Finding Serendipity

as you chase

patty — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:43:56 +0000

i remember being pushed
while chasing a dream

now, it’s your turn
be brave
and steadfast
and let me push
as you reach

and remember me,
remembering you

imperfect prose
this and that
rural journal blog hop

to see

patty — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:27:02 +0000

crisp cold air and chilly cheeks

the smell of earth
and gritty elbows and knees

with focus narrowed
i see the beauty in this old thing

veins and wrinkles and age spots
and frosted edges

rich with color and texture
and boldness
and life

what beautiful things will you see today?
*
Monday Moments
Kodachrome
Sweet Shot Tuesday
Communal Global
52 Weeks of Happiness
Show-Off Your Shot

True Confessions:: A Mouse in The Sink

patty — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:38:58 +0000

Yes. I know.
I have a 4″ thick python in my house.
That eats rats.
That I have to buy.
And there’s a funny looking little gecko that lives here, too.
And he has sticky pads on his paws.
And eats crickets.
Live.
But this baby?
When I saw him scamper around the corner and out of sight, I FREAKED, and then texted my husband,
I WANT A CAT!!!
He told my son to go to Lowe’s and get mouse traps.
My other son cringed and said, Just leave the door open. Maybe he’ll leave.
And my daughter said, OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHGETITOUTOFTHEHOUSEOHMYGOSHCHECKTHEBATHROOM
IHAVETOGOTOTHEBATHROOMOHMYGOSHWHATIFIT’SINTHEBATHROOM?!
He wasn’t in the bathroom.
Or the kitchen.
Or the living room.
He was no where to be found that evening.

The next morning, Lexi tapped on my door and then stepped softly in.
With a big smile on her face and her head tilted to the side, she said so sweetly,
Mommmm. I found the mouse. He’s soooooooooo cute!! Can we keep him?! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeasssssssse?! Pleasepleaseplease?!
Me: Lexi. Where is the mouse?
Lexi: In the laundry room sink.
Me: Lexi. Can he get out?
Lexi: No, but he’s sooooo cute, mom! Come see! Can I pleeeeeeaaaassseeee keep him?!

I think that mouse was all of two inches long.
When he stretched.
He looked up at me
and did a sideways two-step to the right.
Then to the left.
As if he was sizing me up.
I thought,
Dude. I can totally take you.
Then I said,
Lexi, get the mouse.

Mr. Mouse is totally adorable, and very happy in his new home, the fields next door. Let’s hope he doesn’t find his way back.
Or have brothers.

Have a great, mouse-free weekend!

*
Friday Photo Story
Photo Friday
Fabulous Friday
Snap Til Your Heart’s Content

{exhausted}

patty — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:45 +0000

bones aching, spirit weary

i drop

exhausted

into this space,

a cotton and silk
caccoon of comfort

and warmth
and softness,

where dreams dance

and my body is restored,
my spirit, refreshed.

This and That
Imperfect Prose

Going Home

patty — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:35:17 +0000

My son asked me today,
Do you think of this {our house} as ‘home’,
or grandma’s house?

Truth is,
home is wherever they are.
But going home,
to the place where I was raised,
is always so comforting.

Layers and layers and layers of history,
memories on every wall and dresser top
and hanging from every limb
in the forest that surrounds…

This will always be home, too.

My dad built that house,
and I remember dragging a 2×4
{all that my little hands could carry}
from the back yard to his table saw.
And mom, she made it home,
with hand-made curtains and dinners and bedtime stories,
and bedside prayers
every
night.

We weren’t well-off,
but I thought we were
the richest folks in town.
By proper standards,
maybe we were.

They built a home
and a future for us,
now our past
and present,

with rings of raw love
and faith,
encouragement and security,
that circled around us
holding us together
in times
of trials and tribulations,
and

made us who we are.

I shared with you photos of my family napping Christmas afternoon… Actually, those shots were taken in the very early afternoon. After everyone recovered from their eggnog-and-Christmas-cookie-induced semi-coma, we all helped my father {who is a fabulous 73 years} chop, split and stack the eight remaining logs he had delivered for firewood. I imagine that most of you had very different Christmas afternoons, but to me, this was perfect. My family gathered around, working hard to lighten my parent’s load, on a beautifully blue winter afternoon, in the crisply fresh forest air…

You might not believe me, but it was magical.

{My baby sister and her beautiful smile.}

She’s a pro, as she and her family do this every year for the wood stoves and fireplaces in her historic home in Maine. Watching her teach my boys, ever so patiently, how to work the wood splitter, sharing time, building their own memories to layer upon the ones they already share, warmed my soul.

This is going home.
Building more rings,
encircling them with love and faith,
encouragement and security,

creating a future of memories
for them
{and for me}…

Being together,
sharing burdens,
sharing the outdoors,
working and laughing
together,
learning,
giving…

This is home.
*
Sharing with Suzanne
Kodachrome
52 Weeks of Happiness
Sweet Shot Tuesday
Communal Global

Friday Morning Coffee:: For the Love of Blogging

patty — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:21:07 +0000

So, how are you?

Busy holiday season, I know. Seems I can’t catch up with my feet. Still have some trees to undecorate {travelling hindered that}, some thank-you’s to write-for sure, some household business to take care of… And then there are all the new projects for the new year. *sigh*

I’ve had another project on my heart… a photo-link up party. I hope to ‘launch’ it within the next week or two {still trying to figure out my button!}, so keep an eye open for it! No theme, no die-hard commitment required from you, just another time and place to link up a photo from a favorite moment from the week. I’m thinking Fridays will be best… What do you think?

Speaking of linky parties, my sweet friend Cate from Moments of Whimsy, a New Zealand blogger, has launched a weekly link-up that might just be what you need! First, let me tell you that I’ve been following Cate since the beginning of my blogging career {snicker, snicker!}, and she is amazing. Each year, she sets some pretty lofty goals, and then accomplishes them. This year, she’s hosting a weekly link-up for you to share something you’ve done for you. She’s encouraging you to set aside time each week to do something that you enjoy, something that you want to do, and then post about it and share with others. Isn’t that awesome?

I also found recently Suzanne’s weekly link-up on Mondays, Monday Moments. I love Suzanne’s way of writing… it’s almost like she’s singing, or whispering her words to you. Her photos are fabulous, and her spirit seems joyful. {I’m so drawn to joyful!}

And just this week, I realized a fabulous photographer who’s blog I enjoy, hosts a Thursday photo link-up, This and That. Deb Duty’s website is all awesome photos, plus a bit about her beautiful family, too. I love photo link-ups because they are usually easy to visit other’s blogs {posts are usually brief}, and of course, there’s all that eye candy!

I know! I almost never include photos of me in my posts! I usually don’t have any, and those I have don’t usually pass my critical eye. But this one is one of my favorites, evah! This is Ruth {left} and Jess {right} {yup! me in the middle!}. I met both of these ladies serendipitously at last year’s Blissdom conference. I roomed with Jess, having never met her!, though I had visited her blog. I love the honest-to-goodness joy on our faces… {It was just before we saw Matt Nathanson perform in a very, very small and intimate venue-you could feel the electricity in the air!}

I can’t wait to see Ruth again, and to meet new friends… It’s the most unreal experience… All these wonderfully amazing women, opportunities for more friendship, more learning… And Opryland Hotel in Nashville is GoRgeOUS. Seriously. Are you going? Would you consider?

Jess was going to room with me again this year, and had to cancel at the last minute… I’m pretty bummed about that… I was SO looking forward to seeing her again! She has a ticket {they are getting low in availability} she can transfer to you. If you are interested, shoot me an email. Um, and shall I tempt you with the pre-conference goody package? One of my favorite parts! Blissdom gets awesome sponsors who donate gifts for each of us, and a box full arrives in the mail about a week before the conference… Freebies are fabulous!

Well, love to chat, but crossfit and book-club are calling me. We read Julius Caesar this time, and I read it all the way through! I cheated, though, with this fantastically easy-to-read version:

{And I only mention that because tomorrow is my blogiversary, and I named my first blog from a line in another Shakespearean play.}

I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with peace and progress toward things you love to do; that you are able to capture some of that love and wonder in photos or words to share; and that you consider stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that tugs gently on your heart, like attending a conference where you ‘know’ no one, even though you really do.

31 Days to Nurture Her Self-Esteem, Continued

patty — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:21:56 +0000

There’s something in the air,
[or maybe a whispering in my soul]…

a longing,
[a yearning]

a pull to do more,
[be more]

to make it better,
easier,
[more joyful]

for others,
for someone,
[for her].

In preparing for and in doing my 31 Days series last fall, I met some women who feel like I do and we decided to [do] something. There are six of us, so diverse and so wonderful, and we plan to continue this journey towards nurturing the self-esteem of young girls. A school psychologist, an exercise instructor, a college student, a self-employed crafter, an avid reader; some mothers, some not; some married, some not; victims of girl-hate, defenders of the bullied… We are a fierce group! We will meet soon, to cultivate a plan.

I intend to blog on our progress… our plans, our preparation, our [do]ing. I hope you will join us, and maybe form your own team of fierce women, who are ready to change the world by nurturing the self-esteem of fierce women-to-be.

What say you?

Imperfect Prose
{read Emily’s guest post on self-esteem}
This Or That

4T7

patty — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:39:48 +0000

I turned 47 Saturday.

My family planned a beautiful celebration at a restaurant at the top of Beaver Creek Mountain in Colorado. A snowcat-drawn sleigh pulled us through the chilly night to an elevation of 9,788 feet. The cat kicked up snow, so as we sat huddled close to each other and wrapped in big wool ponchos, sweet crystal flakes fluttered down on us, coating our hats, hoods and eyelashes in white.

There, tucked in the light-less Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the night sky seemed so black and the stars, so close. The higher we climbed, the more we could see. We all tried, but no one could capture their beauty in pictures. I’m convinced it’s meant to be that way.

And the Aspen! Their ghostlike bark and lacy top branches picked up what little light the snowcat cast, making them elegant sentries of the night.
All of it, the falling snow, the multitudes of sparkling stars, and the ghostlike Aspen trees, created a magical winter night wonderland.

I don’t think it could’ve been 20 degrees out, so those golden lights we first saw shining from the windows of the log cabin style restaurant were a very welcome sight!

Once inside, we swapped our frozen snow boots for warm, fuzzy slippers, and were escorted into the dining room, which felt much more like a friend’s living room. Dinner was amazing, both in presentation and taste, and as our most excellent, native Tennessean server brought dessert, the acoustic guitarist began to sing Happy Birthday. To me.

Forty-seven.
Imagine that.

It gives me more reason to pause, self-assess and resolve than does New Year’s Eve.

Time sure flies.

Have I made the right choices? Have I given up the things I should have, like my professional career, and held close to the things I should have, like my family and friends?
Did I show love, not only when it was easy, but especially when it was most difficult?

And did I properly avoid people and things that are toxic to me and to those I love?

Am I taking good care of my family?
Of me?

Am I teaching my children the right things, the things they will need in life to be successful and happy, and the things that will help them avoid hurt and dissappointment?

Have I taught them the importance of subtle actions, patience and kindness sprinkled at just the right moments to allay stress and hurt and anxiety in others?

And what am I forgetting? What have I left undone?

I always think I can do better… Better with all of it.

I keep hoping I’ll reach that golden age of self-confidence… a point in time when I am finally secure in myself that I’ve done it well, that I’ve lived my years wisely and my days with great love and kindness. Maybe I’ll never know. Maybe I’ll just hold tight to hope and the drive to live life right.

And I know, too, by no choice of mine, I am blessed. Like a lucky drop of a roulette ball into a slot, my life has been rained down on in blessings. And maybe out of nothing more than gratitude for that, I need to keep faith that I am making my best choices, and remain present and thoughtful and diligent as the pages of the calender blow away.

Monday Moments
Sweet Shot Tuesday
Communal Global
Kodachrome
52 Weeks of Happiness

out of the ordinary

patty — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:06:02 +0000

Ever notice how
when you step out of the ordinary,
every thing becomes extraordinary?

And stepping out of the ordinary doesn’t have to mean going on vacation….

It could mean changing your diet or exercise program

or wearing clothes you wouldn’t normally.

It could mean visiting parts of your hometown you don’t visit often,

or exploring a neighboring community…

Or taking chances that scare you a little…

like accepting a new job
or taking a class online
or volunteering for a good cause.

{view from our room}

Ordinary is okay,

but chance and change and being brave are so good,

So do something different today

and live an extaordinary life.
*
Do you have any plans for the extraordinary?

Baggage

patty — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:03:42 +0000

We come to each other
battered and broken,
lugging baggage
bursting with hurt,
loss,
anger,
abuse,
addiction.
We meet in the middle,
or to the left
or to the right
but someplace
where we can reach each other.
Zippers separate
and pain spews forth;
we pull out the duct tape
and continue to reach.
Sometimes,
you need to reach farther than me.
Sometimes,
I more than you.
All the time,
we {need to}
bend and flex and meet
each other
right where we are…
And when we can’t,
when the baggage bursts,
when the brokenness pokes out and tears,
we have Grace
to teach us
tolerance
acceptance
forgiveness,

unconditional.

This year, I resolve to find the true meaning of Grace and to live it fully.