Word for the Day - 2020

 Cradle

Reading Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach this year I read "cradle yourself gently with kindness and compassion." The word "cradle" just jumped out and grabbed me. The image of a cradle, being swaddled in a cozy blanket and tucked in the cradle to rest is just sometimes needed. When we are down or not feeling well, what do we do, particularly as women with many obligations? We tend to push ourselves to keep moving. We don't cradle ourselves in loving tenderness. 

Usually cradle is connected to a baby. How do we treat a newborn baby? With gentleness, comfort, and love? Yes! Why don't we treat ourselves like that? I know I don't often do that.

 

 

 

Top picture taken of my one and only grandson, October 2012. He is in the doll cradle, which he just fit. The bottom picture is the crib my children used and I prepared it for my grandson when he came for visits. Under the crib you will see the doll cradle and a basket. When my daughter was a newborn I would tuck her in the basket to sleep. Such dear memories. 

From the dictionary: a verb, hold gently and protectively.

 

Allow yourself to be held gently, to be cradled in love of self and by others.

I know this is a hard one for me, but I am trying.

Sending love on this the last day of November.

Autumn Silence

 

What does Autumn or Fall speak to you?

For me it is pumpkin and pecan pie. Apples too!

Drives in the country and finding an old barn and bare trees.

Collecting the last wind fall of nature in the garden.

Just enjoying the pumpkins and colorful leaves in the garden too.

To me it seems like autumn is when the earth quiets its heart and prepares for winter.

Mary Oliver's poem, Such Silence, speaks to me at this time.

As deep as I ever went into the forest

I came upon an old stone bench, very, very old,

and around it a clearing, and beyond that

trees taller and older than I had ever seen.

Such silence!

It really wasn't so far from a town, but it seemed

all the clocks in the world had stopped counting.

So it was hard the suppose the rules applied.

Sometimes there's only a hint, a possibility.

What's magical, sometimes. has deeper roots

than reason.

I hope everyone knows that.

I sat on the bench, waiting for something.

An angels, perhaps.

Or dancers with the legs of goats.

 

No, I didn't see either. But only, I think, because

I didn't stay long enough. 

 

Do we pause during this time of Autumn/Fall

and let the earth and ourselves sit for awhile

in silence, waiting for angels to stop by?

 

Have a very special weekend, dear friends!

Word for the Day - 2020

Gratitude

 

from wikipedia:

Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness, from the Latin word gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’,^[1] is a feeling of appreciation felt by and/or similar positive response shown by the recipient of kindness,^[2][3][4] gifts, help, favors, or other types of generosity,^[5] towards the giver of such gifts.^[6][7]

It went on to explain that it wasn't out of obligation and changed a persons thinking to have gratitude shown to them. A persons behavior changes when someone shows them gratitude.

Thinking on this as we begin the week up to Thanksgiving. Trying to change my attitude and make a turn to the positive when thinking of those things I am grateful for.

I am thankful to have food in my cupboard.

I am thankful to have friends I can reach out to when needed.

I am thankful to be able to walk in nature and enjoy my garden.

I am thankful for the sun, moon, and rain.

I am thankful for a good cup of tea each morning.

I am thankful for family around me.

I am thankful for you.

I am grateful for having a walk in nature last Friday with my grandson,

with masks on and keeping our distance. It was still a joy.

Happy Thanksgiving week, dear friends!

What are you grateful for?
 

 

There is Something about a Chair

Recently there was the Christmas show at Monticello Antique Mall.

I go every year usually on the first day it starts, but this year was different.

I waited until the second day and went early in the morning, so I could avoid people being in the building. There were a few, but with mask on I was able to savor for a short visit and snap a few pictures. What always amazes me is how many chairs pop up in my pictures. Looking just now over half the pictures had chairs.

Chairs call to me. They say come sit awhile, relax, take a breathe, just "be" for awhile.

Do they call to you? Do you love chairs? What do they tell you?

If chairs could talk, what secrets would they share?

What stories have they listened too?

Sometimes chairs sit around the kitchen table. They hold our secrets. They hold our tears. And they hold our laughter too.

Dreaming of the day when we can huddle together around a table, by the fire, or in the living room and share stories, tears, and laughter.

In the meantime, I loved the quick glimpse into normal as I slipped down the antique mall aisles. I could dream for a few moments. I am doing a lot of surrounding myself with beauty by watching online. Setting up twinkle lights in the house and playing a bit of Christmas music too.

Have you started early? Are you surrounding yourself with the delights of twinkle lights or maybe a bouquet of flowers? Just saying, a poinsettia came home with me from the market and that will delight me into the new year while I sit in a favorite chair and dream.

Happy Weekend, dear Friends!

Dream awhile!

 

Word for the Day - 2020

 Pause

from the Webster dictionary:

to stop temporarily, to linger for a time

 

I am thinking about "pause" a lot these days

as we are experiencing higher numbers of COVID cases

around the country.

Many of these pictures I have probably shared before,

but for me a walk in nature or sitting in my own backyard is a "pause" in my day.

Sipping a cup of tea is a "pause".

Sometimes just sitting by the river with a friend in the early morning hour

is a gift of a "pause" in my day or week, though for now this will wait.

A walk on the beach allows me to breathe again, a time to dream,

or a time to let my mind clear.

I have struggled about "pausing" Thanksgiving this year because of the COVID.

It saddens me to do, as I am sure you must be struggling with that sadness too.

What do you plan to do with your day? How do you plan to celebrate safely?

 

In my household there are three of us, but usually our daughter, grandson, and our

daughter's ex-husband would be here.

This year the three of us will enjoy the moments of preparing our regular

Thanksgiving meal, but then package it up and deliver it to two homes.

We will set it at the door, step back, give a smile to the recipients and a hello, then 

come home to eat our meal. It won't be the same, but this is what we feel will work 

for us in a safe manner for all. This just feels like the right thing for us to do,

so I am at peace with that.

 

Sometimes it just takes a "pause" to come to a clear decision about what feels right.
 

My Sister, DeeDee

 

                           Most often I don't write about personal stories, but this is a story to share.

The above picture was taken last December. It is having tea with my half-sister, Dee Dee, as a celebration for Christmas. Each year we would get together sometime in December to celebrate Christmas, in March to celebrate our birthdays, and maybe a picnic in the summer. It was most often just the two of us, a sister bonding time.

Tuesday of this week my sister passed away from pancreatic cancer. She was just diagnosed about a month ago and I wasn't ready to let her go. I am missing her.

Now our sisterly bond didn't start until I was 50 years old and she was 14 years younger, though I knew she existed long before that. I knew she had two brothers too, but I didn't know where they were. I was pretty sure they didn't know they had two older sisters. Our father left my mother when she was pregnant with my sister and I was 2 years old, then later married again. He kept his whereabouts a secret and only popped up about 4 times for 1 hour visits. He didn't support my mother financially, so we struggled. During that era divorces just weren't common. People would feel sorry for us. My mother loved us and raised us the best she could with the help of other family members. I didn't feel particularly cheated. I knew I was loved. 

Through unusual circumstances which were not at all planned we found each other. Her brothers and DeeDee didn't know their father had been married before. One of the first things DeeDee said was "I always wanted a big sister and now I have two". She was thrilled. I was thrilled to finally connect with my siblings and develop a friendship. DeeDee lived only an hour drive from me, so we loved our times of getting together. We listened and shared stories of growing up and life now. Hearing the stories I knew that my sister and I were the lucky ones to have not grown up with our father. He wasn't a particularly good man. I will leave it at that, but I am thankful daily that I didn't have him in my life, but I found DeeDee and could be there for her.

Yes, I will miss that sisterly bond and time shared together with the sister I didn't know until I was 50.

All I can say now to you, if you have signs of ill health SEE YOUR DOCTOR.

It is better than finding out when it is too late to get help. 

Take care, dear friends! Have an extra special weekend!

Word for the Day - 2020

 Release

The dictionary description of the noun for release:a freeing or releasing from confinement, obligation, pain, emotional strain, etc., liberation from anything that restrains or fastens.

Saturday was a day to remember in many ways.

If you are not wanting to read anything political, please excuse me while I share.  I had dreamed of this day for almost four years, a day where the currant US president was voted out. I knew I had much stress because of his words and behavior, but with him being voted out it released tears from my heart and soul. 

 Now beside hearing that news I was attending a Virtual Tea Festival all day and again on Sunday. At the end of Saturday's festival I took a class on meditation with tea. With the election on my mind and then taking the hour to pause and reflect while candles burned, soft music played, and tea was sipped I realized we have been in an abusive relationship since 2016. It has been much like an abusive husband that doesn't hit us, but says words that hurt, that batter us down, that make us confused and angry. 

After the class I walked in to watch Kamala Harris and Joe Biden give their speeches and the tears flowed. All the tensions of the past few years under oppression slipped away and I felt JOY, a release of tight shoulders, a release of breath held. Now if you know me intimately you would know I rarely cry, so seeing and feeling those tears running down my cheek was release. It wasn't opening the flood gates, but it was opening the door. 

I was thankful for this release. 

How are you doing, dear friends?

Autumn in my Garden

 "The lost leaves measure our years; they are gone as the day are gone."

~Richard Jefferies

                         It is rather drippy and wet today and soon the color of Autumn will be gone.

      Thus, I ran with my camera just to share with you today the beauty of Autumn in my garden.

                                         The purple flowers are hydrangeas still in the garden.

      The garden house sits in the back corner of the garden still welcoming with a small heater inside.

                        "No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden."

~Hugh Johnson

     The colors have been amazing this year. Even my "live-in gardener" has a bonsai turning orange.

            "Autumn arrives in the early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day."

~Elizabeth Bowen

The leave are sharing their last fling for the season and beginning to fall to the ground.

What a show they are putting on right now.

I hope where you live you are savoring this time of year with JOY

and making plans to tuck in for the winter with a snuggly quilt, a fire in the fireplace, a good book, and a warm cup of tea.  Stay well and calm, dear friends.

Happy weekend!

Word for the Day - 2020

 VOTE

from Wikipedia: Voting is a method for a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, in order to make a collective decision or express an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holders of high office by voting.

To vote is an expression of an individuals opinion. 

Vote is a word we have heard many times lately and so strong on my heart. When my ballot came I voted and hand delivered to the receiving drop off. I wanted my vote to be there early and be counted. In Oregon all voting is done by mail and has been done that way for over 10 years. We love it here. We can sit with the information and pamphlets as we vote and take our time to do the research with the ballot sitting there right before us.

 This year I took the time to hand write 200 postcards to registered voters that don't usually vote encouraging them to vote. It felt really good to do something small to help with the election. With each word it was an expression of my desire to have the voices of heard of each of our people in this country no matter their race or color.

 I hope each of you have voted.

Take pride in this step of having your voice heard.

VOTE! Your country is depending on it. 

And let there be peace in this country as we move forward.

PS I am not sure what picture to show, as I didn't take a picture of voting.  I just added pictures taken recently that I like. Enjoy!