Quiet

This blog has been quiet lately

I have been feeling quiet.

It feels good so I'm going with it.

I have taken to walking in the wee hours of the morning.

The light is absolutely irresistible.

The sun slowly rises and peeks through the trees like a child peering out from the covers,

"Is it morning yet?"

The rays stretch long and hard.

Day breaks through dusk with full serenade from feathered friends.

We splurged.

A canoe.

Early birthday present for yours truly.

Not in the budget.

Value of peace and serenity?

Priceless!

It's been a long, hard summer.

I have spent a lot of time thinking, reflecting, learning. 

The rest of the summer will be spent living in the moment

appreciating exactly what is in front of me.

Which is everything.

Odd One Out

Cutesy, little, fun encaustic piece.

Odd One Out

Speaking of fun...

The kids and I went for a walk on a local trail.

We spotted a vine that hung from the trees across the trail.

My son tried it first.

Darling Daughter was second.

Doesn't it look fun? Yeah! That's what I thought.

This is me thinking I'm young and light like a child!

I grab the vine, head up the little hill...

What you don't see is me lying flat on my back on the

right side of the path!!! Oh the vine worked alright. 

I didn't get enough height so I yanked real hard trying to

pull myself higher. SMASH!!!! Down went the vine.

Down I went. Flat on my back lying in the ditch on the

on the right side of the path. It knocked the breath out of me,

jolted my neck and cut up my arm! Am I getting too old for this stuff? Never! I got right back up and laughed my butt off!

My son (bless his heart) came rushing over out of concern.

If it would have been my oldest, he would have seen this as

the perfect photo op!!! Can't say that I would blame him!

"You cannot always wait for the perfect time, sometimes you must dare to jump. Life is all about risks and it requires you to jump. Don't be a person who has to look back and wonder what they would have or could have had. No one wait forever."   ~ Mark Twain (I believe)

Faith Continued

 I did not choose this year's word.

It chose me.

Faith

At first I was scared.

That's how I roll.

Fear.

How am I to tackle a year of faith?

I don't even know if I have faith?

What does faith even mean?

Letting go of control?

I work hard to have the little control I have!

That's when I realized that faith is the opposite of fear

and I have always lived holding the hand of fear.

My challenge is to drop fear's hand and pick up the hand of faith.

Faith

is 

trust

letting go

dreaming

believing in something bigger than ourselves

 

We get one shot at life

We must choose how to spend it.

Live dying

or

die living.

Faith.

Yeah.

I could use a good dose of that.

I'll give you five reasons I am choosing to work at walking in faith.

Christmas Day Nature Hike 2012

Faith Quotes

Faith is not without worry or care, but faith is fear that has said a prayer.  ~Author Unknown

Faith is courage; it is creative while despair is always destructive.  ~David S. Muzzey

As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.  ~Emmanuel

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.  ~Blaise Pascal

Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel.  ~Author Unknown

Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.  ~Author Unknown    

Blessings

It may appear that we are alone on our journey through life,

but one need only to look to the left or the right

to see that we are not alone. We are walking side by side.

With deep gratitude I thank each one of you for being by my side.

~~~~~~

A wish, a kiss, a blessing

sent out onto the air

praying it reaches your doorstep

and finds you waiting there.

May your heart open wide and fill with love.

May your soul feel light and free.

May you find magic in the air this holiday season

and love filled gifts under your tree.

I thank you and love you for being here.

Your friendships and support touch my heart.

May God bless you this holiday season.

May the New Year bless you from finish to start.

This Moment...

Inspired by SouleMama.
In her words - "{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Crossroads

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a walk with a good friend.
We have been setting dates once a week for the past four weeks.
Every week we go to a different small town
eat at a different small eatery
take in the local shops
and drive the local roads.

On our weekly lunch dates
we have spent time discussing and pondering our lives.
We talk of where life has taken us,
where we feel we are headed,
where we hope to head
and all the possibilities out there.


Yesterday we found a quaint little town called Rockdale.
We saw a path that led to a bridge
that also led to the trail.
We headed down the path
as we could not resist the canopy of trees.

Not too far into our walk we came upon a crossroads.
I kid you not! An actual crossroads!
Can you see it below?
One path is graveled quite nicely
while the other is more grassy and natural.

I giggled and couldn't resist giving my friend Rosie a small crossroads speech.
"You see Rosie?
All this talk and contemplation we have been doing and here it is!
Our actual crossroads right here in front of us! You must pick!
Pick a path! Which way should we go?"

That's the last time I let her make the decisions! Ha!
No sooner did we head in her chosen direction than we came upon a red sign
(yes, a literal "sign")
that read...

"WRONG WAY"

Oh did we laugh and laugh!

How completely fitting for two silly wanderers.

(Rosie and the "wrong way")

Wordless Wednesday