The Ebb and Flow

Life has many waves. Some gentle and sweet others rough and exhausting. I view the currents of our lives as an ocean. Constantly moving and changing. Bringing forth all the rocks, shells, sand......these things that forever shape the landscape of our lives. Not to mention the lives that come through our waters......lives that shift our paths on a pleasant, floral path or a rocky, all up hill one. The ocean of our lives......complex, beautiful, and innocent.

The current state our our community of nations waters is a mirror image of our lives. If we take a good, hard long look at our current state of existence we might see how mired with toxins we are. Not on purpose, but a culmination of the choices we've made along the way. What we have chosen to affect/effect us, how we react to what gets tossed up on our shores, so to speak. This is a unique time in our lives. We are being faced with not only a catastrophe within our physically oceans but within our own personal oceans. A massive clean up is in order but it has become so large no one has any idea where to begin. It's akin to being told to clean your room as a child, seeing it as this stuffed, dirty, space that is filled to the gills with toys, dirty clothes, dirty dishes, garbage, stinky shoes, and who knows what else!!! Well, our spiritual rooms need an overhaul......if we as a people, living on this planet together, expect to see change.....clean water, clean air, an independence from fossil fuels, we need to clean our rooms first BEFORE we can deem what is necessary in our broader landscape.

I tend to lean towards the spiritual not religious. I have a clear vision of the God of my creation. My God is both male and female. Loving and accepting. All forgiving and possess the ability to create within me a spirit that can be cultivated and used for the better of all beings. My God is beautiful. This relationship I have with my God, when I'm willing to allow this relationship to shine and be at the center of my life, is what moves me to "be the change I wish to see in the world." I can't expect these changes to just land in my lap......nor should we as a people. This life, this ocean we're surfing in, requires work and commitment. If we were to actually be surfing in the ocean we couldn't just stand there and let the waves do all the work! It's an actively, seeking relationship. One that demands respect and unconditionality. Knowing that at any given moment we could be knocked off of our board and sent tumbling through the waters. "Life is like a box of chocolates......you never know what you're gonna get." We should be prepared to swim to shore, receive the broken and battered board and go out again!!!

When you fall down, pick yourself right back up and get going. "The here and now is a very small space; too small to fit in both God and a problem." Have faith.....have peace of heart......don't over think everything.......and most of all......KEEP YOUR ROOM CLEAN!!! It sounds simple but as we all know it's far from it! Cleaning up decades of mess it not an easy task completed in one single day.....or two, even. The honest, self reflection, the pain of admitting our mis-steps and lazy behavior. The dust bunnies that have been swept under the rug..... have no place there......

The bigger picture is this.......we as a world, each of us individuals, need to step up to bat and whack one home. Strengthen our relationships to our God of choice. Seek out a loving, unconditional, higher power that will create within us the passion and love to do better, be better, love better, accept better, create change for the better. Ride your ebbs and flows sitting side by side with your God. Talk. Laugh. Cry. Know that you are never alone and all that you seek lies within you. It is time! Time to make these changes to dust off ourselves, clean up our world, create our Heaven on Earth.

*******P.S.*******

This is an ongoing study on love, acceptance, responsibility, perseverance, and truth.

Be like the Flower........

......and turn your face to the sun! ~ Kahlil Gibran

A wise one once told me that whatever it is that brings you down is only allowing you to discover the tools to bring you up. Tools.

Merriam Webster's definition of tool: "a handheld device that aids in accomplishing a task"

Well.....I'm not talking about those kinds of tools, per say. I'm thinking about the tools that bring us to another place in life. Tools that feed the Spirit, that Enlighten the mind. Tools that remind us of who we truly are. Flowers can be tools. They bring us joy, peace, they tickle our senses. Flowers have been an important part of this Spring transition.....more so than usual. I'm hoping it's because maybe I'm a little more awake than in the past......or at least aware. Some flowers have been actual tools, implements. We painted with flowers this past weekend. We adorned our Nature Table with beautiful blossoms. We wore flowers in our hair......and yet, somehow it meant so much more. We were all so aware with all five senses.

Be like the flower......

To be like a flower we must stand tall.....or heartily. Face the sun and absorb all her warm embraces. Dig deep with our roots and stand up to the storms. Provide a retreat for passing critters and maybe some nourishment. Give of ourselves without expectation......glow radiant light from our ever colorful petals.......and just BE!


As parents, our children really are like flowers. They are our garden bed that we must tend to everyday.......and still all day. We are the dutiful gardener that will keep our flowers safe from invasive species, make sure they have plenty of sunlight and food and water, talk with them and share time with them. Encourage them. Yet we are also flowers in our own bed......needing to be cultivated, loved, fed, watered.

I am lucky to be able to be home with my little flowers. Where I, too, can be a flower. All of us growing and loving and feeding each other. Soaking up the Sun's warm embrace and growing stronger everyday. Our rhythm in Life is one that we perfect as we go. I'm enjoying sharing our days with you here. A little piece of our history. Proof that when we're knocked down, or we loose a blossom here or there, that Life is good. We continue to explore, love, encourage, and.....well......jusr plain Live.

Tomorrow Charlotte and I will be making caterpillar's on leaves for our Nature Table. I'm hoping the weather will be nice enough to travel out of doors to spy on some real one's living their lives. Crawling......munching.......maybe......on a flower!

A Little Creativity

The dawn has broken through and even though clouds may block the sunlight, I know it's there. I awoke this morning with a very clear vision of my day. Get up. Wash my face. Kiss my husband. Say good morning to my oxalis. Enjoy a cup of coffee and enjoy the flow of the rest of my morning. So far.......a raging success! Not all mornings are as glorious; of course, life takes its own path without any control on our part. All it takes is a little creativity to allow change, a shift, a jostle in the usual "rut", a little creativity and some will-power to accept that it MUST be done. A "rut" is no good to anyone. It makes life seem boring and predictable. Some folks may enjoy that.......not me! I'm a Libra. I need a balance of predictability and spontaneity. It just takes......a little creativity!!! See, you're getting it!

I've decided that our days will become rather structured with a simple rhythm that everyone will come to groove on, chock full of morning, afternoon, and evening rituals. Our life together as a party of six has become rather hectic. So much is going on all at once that everyone feels lost in the shuffle or swept under the rug! So.......I'm looking forward to the expectations of our life, the simple minute gatherings where we will just sit and be. Share a story or share a meal. Hold hands and sing a blessing, the little things that make life grand. The moments that when our children are grown and raising up their own family, they will think back and remember such traditions and put them in to place amongst their own rhythms. Isn't that what traditions are all about?

So.......there's the predictability, now for the spontaneity. The wonderful thing about spontaneity is that it can't be planned. My thought is that for all that will come with a simple rhythm, a little spontaneity will flow. We will actually have the time (external and internal) to allow ourselves to relax and just BE! Be ourselves with no fear of rushing to the next meeting or ball game. The time that will exist will allow us time for a game or walk in the woods.

Being a family just takes a little creativity! Relish in these moments that you share with your loved ones. Take the time to breathe and allow your gratitude for them in your life to shine. Amidst all the sports, school, church, work and other commitments a family will pursue, allow yourself a moment within your day to be thankful for your children, your partner, your pets, friends and family who mean the world to you. It’s these little moments where we can see the meaning and the peace that make our life worthwhile.
I hope that you find the love and gratitude that is yours today!

A Joyful May

Welcome to May. The May Day celebrations abound. The Celtic celebrations that mark the beginning of Summer......ahhhhhh........Summer. Warmth. Sunshine. Blue skies. Flowers. Bees. Fresh Vegetables. A Summer's Breeze. These are a glorious things and bring such joy to the human Spirit. *sigh*

To Welcome our May we had a little morning celebration. We weeded our flower beds. Gathered the dandelions that were plucked from the beds and used them to paint pictures. Then Charlotte, her Daddy and I sat around on a blanket in the yard and soaked up the morning sunshine while making a flower wreath that wouls adorn each of our heads! I think the only one who enjoyed wearing it was our faithful companion, Rosco!!!! We moved Charlotte's summer kitchen outside to the front of the house where it will be available to countless hours of play. Washing dishes, baking cookies, planting!

~ "Ahhhhh, the hours we will play and toil all the little things in the soil."

Thankfully where we live this day will continue to be a beautful day. The Sun will shine, we will wear bare feet all day, watch our eldest son play baseball later in the day and then.......just maybe we will burn our misgivings and other things that are unwanted or not needed in a celebratory bonfire this evening!

" THe moon shines bright and start give light a little before it's day. So God bless you all both great and small and send you a joyful May."

Earthen Delights

Today we made our Nature table for this glorious season of Spring and Early Summer. We lived the day feeling this quote within our hearts.......

"And forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." ~ Kahlil Gibran

We wore bare feet ALL day, adorned our nails with a new color of polish, and felt the wind in our hair! It was wonderful. Charlotte and I each held a basket, I the scissors, and off we went to bring the wonders of this season into our home and on our Nature table. We quietly trimmed, and placed, organized, and found all the little things that have made our table and delight.



Charlotte immediately took to playing with all the rocks, a little turtle, a clay cardinal and a little woolen gnome. Creating her world through her imagination. It was such a joy to watch. I'm lucky that I was able to sneak a few stares to soak it all in.

I've learned a lot from my two year old this week. How important it is to live in the moment. Forget the dishes. Forget the wash. It will still be there. But those little moments that occur when you are able to catch a glimpse of that raw power of a child.......it is MAGICAL!!! The wonder. The squeals of sheer happiness. The free giggles with no expectation except to just........feel. Experience. Love. Live!

The life of a two year old is grand. I'm so lucky to be in the space that I'm in to enjoy every moment (God willing) and be reminded that this little creation of mine has the will and the way to create her best life......without even knowing it. Thankfully I will be there to help her remember should she forget.

Peace of the running wave to you ~

Something is new......

.....and I'm not sure what. Either is the Spring in the air or just me in transition......or both. I feel accomplished. I feel happy. I feel at peace. Those 3 words rarely ever leave my lips, let alone at the same time! Let me make sure to count my blessings!!!

These past few days I have been eager to live in Charlotte's world. Charlotte is my 2year old daughter. I have had a 2 year old before......2 in fact, they are currently 10 and 8......so this time of life is nothing new to me. Or is it? Other than the fact that I am walking on a totally different path, with a new partner (new as in 6 years new) and am loved, respected, loved, cared for, loved, and well, you get the picture......I am lucky enough to be able to really enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, some days are, indeed, tough. In fact, some days when my husband returns home from work I'm ready to run out the door for a few hours solice.....but alas......these are the joys and the pains of Motherhood. All of my kids bring me joy. All different from the other. Lately, Charlotte has really inspired me to be ALIVE! Creative alive. Awake alive. Still alive! Such wonderful joys. I've dedicated this week to, everyday, doing something simple that will bring HER joy. Painting, playing in the dirt, making play dough. She so looks forward to our new "projects" and can't wait until the next one. Although, as a Mother, I do "projects" with my kids anyway. On occasion, when there is down time......I've never really been able to regimented. This is my new task. To regiment these little glimmers of sunshine into our everyday lives. It will only enrich us all.

Joy. Happiness. Peace. What can be better?!

A Spirit that envelops the Earth

A month has passed since my last posting. I traveled south for a week or so with my family, let the season have her way with me, got my hands dirty, and am now reveling at the beauties that sleep in my garden. It's glorious. All of it.

I've been through some serious contemplation this past month......as always. It seems as though my triathlon will be deferred until next year as my coach will be journeying on the Appalachian Trail until mid-August. WELL DONE, JOANNA!!! It's encouraging as it is momentous. To know that I've now been given a year to reclaim my body (that which has been at the beck and call of babies......and currently still is) to become strong, train, cultivate focus, endurance, and Spirit. Joanna has encouraged me to take the plunge, is continuing to encourage me by following her heart through this momentous occasion and looking forward to seeing each other next year. Just one more thing to LOOK FORWARD TO!!!

As it is with any decision/choice, we make them. Whether right or wrong, they're made. To better ourselves, each other, the World......or no one. Choices and/or Decisions are made so we know where we are going......they're landmarks to what's ahead. Whether fruitful or not, they happen......for a reason. That's something I have always said. "Everything happens for a reason." Some call it Fate. Others call it Karma. I call it Me. I'm the reason things happen. Just as You are the reason things happen. It's all connected. We are all connected. You make choose to tie your shoe, the person behind you has to walk around you and bumps into the person coming in the opposite direction! This my have just sparked an attraction that might have otherwise passed on by......had you not stopped to tie your shoe! So, well done!

Now, remember, this could all have negative impact, too! Should you be to impatient and choose to be nasty to the person ahead of you at the check out because they can't find their coupons, well, this not only puts all those negative feeling out into the ether's, but, it's also what you will then attract to yourself. I soundly believe in the Law of Attraction. What you give is what you get! This is the one lesson I try to instill in my children.

Please......be a positive Light in the World. For yourself and for others. It is so important that we remember that we are in this together.

Until the next time.....Peace!