tonight for caregivers, a special breed of people, truly.

Color, color, color. Always grateful for color it its many forms; right now there are colors everywhere, from sky to earth to foliage to produce. Lovely to live somewhere with seasons.

I wouldn't have imagined in my earlier years how much I would grow to appreciate and be grateful for nature. I was talking with a friend today about our ideal kinds of trips, and I arrived at a few key points that make an area more appealing to me: fewer people (no crowds, please), more nature, and definitely good, fresh food choices; also, being able to walk and not rely so much on transportation. I know my love of NYC doesn't really fit that bill (though you can walk, and can find nature, there's no avoiding the crowds...), when I think about traveling for any length of time, having some wide open spaces to just breathe on occasion really does factor in.

For the habit of prayer, for the mindfulness to stop in the midst of stress and be calm (mostly), to look in the mirror, and breathe.

lakota

But especially, to know I am a child of God, and to rest in that knowledge, in peace.

I wish you a weekend of peace. And blueberries.

Monday morning inspiration

A few days ago (Friday, I think), I remarked that I had completely lost track of days... the holiday during the week rather than a Friday or Monday kind of threw me off, I guess. But in the best of ways. What day is it, anyway? Friday felt like a Monday all day, because the night before felt like Sunday. Or some such logic... Well, yesterday did feel well and truly like a Sunday, replete with all the things that make a productive Sunday shine--husband and I both got good and filthy doing some yard work, I did some deep cleaning in some areas that hadn't seen my Swiffer strong arm in a good long time, and we did a little road trippin' with the dogs with a stop at one of our favorite soft-serve ice cream joints (they sell a lot more than ice cream, but that's all we ever get) on the way home. A really lovely summer day!

A few things have come across my path lately that have inspired me, and of course I wanted to share them with you!

This letter written to an author was a great reminder to me that taking the time to let someone know that they have made a difference in your life is a really worthwhile thing. Last week, partly prompted by reading this, I took the opportunity to write a note of thanks to a local oncology caregiver for the color she breathes into a room when she enters it. Her cheer and positive words have made all the difference in the world to a local woman I know who is currently fighting cancer.

All that is to say, if there's someone you've been meaning to write to, or has been in your thoughts in a way of gratitude for an action, big or small, take the time to say something. Do it. You won't regret it, even if (maybe especially if) you never hear a word back about it. It's just a good thought, out there in the universe--and YOU put it there!

Viral wedding toasts and dances are all the rage these days, but every once in awhile one will stand out as unique and sweet. This one was, for me. (See my note below the video about how to actually know what she's saying.)



Click over to YouTube and watch the video there (rather than above), and click on "transcript" below the video to read along as she sings. Very clever for old ears like mine that don't hear every word in a rap!

If you think about writing, about putting your thoughts out to the world, but can't ever seem to make it happen, this post might be for you. I am warning, as the writer of the post does, that the language in the post is Not Safe For Work (for those of you who may not know what NSFW is). Which means you probably also shouldn't start reading it aloud to your mother (or mine) on a road trip. But put the language aside, and grab the gist of it: just get writing already.

This sweet thing was posted to my Facebook wall just yesterday by dear friend Jen. It reminded her of me, I guess. I'll take it, even though I'm Northern, not Southern. But the tea is sweetened there too...

I do love love and family, and I've been known to adhere to a tradition or two, as well. :)

Hope you have a sweet, inspired week ahead!

Monday morning inspiration

Last night I was feeling a bit dreary that the weekend was over, that I hadn't gotten enough done, etc. etc. And then... we watched Pitch Perfect. I guess I'm not supposed to tell on the guys, and make it sound like I watched it all by myself, but that's silliness. Guys can be in the room when singing goes on in a movie, can't they? Of course they can. I am pretty sure I liked the movie much better than either of them, but it was a light little bit of nonsense, if you haven't seen it, and the music is just a bunch of fun.

I'm a big Rebel Wilson fan, since Bridesmaids, and her part was a hoot. (There's a barfing scene mid-way through this clip that you may not want to be eating while viewing. It's a little unreal, but thought you should be warned!)



And of course, you know the PS22 kids have a version of Beca's When I'm Gone audition song too:



Woke up to rain again today; it's like the Oregon Coast has come to us, since we're not going to it any time soon! Misty and drizzly and definitely a stay-at-home day... except it's not!

So I'll watch this video again, and be inspired to put a little urgency in my step today! Love the visual.



And for when summer actually does arrive, a few words for the occasion:

Let peace come to you, out from where it's hiding behind the sofa and under the bed. You have done enough for now. Let summer surround you. Let everything rest.
-Karen Maezen Miller

Happy Monday, I hope it's a great one for you!

Midweek reminder: I needed to tell myself a long story about life

I learned to garden the way I learned to write--out of necessity. We needed vegetables and flowers, and I needed to tell myself a long story about life--I am still telling it--a kind of beanstalk that grows and grows, and I can climb it, both to escape the possibility of life at the bottom, and to find another world where giants and castles and harp-playing hens are still to be found.

Gardening, like story-telling, is a continuing narrative. One thing leads to another. Like stories, there is always something going on in the garden long after the gardener has gone to bed. The thing grows, unfolds, changes, develops a maddening life of its own. For me, as a writer, I go to sleep with an idea in my head, and it takes hold during the night. I open the back door in the morning, and the tulips that refused to look at me the night before, have opened in the sun.
-Jeanette Winterson

Monday morning inspiration: Lottsa video

My weekend gardening stints are usually accompanied by some sort of chatter on the iPod, whether an audio book (I swear I just about typed "book on tape." How's that for admitting my age?!) or some comedy off Pandora, or a podcast.

Lately I've been alternating between Mitch Joel's Twist Image podcast, and the NPR Pop Culture Hour podcast. I highly recommend both, though of course they are quite different. Mitch is all about tech/social and interesting interviews, and the round table hi-jinks over at NPR can range from discussion about the passing of Jean Stapleton as it relates to the evolution of TV wife/mom characters, to the differences between the various Iron Man movies, and the universal appeal of Robert Downey, Jr.

Today on one of the podcasts I listened to with the NPR group, they referenced the following video, which I already had in my drafts to share as inspiring. This video really did have 223 takes, and they pieced the audio together--a mighty little feat. It's a great deal of fun, be sure to watch all the way through, the elevator scene toward the end is one of my favorite bits, as well as the outtakes at the end. Does OK Go ever disappoint? I think not.



I can't remember where I stumbled across this story, but it sat in a "to read" tab in my browser for a while before I had a moment to tune in. A powerful story of recovery and the human will. And a few other things, but those come through loud and clear. I would like to know where this guy is in five years, or 10. That article touches on some of the larger issues, but time will tell how running and faith and recovery all intersect for this man.


And lastly, this little guy. He's a dear one. Enjoy.



I hope your week is off to a great start after a fabulous weekend! I'm going to step out and say mine is! Just putting it out there, Universe. Make it so!

Midweek reminder: Everyone struggles

I've long been a fan of the quote:

Recently I saw this paragraph, and it really spoke to me, in a similar vein. How often we forget that we're all human, after all.

“The fact that you’re struggling doesn’t make you a burden. It doesn’t make you unloveable or undesirable or undeserving of care. It doesn’t make you too much or too sensitive or too needy. It makes you human. Everyone struggles. Everyone has a difficult time coping, and at times, we all fall apart. During these times, we aren’t always easy to be around—and that’s okay. No one is easy to be around one hundred percent of the time. Yes, you may sometimes be unpleasant or difficult. And yes, you may sometimes do or say things that make the people around you feel helpless or sad. But those things aren’t all of who you are and they certainly don’t discount your worth as a human being. The truth is that you can be struggling and still be loved. You can be difficult and still be cared for. You can be less than perfect, and still be deserving of compassion and kindness.” - Daniel Koepke

If you need that compassion today, I hope you get it. And if you're in a position to give, please do.

Monday morning inspiration on a Tuesday

OK, so it's Tuesday morning by the time I post this, but still... post I must. It has taken me an inordinately long time to figure out a new blogging app, Blogsy, and I'm not sure I get it, even now. I'm in New Orleans at a work conference, and hearing news all around of Oklahoma and the devastating tornados, I can't help but think of the families impacted there and off a prayer of support and comfort. Such loss.

I have been having a lot of fun with Over lately. Enough so that I thought, over the weekend, "I could really get into this. Can putting text over photos be my day job?" Ha. Wishes me, and every other silly app addict on the face of the earth. I've heard tell of people dreaming of making a living with Instagram... I'd love to know if they could ever achieve that. Theoretically there are people pulling in cash from Pinterest, but I've been too busy to actually sit down and try and figure that out. Seems slippery.

Meanwhile, Over. Take a pic, put text on top, fiddle with it, post it if you like. If you have an iPhone, you really should check it out. It makes me very happy.

A few favorites from other Over users:

Everyone makes a mess in the kitchen, a fail, even an Epic Fail, on occasion. Take a look at some pretty bad kitchen outcomes. And live to cook another day!

And my favorite words for today:

"Someone who takes the time to understand their relationship with source, who actively seeks alignment with their broader perspective, who deliberately seeks and finds alignment with who-they-really-are, is more charismatic, more attractive, more effective, and more powerful than a group of millions who have not achieved this alignment. Nobody else knows your reason for being. You do. Your bliss guides you to it. When you follow your bliss, when you follow your path to joy, your conversation is of joy, your feelings are of joy--you're right on the path of that which you intended when you came forth into this physical body."

-Esther Hicks

I hope your week is off to an awesome start.