New Year Blessings

Blessings for the New  Year........I wish all things good for all of you......a life filled with miracles,
big and small.  A year that brings more joy than tears......a year full of good health.
A year that encourages you to face your fears, and do that one thing you have wanted to do your whole life!   Wishing you a year of wisdom, a year of trust, and a year of peace..........may you be loved as much as you love.......may you know kindness every day.......may your needs be met, and your wants filled....
and may you get as many hugs as you give.

Happy New Year!

Passionately Curious

"I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein
This quote is special to me, because frankly, I too am passionately curious.......I ask questions, I read,
I ask more questions.  There are times I drive Rick crazy, he tells me I should have been a detective or researcher......my questions drive him up the wall.

I wanted to know all the answers even as a child......why, how, where, when?  I was a teacher's nightmare.
I drove my mother up the wall, so she gave me books to read.  My brothers and sisters did the same thing,
when I would deluge them with questions, they gave me books to read.  Rarely am I ever surprised by an ending to a movie or book......that is a gift and a curse.

When I meet someone, I try not to bombard them with questions, but I am just always curious.....I truly do want to know about them, to understand them, to connect with them.    Where did this natural curious nature come from?  See, I am even curious about myself!!!!

For years, it appeared that I was the only person in my family with this quirk, but my nephew Haven
has morphed into a curious creature too, he even looks like me!  So does this mean because we look alike, we think alike?????  Ha!  Also, my great nephew Jordan is exhibiting a great natural curiosity , he is almost four, so it will be interesting to see how his develops.

No, I am not nosy, I am not pushy, just interested, simply curious. Lots of things fascinate me, people
places......I find this world  an amazing place, full of wonder and excitement,  nothing in it is boring.
I think we should all become a little more curious, notice people and places, ask questions.......
become......passionately curious.

A Bigger Heart

A week of rest,  I truly thought that I would accomplish so very much this week.......it being my first week off in two years and all.   Ha!  Most of my time has been spent with the dogs, with Rick, napping
and cooking.........not wasted by any means, but truly not what I had planned.

Rick has done yoga almost every day........I have done none, though I have managed to walk these woods with our pack of dogs.  It has been a week of soul searching and what ifs......there is still uncertainty,
but there is always hope.  I will be so happy when my energy returns.......it has been so long, I might not recognize it!

The sunset this evening was winter at her best.......(I know I have the new phone and didn't take a photo)
but the blaze was along the horizon before I saw it.  The bare trees looked stately against the blood orange
of the sky.  Tonight the stars are twinkling in the chill of December's final nights, January and the new year  are almost here.  Today, everything looked fresh and new......in many ways it was.....I had been given a reprieve.

Thank you all for your kind words and shared joy last night, the energy of kindness can be felt great distances, and love has no boundaries.  I wish my heart were bigger, so that it could hold more gratitude.  Blessings to you and yours, for love, and joy, and good health......may we all share the abundance.

Most Are Not That Lucky

I spent most of my day in the oncology department of a local hospital,  meeting with an amazing doctor who gave me good news.....no cancer.  I do have some issues to take care of, but they are treatable.

I am blessed and lucky.   As I came back into the waiting room after the good news, there was a woman sitting there whose husband was undergoing chemo, as she heard my news she reminded me to count my blessings, that most who sat where I sat today were not that lucky.  

I have counted my blessings all evening.  Her words still ring in my head......most are not that lucky.

Blessings and Curses

A blessing and a curse........we have had several friends whose parents have passed on in the past couple of months.  Some were ill for a long time, some died quite suddenly and unexpectedly.  A friend called tonight, whose aging parents are showing signs of dementia......she called because she knew the disease ravaged my mother before she passed away six years ago.

I answered her questions honestly and tried to be gentle as well as instill a little humor......I could tell she has had a rough holiday season.  I explained that  the death of a parent for me, well now I can see the blessings and curses of a quick unexpected death, and that of a slow paced illness.  My father died suddenly, he went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and died with a massive heart attack.
My mother's death took almost two years......and sadly who she was died way before her body did.
I missed telling my father goodbye.  My mother's slow death, changed our family, and felt at times as though it was killing me.  Only a couple of months after my  mom passed, my oldest brother died unexpectedly.

My conclusion, death is difficult no matter when, how or where.  The passing of someone you love
takes a piece of you with them.....forever after there is a  part of your heart missing.  I think that our culture has made death even more difficult, it seems we have a put a time frame on grief, broken it down into stages,  and tied it up with a bow.   But loss cannot be measured by time. .....and it cannot be locked up and forgotten.  Grief for friends and family and pets,  can and will hit at the strangest times without warning. Sometimes the triggers are obvious and sometimes who knows what triggers the sadness or tears.

I think our memories, and the sharing of those memories are the soothing balm for grieving hearts.
And the realization that life goes on,  that for we who are left behind........it is part of our growth.
We can work through the guilt, the hurt and the pain and continue with our purpose, or we can become frozen in time....... paralyzed by the grief and the change that has taken place in our life.

So whether death comes quickly or crawls.......there are blessings and curses that it brings for those left living.  Whether we are consumed and killed by the residue of grief, or we learn and grow from its harsh lessons is up to us.   Death is a part of life, some fear it, some welcome it.......but at some point.....it comes.

After Christmas Musings

Happy Boxing Day to all my UK friends!  I had a good Christmas, not as hectic as some years, a little more than others.   Unlike many of my friends and family members, I did not start decorating in November.....so that means I am not tired of the tree or decorations.  I love leaving the house decorated until New Years
Day.......I get to sit and  enjoy it all this week.

Speaking of this week, I have not taken time away from work in almost two years......I am taking this week off.   I did not realize how much I needed the break until today......I have not missed teaching at all today.
It has been nice to do some much needed cleaning in the house.   Blackie Bear and Buddy have loved having me home today.  This was also the first time in six years that I had not worked on Christmas Eve....
I guess an old dog can learn new tricks.

So, how do I plan on spending my week away from work?   Visiting friends, working on our music,
cleaning house, and working on my vision board for 2012.  There are several things that I want to accomplish this coming year, barring any bumps in the road.  You know as soon as the new board is finished I will take a photo and post it.

I hope that your holidays have been good so far......that your Christmas was Merry and not too hectic.
I hope that the gift of love was in every stocking, and that you all felt peace in your hearts.
Do you all do New Years' Resolutions, do you party,  any special celebrations?  So far, we have been invited to a ball,  a music jam,  and a friend's home.......waiting to see where the spirit leads.  Sometimes it is just nice to stay home.

I didn't even teach my community class tonight......it was time for a break.  The body and the spirit need change, for growth and renewal.  I believe that next week I will be a much better teacher.....and the dogs do love having me around!   It has been another day of cold pouring rain, I hear it on the tin roof, the sound of the rain, and Blackie's snoring creates an odd musical offering.  Not quite in sync, but rather
harmonious.

Time for a cup of hot tea.
Good night, Sweet dreams

The Christmas of My Dreams

Here is our Christmas song that was on the Fretted Instruments Christmas cd this year.  It was an honor to perform our song for this cd.  Rick and I wrote it with our friend Tracy Reynolds.
I hope you enjoy......"The Christmas of My Dreams"


MERRY CHRISTMAS




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