A Giveaway!



 

Today is my birthday so I am sponsoring a give-away as part of my celebration!

 



My friend, Kristin Repp, is a talented photographer (I use her photos often on this blog) with an eye for catching nature at its best. She put together a calendar for 2013 with her gorgeous shots of country life.

The calendar is big (14" x 12") with lots of room for jotting down reminders.

 

I have one hanging in my kitchen area but am giving away one, as well, to someone who becomes (or is) a follower and leaves a comment on this post.  Don't be shy - I will ship anywhere!  On Sunday, January 13, I will pick a random number and the corresponding commenter will be the winner. 

 

Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me!   Here's to another interesting trip around the sun.

Here - a word list poem

 

 

Here

 

clear skies, white covered mountains, frozen glitter in the air

 

Here

 

snowpacked trails, mittened fingers, the smell of woodsmoke

 

Here

 

a setting sun, alpenglow in shades of pink, the sound of waves

 

Here

 

eagles swooping over water, cold cheeks, the far-off whistle of a train

 

Here

 

the first twinkling lights across the water, nightfall, the promise of a rising moon

 

Here

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Liz Lamoreux suggested this prompt in one of her lovely newsletters so I just had to try it myself.  She is a nurturing soul with so much goodness to offer - I always get something valuable from her posts.  Please visit her (if you haven't already) and take a moment to write down your own "Here" poem of where you are in life right now.

Winding Down

photo by Kristin Repp

I love this week between Christmas and New Year's - it's a time for  much needed rest and deep reflection.  I am spending the next ten days up in Northern Idaho, watching the snow fall over the lake and lounging in front of the fire place.

Here are a few things I wanted to share with you at the end of 2012:

Heartwarming News Stories - We need these right now to be reminded of all the goodness in the world.

Susannah Conaway's Unraveling the Year Ahead workbook  is a fun / insightful way to plan the life you want to have.  Some of the questions she asks are difficult but I believe that her wisdom will push us into awareness and accountability.

I am sinking into this book right now - engaging and thought-provoking, perfect for reading in crowded airports and on cold winter nights.

Chex Party Mix is my favorite holiday snack!  My mom used to make it this time of year and the smell of it roasting in the oven brings back such warm memories.  I double the liquid part of the recipe, skip the bagel chips, and add lots of mixed nuts to make it the way I like best.

This is a personalized gift that is perfect for just about anyone!  We have been enjoying our own and have found it to be more challenging than we had thought.

I will be taking a blogging break (a real one this time, unlike my unintentional lapses) until New Year's Day.  Until then, I wish you lazy days with the ones you love. 

Ten Years Later

Ten years ago today my mom died as a result of breast cancer.

Ten years.  Sometimes it seems like so much longer that my family has been without her.  Some days I have an urge to call her up with news to share before I remember that I can't.  Ten years expands and contracts and remains the same on any given day.

Last month, I made this portrait of my mom through Bank of America's Everyday Portrait fundraiser.  It required a downloaded photo and a list of words that you associate with the person you are honoring.  Bank of America donated $5.00 to breast cancer research for every portrait made and you could download your own tribute.

I don't know how many words I came up with for my mom but I do know it made me go back in time to remember what kind of person she was and how she lived her life.  I got to really think about her in a constructive way, sifting through and choosing adjectives that described who she was during her 56 years on earth.

We all expect to lose our parents at some point in our life but knowing this does not make it any easier.  Many of you reading have lost your own mother or father and know exactly what I am talking about. There are no words, no preparations, no hiding spots to retreat to, that will lessen this sadness.   Our comforts lie in the memories we cherish, the legacy we were gifted, and the way this shared experience binds us to others.

Thanksgiving Wishes

 

This photo was taken by my good friend, Kristin, who is such a talented photographer.  I love how it speaks of bounty and emptiness, reflecting the autumn season and the uneven beauty of life itself.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  May this holiday find you surrounded by family and good fortune.

Say Yes

This beautiful image and quote is from the weekly newsletter of Where Women Create.  Here is their website. If you subscribe, you will receive goodness like this each week in an email.  And who wouldn't love a positive message to savor and think about every now and then?!

What Do You Want to Do (with the Rest of Your Life)

April is a creative business coach and has a website titled Blacksburg Belle.  She is oh-so young and beautiful but wise in a way that spans generations.  She recently created a video, "How to Figure Out What You Want to Do with Your Life", which included a list of ten questions to ask yourself if you would like to approach an answer.  I printed these off to ponder and I believe that, with a few tweaks, these inquiries could benefit the not-so-young, as well.

I know there are many of us mature women who have a second career in mind, whether this is a volunteer position after retirement, a different job for the rest of our employment years, or a "hobby" which may or may not be a financial venture for us at this stage of our lives.  We women live a long time and it is only natural that we could decide to have more than one career. 

You may already know what your want to do next but, if not, April's list could be just what you need to narrow it down.  I have added a few words (that are highlighted) to her original list to make it more applicable to the over-thirty (ha!) crowd.

HOW TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE

10 Questions to Consider

By April (and me)

 

1.  What do you want to be known for (in your later years) ?

 

2.  What activities give you a thrill?  What can you get lost in for hours?

 

3.  What lifts your mood?

 

4.  What would your perfect day look like?

 

5.  What do people thank you for?

 

6.  What is something you'd love to do but your don't even let yourself go there because it's too scary (or impractical or even embarrassing) ?

 

7.  What do you think about doing when you retire (or reach age 50, 60, or any other milestone) ?

 

8.  If money wasn't a factor, how would you spend your time?

 

9.  What about your current work or career bores you or frustrates you?

 

10.  When are your fascinated with learning?  What did your always like learning about in school?



 

*  Is there any career/passion you wanted to pursue when you were younger that got pushed to the side by daily life?

 

I am still contemplating some of these questions but feel them pulling me closer to my own soul's longings.  I hope you take some time to go through them yourself, opening yourself up to what may be waiting for you just around the bend.



 

 

 

 

 



Marinating in Autumn





Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The earth laughs in flowers."  If so, then I believe she seduces with the colors of autumn.

 

My dad, who also favors this season, has talked about how we only have a finite number of the events in our lives:  birthdays, vacations, Christmases.  And that is also true about seasons.  Although there may be dozens of autumns left for us in this world, the number is still limited.  Sometimes we take for granted the turning of the earth, the comings and goings of the things we have now expect without fail.  But it is good to keep in mind that these days are precious and to enjoy them in those small ways that keep us mindful. 

Go outside and take a deep breath. 

Notice where in the sky the sun comes up or goes down today. 

Forgo your usual coffee for a pumpkin latte.  Take deep whiffs of the steamy goodness.

Collect some fallen leaves or other follage to display on your desk or window sill. 

Take the time to witness exactly where you are right now.  Because by honoring these worldly moments, we are truly alive.

A Permission Slip

The lovely Susannah Conway published a post called The Permission Slip which prompted me to write my own version here, which you are welcome to adopt or revise for your own:

You have permission to spend your time with those that make you feel good and to decline spending time with those that don't.

You have permission to stop and just BE sometimes.  Productivitiy does not equate to worthiness.

You have permission to enjoy yourself, even if doing so makes you feel a bit juvenille.  We are entitled to happiness when it comes our way at whatever age it finds us.

You have permission to occasionally forget a birthday, be late for dinner, not answer a phone call, or pretend to be sick.  This does not make you a bad person.

You have permission to come up with a crazy idea, to bet on the underdog, to believe in a lost cause, to wave your freak flag.

You have permission to veer off the main drag, to opt out of a trend, to be behind the times, to wait to jump on the latest bandwagon.

You have permission to drink cream with coffee, sugar with tea, to eat dessert before dinner, to bake a cake for no reason, to eat an apple right off the tree.

You have permission to close your eyes after you wake up so that you can revisit your dreams.  And to decide what you want to dream about before you go to sleep at night.

You have permison to linger, to take a second look, to question and to form an unpopular opinion based on your experience.

You have permission to use age as an excuse, to rely on your instincts, and to remember events the way you choose to as long as that way that makes you a better person.

You have permission to be YOU.  Each and every day.

Who You Really Are

I just love this quote.  We may or may not be born blank slates, as John Locke once theorized, but it was soon evident who we really were during those first five years of life.  Then, after the age of five, we begin to get "messages" about what was considered "ok" and what was not, so we complied to an extent, a little or a lot, depending on the individual.  It is likely that we even forgot who we started out as, but that's ok because it is never too late to embrace our true selves.

You might find it easy to reach into your heart and into your past for those lost pieces of who you are.  But, if you are like most of us, time and duty have buried so much of those early characteristics that they are hard to recognize.  We find ourselves having to take on the role of archiologist, searching and digging for our real selves under the years and events we have been through.  Fortunately there are a few shortcuts, if you are interested and willing:

-  Imagine watching yourself as a child.  What do you see?  What does this young person laugh at and gravitate towards?  Write down any images that come to mind....

- Make a list of those things that bring you joy.  The big, exciting things and the simple everyday things.

- Talk to someone who remembers you as a child and ask them to tell you about what you were like.  See yourself through their eyes and what stood out to them about you at that time.

Obviously, these will just be snapshots of your true spirit but they are pieces that can help you compile an idea of the incredibly unique person you were and still are.  It is time to reconnect with who you really are.  It is time.