A change of scenery, a little different view.
Best wishes for the new year from me to you!
Happy New Year!
Tag Archives: Changes
Twilight, the end or the beginning
New Years Eve is coming.
It can be likened to Twilight, often seen as an ending, the soft fade, the quiet close, just before the end. But take a closer look. Twilight is also the beginning. Embrace the Twilight of the New Year. It can be like a clean white slate.
Think about what that means for you.
Twilight… the in-between can be found using this link: amazon.com/author/lindalflynn_words
Remember, Life is the Journey
I forget…
I forget how vast this country is, how rapidly the topography changes as we speed down the highway
I forget within this vastness lays great variety of how daily living plays out
None better, simply different.
I forget how our forefathers struggled to inhabit this land and how the cruelties of climate, geography and wild elements challenged them
I forget how close to the land my own ancestors lived; myself preferring to live in the realms of books and travel
I forget the value of the farmland, as I suspect many who live in an urban environment have similar remissions of thought
I fear that collectively we have forgotten how much we need each other
Those in the rural farmlands
Those in the denser urban areas
Those who work the land
Those who study intellectual matters
Those who perform manual labor
Those who design and build
Those who teach
Yes, collectively we need each other
While traveling, I’m reminded of my life
Of how blessed I am
Of the family and many friends
Who have enriched me and contribute to how rich my life is
News continues to bombard me
I suspect others might say they forget the stories of their youth
I forget the stories where people fought and sacrificed
To create the freedoms I consider part of my life
No one tells those stories anymore
What important truths or stories have been pushed out of your mind?
Please feel free to share your thoughts.
Up in Flames
Ahh,
can you hear it?
2024 is groaning
under the weight
of all the happenings
of the year.
Too many happenings to list here.
Are you groaning as well?
Here’s the cure…
Slip into your snuggly warm jammies,
or comfortable sweats,
grab a warm cup of your favorite steamy brew,
take your preferred throw or blanket
and settle in-front of the fire.
A big roaring fire.
Listen to the crackles
as little sparks pop from the blaze.
Watch the flames of the fire rise,
rise to the sky
or up the firebox.
Give your thoughts
of the year
to those flames.
Let the flames
take the weight of 2024
with them.
Rising into the heights of the heavens,
then dissipating in the air.
Allow the smoke to fill your nostrils
like incense, purifying your soul.
Watch the flames
licking the logs
slowly turning the surfaces into glowing,
red searing heat sources.
Soak in this heat.
Sit quietly
and let the weight of 2024
escape from your body.
Soak in
enough of the heat
that you need
to toss the blanket aside.
Quiet your mind.
Think about the flames
making the logs smaller.
Let your stressful thoughts
shrink as well.
Breathe deeply.
A new morning is coming.
2025 will arrive like a new babe.
Welcome it into your life–
Uncorrupted,
Renewed,
Original.
From the ashes of 2024,
let something new
be created in you
this coming year.
Embrace the possibility
of new beginnings.
Wrap them around yourself
like the blanket you
previously tossed.
Hold your head high
and enter the new year.
The Reason
This tile was the reason for the slow project we undertook…
We’ve been in our house for four years. Love living here and love how much time we can spend outdoors. Like any house you move into, there are projects needing attention. Initially, we focused much of our attention on outside areas. In the house, there were a few things we couldn’t wait to change; and a few other things we didn’t like, but didn’t know what we wanted to do. The guest bathroom fell into that category.
Today, I can say that I’m glad we took our time with this project. Our house is older, so some features are older. Hahaha. The guest bathroom had not been updated in years. You can see from the before photo what I mean.
Yet, I loved the tile in the bathroom and did not want to sacrifice it for a remodel project. My preference for the tile made the process slow. It also meant we would have to live with the existing cabinetry. Now that we are on the backside of the redo, I’m glad we went slowly.
Hubby hated the old shower doors. Removing them allowed us to feel like the existing tub was workable. We each hated how the drop ceiling light box made us feel like the ceiling was right on top of our head. Removing the box and exposing the lights created the need to find something suitable. We are both suckers for lighting. So, the quest for lights was a fun part of hunting down materials for the bathroom. Tom cut out the existing sinks and found drop-in sinks to fill the holes and which allowed us to keep the tile counter tops.
We both found the wall of mirror to be too much. Finding a pair of mirrors to replace the wall took longer than we expected.
Paint colors were picked out, and the room was transformed. With all the major replacements done, the bathroom was shaping up. Yet the cabinets looked so old. I painted and antiqued them. Though it is said, this decorating trend is outdated, we have laughed. It may be outdated, but it is much more current than what we had.
By taking our time, we ended up with a unique bathroom to enjoy for years.
2023 New Start
December is…
…only a memory
remembrances of days past
some sweet, some mundane
holiday songs, gone from the public square
trees once adorned with lights and baubles
now tossed by the curb
crumpled wrapping paper fills the garbage bins
December marks the end of the calendar year
the new year has arrived
like a unblemished babe awaiting impact
of what the world will lay on the babe
or the impact the babe has on others
so for us, the new year comes
it can be a clean slate
a time for new beginnings
or a holding place for the past’s baggage
baggage from the past
you can chose to toss
gone is the looking backwards
and lingering regrets
with a clean slate
and heartful of gratitude
i have a new start
I Love Living Here…
Frequently, I’m asked how I’m enjoying my new home.
My response flows.
“I’m loving it more every day.”
Perhaps I’m under the influence of the intoxicating fragrances that waft through the air. Depending upon where I stand on the property today, I might smell orange blossoms, or alyssum, or eucalyptus, or other yet to be identified scents. Each offers aromas I enjoy, and I savor those moments of fragrance.
Regularly, I’m learning something new about the plantings on the property. The former owners enjoyed the diversity found in this locale, so there’s a variety of mature plantings to enjoy. Our styles may be different, but our love of plants and being outdoors to enjoy them is something we share with those owners. We’re grateful they invested in the property. We’ve relocated and moved some things to create different spaces or zones; this visually opened the approach to the house; yet maintained almost all the species we worked with. It’s a process and we’re comfortable knowing that it will all take time. I wake up, look outdoors and say,
“I love living here.”
People say…
… the mountain casts a spell over people who live near it. When one leaves the area, the spell causes that person to never really leave, but at least continue to return.
Maybe…
Maybe not…
We left the area about six weeks ago, then returned to retrieve a vehicle we’d left behind. Our conversations revealed we each felt happy to be back in town, driving the streets, seeing a few friends, enjoying the sights and having food from several favorite places.
Let there be no mistake. We know our new home, the region where we live, the town we’re part of is exactly where we are supposed to be and we’re thrilled to begin this new adventure in our life journey.
We’ve returned to locations from our past homes because of the people, but never experienced the feeling of simple happiness by just being in the area. Perhaps there is a spell on us from the mountain, or maybe it’s because we each experienced so much personal growth and deepened our spiritual lives here; made many friendships and memories. We changed living here. We’re not the same people we were when we moved here. We smile, knowing we’ll be back again.
Have you ever felt like living somewhere changed who you are?
The In-Between Space…
House sold
Packed up
Moved out
Stored everything
Offer accepted
Details negotiated
Dates set
Time and space between
Where do my feet call home?
A contemporary loft apartment
Fulfills my in-between state
The hum of city life surrounds me
Free night-time music from a nearby establishment fills the air
The beach is merely two blocks away
And visible from the roof-top balcony
Here my brain processes recent activity
Spinning, spinning the thoughts whirl
Decisions made
Arrangements scheduled
Brain stopped swirling
Palm trees sway against the blue skies
The ocean calls
Walks on the beach
Marine layer rolls in, enveloping all in mist
Tension releases
Comfort comes as the time to relocate draws near
Certain Uncertainties…
The ground is shifting beneath my feet
My calendar marks the passing of time
Changes in weather confirm this passage
Details require my attention
My mind wanders
Change is happening
One foot planted here and the other not yet settled in an unknown location
In this straddled state, I feel unbalanced and perceive time stopped
Not possible! Not true!
I saw you today
You became family
Geography will physically separate us
My heart was saddened
Public message to say good bye
Share how God calls and why we respond
Can I look in your eyes and keep the tears from my own
While living here, I’ve changed
No mistake that I was here
I will follow the voice that calls
For me to do anything less is unworthy of His calling
The faith we share has bound are hearts together
Location and time cannot undo this bond
We are part of one another’s journey
When we meet again
We’ll share the stories of life
Live well, my friends
To this you’ve been called
Journey to the Heights 