Thursday, November 28, 2013

Six Word Fridays ~ Spice

Twas Thanksgiving day and all through
my house, not a creature was
stirring....neither pup, son or spouse!


We rested and rested and rested
some more, without thoughts of turkey
{nor of stores ~ that's for sure!}


I did lots of cooking and
spoiled my guys...the yummiest of 
spice cakes was the grand prize!



Tomorrow we'll feast ~ the whole family
home...Tyler, Melissa and even Jerome! 



My Memory Art six word fridays

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving


Grateful to have four relaxing family days ahead.
Tomorrow I'm with my two guys for a lot of football and not much else.
There will be some eating and napping.
A puppy.
And, perhaps, a nice long walk around my pond.


On Friday we will feast.
There will be more napping. Some games. Perhaps a puzzle.
We'll all be together.
And I'm so very grateful for that!


I haven't started cooking yet. Tomorrow.
Today was finishing up at work.
Some shopping.
And crafting.
Special cards for special folks. Some place cards for Friday's dinner.

Then...after all that...there will be two more days of rest, family, walks and {of course} left overs!

Wishing all who stop by and visit me here a very happy Thanksgiving! Your visits mean the world to me. I hope this year brings us all even closer as we foster our connections, share our hearts and learn from each others journeys.



Linking up with


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Black & White Wednesday ~ Trees


"A wind has blown the rain away
and blown the sky away
and all the leaves away,
and the trees stand.
I think, I too,
have known autumn too long."
e.e. cummings


My Memory Art


Falling into Winter




A few snow flakes danced across our skies this morning.
Just a tease ~ a hint of winter's magic touch.



Linking up with

Monday, November 25, 2013

My Anchor


It was a sunny, frigid day in Boston yesterday.
And I wanted to write about blessings.
But wasn't sure what to say...


Because I believe I am deeply blessed. Profoundly, completely, repeatedly. Now and over my lifetime.
Not only do I believe I am blessed, but I feel it.
Sure, I get tired and anxious and pouty. Truth is, I have a down right melancholy soul.
But the blessings are there. And real. And they matter more than the rest and soothe my soul...when I let them.

























Lately, however, my path has felt unclear. There are days when I'd describe myself as hemmed in. Limited. With only a few choices.
























Other days I feel like there are too many options. That there is so much that I long to do. That I could be heading anywhere I choose.




























Like the fallen leaves, I feel a bit blown here and there by the winds. And wonder if a decision made a decade ago to change paths, to swim against the current that had carried us for years, wasn't just a bit too crazy!


When I start to get lost in doubt, questions, "what ifs" and "what's next" it's then that I realize what the blessings mean to me. What they do for me.

They are my anchor.

When the winds blow, and the waves of doubt toss me about...it's the simple joys and those immeasurable blessings of home and family that steady me. Carry me. And fill my heart to overflowing.

"I have been blessed, and I feel like I've found my way.
I thank God for all I've been given at the end of every day.
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve!
To be here with the ones who love me, to love them so much it hurts...
I have been blessed."
{Martina McBride}


A day late to Kathy's Song-ography party
and linking up for Project 52

Friday, November 22, 2013

Six Word Fridays ~ Blessing


One golden, sunlit leaf set sail
and on the wind was swirling.


And then another caught the breeze
and soon they all were twirling.








From branches full they floated down,
melting together and covering the ground.



Lift your eyes and you'll see
a leaf ~ a blessing ~ floating 'round...
Hundreds. Countless. Longing to be found.




























My Memory Art six word fridays

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Today


Today.
Today there's a new purse. And Christmas blend in my Keurig.
And there's a random sticker on my counter top ... cause there are some little hands in my house this week!
There's a fresh memory of a night out with good friends, the prospect of a night in with a far-away friend.
And some play time with her little ones!

Today there is sunlight, and crisp, fresh air. And the crunching of leaves under foot.
Today there's an honest day's work. And everything I need. There's more than enough.

"This is the day the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 118:24



Joining Kim for Little Things Thursday
And linking up with Mama Kat

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Black and White Wednesday ~ Shadow


"We are shaped by our thoughts;
we become what we think.
When the mind is pure,
joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."
Buddha

52 years ago a little girl played with her shadow
by the edge of the deep blue sea.
And her daddy took a photo.
I look at her tonight,
and dare to think that even now
{all these many years later}
 it's possible to still experience more moments of
this pure, playful innocence .


My Memory Art

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Gentleness


We don't live in a dangerous area.
It's what anyone would call a "nice suburb."
And yet...
The young woman who lives in the apartment downstairs from my daughter was assaulted two weeks ago. By an ex who's now in prison. And less than half a mile from her place, there was a murder-suicide yesterday. A family...twin boys who hadn't celebrated their first birthday. Both parents gone...rumors are they were going through a nasty divorce.

All I could think yesterday...this morning...was how much I want this world we live in to be a gentler place. For people to be clothed in kindness and to learn and exercise self-restraint.

Today, I'm praying for gentleness. First, that it characterize me. And then for the whole wide world.

"Let the gentle bush dig its root deep 
and spread upwards to split the boulder."
Carl Sandburg




Linking with
and 


Monday, November 18, 2013

What do you see?


I see family.
A familiar card game, hours of uninterrupted time together.
A puppy who cant quite make sense of a glass table.
And the puppy's uncle and grandpa who enjoyed teasing him and confusing him.

I hear laughter.
That familiar sound coming from two kids who bring out the comedic side of their dad.
And that giggle that comes when their inside jokes go right over our heads.
Or the "HA!" that comes when they quote something, or finish a sentence...in complete unison.
I hear memories relived, dreams shared...I hear life stories being told.

Maybe the nicest thing about my day yesterday was knowing that we've got hours more of this right around the bend. With Thanksgiving {read more family time} only two weeks away, I didn't have one single melancholy moment wondering when we'd all be together next {yes, I know I shouldn't do this, but I do!} I'm tellin' you, this mama's heart needed a large dose of these sights and sounds

I woke up today so profoundly grateful that I got to spend my whole birthday in my happy place.
That right-in-the-heart-of-my-family happy place.


Linking up with



Sunday, November 17, 2013

On my birthday morning....


I see trees of gold,


Birthday roses too!
I see books I love
in our house for two
and I think to myself...
What a wonderful world!


I see mem'ries we've made
On shelves all around


The places we've been
the friends that we've found


And I think to myself...
What a wonderful world!


The color of the leaves,
so pretty 'round each bend...


And my coffee made warmer
thanks to the gift of a friend!


I've got friends, far and near,
Saying, "Happy Birthday to you!"


Could Google be saying
"I love you??"


I hear babies cry,
I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more
than I'll ever know.
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world...

Oh yeah
{as I turn fifty-three}
I think to myself,
What a wonderful world!!


So happy to be linking up with Kathy 
and the wonderful
gang!
{apologies to Mr. Armstrong for my edits!}


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Six Word Fridays ~ Hold


With a whisper, and a wish
and a woosh of the wind
tiny seeds set sail. As this
letting go season comes to an
end, each pod breaks wide open
and sets her wispy babies free.

With a whisper, and a wish
and a melting of the heart,
we don't hold on too tight.
We do not hold our babies
back....but with smiles, tears and
 prayers, we watch them fly away!





My Memory Art six word fridays

Link up your Six Word posts here
and I'm joining

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Imagine

"The creation of a thousand forests
is in one acorn."
Ralph Waldo Emerson




One seed.
One step.
Imagine the possibilities.



Joining Kim for
Little Things Thursdays


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Black & White Wednesday ~ Still Letting Go


leaves take flight
on frigid air
branches bare their souls

my spirit
knows the chill
of
this letting go season

a tear drop
spills gently to the page
where,
pen in hand,
i seek thanksgiving

i wait

wrapped in blankets
wrapped in blessings
my faith
whispers the promise

warmth will return



My Memory Art