thanks giving

a nor'easter is blowing in. reminds me of a scene from Chocolat where the old north wind blows to tell Vianne it's time to move on. I will take the cue.

many have new years resolutions. I think there is no time like the present. I want to set my sights on thanks giving. moving forward at this time of year to remember all I have to be grateful for. beholden to. blessed by. and setting my sights on sharing what I have. what I am. what I hope to be.

knowledge. patience. ingenuity. creativity. love. humor. all these things I ask for. pray for. seek. recieve. give.

'we praise and bless You, Lord, and give You thanks, and serve You in all humility.'

wings

I have had a lovely week. time spent alone. time spent with friends. and no matter where the time was spent. it was spent well, dare I say, beautifully.

I follow Kelly Rae Roberts. on her blog she encourages us all to 'take flight'. a friend wrote on her blog this week. her words expressed what I was feeling, let me say, beautifully.

'I am now at a place in my life where I don't desire the intensity I thought was necessary for change or for the feeling of being okay about myself.

Tending to my life is now happening with a very different mindset. Today, it is more about learning to hear and give space to the longings of my soul. And once I know these things, it is my job to deliver the goods.

I am learning that practicing non-judgement is just as huge, if not more, than some of my crazy and wild adventures. And making an effort to change an old behavior that no longer serves me has required more creativity than I ever imagined!

For me, taking flight is about clearing the path. It's about movement towards soul, in whatever tiny or big way that fits. It is in allowing myself the freedom to explore, heal, enjoy, wonder, and love.

I encourage you to recognize how you take flight each and every day in the seemingly ordinary ways. There is nothing mundane about you adding more love to the world. There is nothing more creative than giving time to hear the whispers of your spirit. I believe in taking the smallest steps to align yourself with a graceful heart.'

one perspective on 'taking flight'. one step at a time. small. manageable. chewable. enjoyable. liveable. dreamable. doable.

'the longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.'

five senses friday ...

last weekend my office had our annual 'retreat'. typically we spend it at the boss's brother's ranch (henceforth referred to as the bbr) a little north of here. this year the bbr was unavailable to us so we traveled to Stonewall, Texas and stayed at the LBJ Ranch (there are three guest houses available to rent). I would return to the LBJ Ranch in a heartbeat. I would live on the LBJ Ranch if the wildest wishes could come true. memorable is hardly sufficient to describe our stay. not only was the retreat a huge success from a business standpoint, but the atmosphere was inspiring. being surrounded by that much history was incredible. invigorating. intoxicating.

taste ... fried chicken. if I am ever in prison, and granted a last meal. it will be V's fried chicken, along with mashed potatoes with cream gravy and marinated vegetable salad.
hear ... silence. out in the country the sound is deafening. only the whisper of a thousand stars twinkling.
feel ... camaraderie. our office family is a tight knit group. we love each other. care about each other. depend on each other.
see ... life. on the way out of town we stopped at the side of the road to see a newborn buffalo calf trying to stand. the park ranger said the baby was born just hours before.
smell ... success. our future is bright. we believe in one another. and in God.

'there is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. this is where respect and love and devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.'

five senses friday ... special edition

three years ago today, darling daughter M got married. I may be a little biased, but it was the most beautiful ceremony I have ever attended. so full of love. family. friendship. so today's five senses friday celebrates November 12. the day our family of four happily became five.

happy anniversary sweetie.

taste ... mushroom risotta. my choice at the wedding supper.
hear ... 'Wonderful World' by israel kamakawiwo`ole, the bride & groom's first dance. this Hawaiian take on the Louis Armstrong classic is one of my favorite songs.
feel ... memories. they swirled in my head. the past. the present. the future. all focused on this one moment.
see ... the bride word red satin shoes. quirky. cute. all M.
smell ... the ceremony was outside and the fresh California air was filled with the scent of flowers.

'when children find true love, parents find true joy.'

life as we know it

'this is my life. it is my one time to be me. I want to experience every good thing.' these words by Maya Angelou express how I feel today. it has been a lovely day. a perfect day. a glorious day. a good day to be me.

I spent part of my day at work, on a little project that I forgot to do yesterday. my bad. but my wonderful boss is a patient man (thank goodness) and on these days when I am a little more than forgetful he treats me with kindness and understanding (and I choose not to see the little glint of a 'oh c'mon now' glare). but the good girl that I am, I went in on my day off to remedy the situation. and happy to do so.

I spent part of my day at home. the hubs works at least two days at his office in Austin, so I relish my quiet time at home. I puttered. did a few chores. and made dinner (ah yes, she cooks. occasionally.).

I spent part of my day out with my favorite furry boy, my dog Chaz. he loves to be in the thick of things. and with the hubs traveling a bit more than usual recently, I have been taking him with me to run errands or just hang around. so today we went to the park. I took a book. Chaz took a chew-bone and we laid on a blanket and under the bluest of skies watched the clouds swirl by. he is a good friend. a faithful companion. and just darn cute when he is out and about.

I have told you before. and I will gladly tell you again. I live a blessed life. I live a perfect life. I am loved. I love. I share. I laugh. I cry. I succeed. I err. but I do it all enthusiastically. for better or worse. take it or leave it. accept me as I am. you can choose to fear. or love baby.

'love always wins, always, always, always.'

birthday 101

I am recuperating from a fun-filled weekend. family was in from Charlotte and Boston to celebrate the 60th birthday of my brother-in-law. a good time was had by all. and just off the tour of our own birthdays, we were still in the mood to party. but the question always is 'how do you celebrate a birthday milestone?' there are guidelines in my birthday party planning book. lessons learned. fit to share.

Birthday Guidelines 101
1. make it memorable.
2. make it sentimental.
3. make it fun.

all simple concepts. and scratching the ol' noggin here is what we came up with for our most recent celebration.

1. make it memorable.
we were asked to bring party hats. so off to the party pig (always the start of a good time). wandering up and down the aisles we passed display after display of notably raucous party ideas. it is my humble opinion that over the hill and aged to perfection are two themes that should be put away for several generations. so we settled on colorful party hats and an extra big hat with polka dots for the guest of honor. and then EUREKA!! the pièce de résistance. the perfect accoutrements. hanging innocently in the 'fiesta' section were fake moustaches. the men of the hubs clan are noted for their moustaches. and especially said b-i-l; who has a soup strainer of all strainers. moustaches for everyone. #1 guideline. check.
2. make it sentimental.
the b-i-l is big into family stuff. also into horses (and associated equestrian events). so we went through bin after bin of grandfather's stamp collection to find equestrian themed stamps. and there were quite a few. so we had a few matted and framed. two sentimental birds in one stroke. #2 guideline. check.
3. make it fun.
apart from a spanking machine, how do you liven up a AARP birthday party? with a good limerick, of course. now admittedly I did steal this idea from the hubs dinner party (thank you friend E for giving me the idea). so we wrote a three verse limerick and added some pictures and voila! smiles all around. #3 guideline. check.

of course, the very best part of all the festivities was being together. catching up. hanging out. celebrating life. sharing love. in the birthday tutorial you'll find that advice in the last chapter where it says 'same time, next year' and never 'the end'.

'and thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen.'

small gestures

I have been in a bit of a humpf the past few days. I do not make a good single
woman. but today, out of the blue, a delivery man came to my office with glad tidings of great joy. a bouquet of flowers with a simple message attached ... 'I miss you'.

the hubs knows just how to perk me up. think I'll keep him.

'let us dance in the sun, wearing flowers in our hair ...'