Tag Archives: Changes

I forget…

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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

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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

Light Hearted Living..., , , ,
The Reason for the Project

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. 

What we had before any changes

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. 

Completed transformation

By taking our time, we ended up with a unique bathroom to enjoy for years.  

2023 New Start

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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…

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Frequently, I’m asked how I’m enjoying my new home.

My response flows.

“I’m loving it more every day.”

They come in all shapes and sizes
New Cacti & Succulent Bed

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…

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… 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.

Beautiful Night Scene

Have you ever felt like living somewhere changed who you are?

The In-Between Space…

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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…

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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

The Colors of the Sky

Bittersweet…

Ireland, Things to ponder...., Travel, , , , , , , ,

The tulips are gone. The weather turned a corner and I shed my daily sweater layer. We witnessed community clean-up days; people pruned their shrubs, bushes and trees; or painted their house fronts. The sound of birds fills the air, the trees are greening, roses fill walkways, everything is in bloom or soon ready to break forth. Tour bus traffic has increased on the roads since when we first arrived. Ireland has readied itself for the tourist season, just as we prepared to pack up and leave. It is a different place than when we arrived.

Red Roses of Tralee
Yellow Roses or Tralee

We’ve enjoyed two months in County Kerry, and enjoyed the people we’ve met, gotten to know and hope to maintain relationships with.

The current stage is of goodbyes with the question, “when will we see you again?” The answer is in God’s hands.

Friends from home are asking, when you return?

Life activities on both sides of the Atlantic are calling.

Goodbyes are never easy as they pull on heart strings.

We leave with many memories.

A piece of my heart remains here and a piece of my heart is calling me home.

If you were to ask what my thoughts are, Bittersweet is the answer.

 

Day Dreams

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The local writers group assigned the topic of “Day Dreams.”
This piece came from that assignment.

 

As a little girl, with bubble wand in my hand, I twirl.

The bubbles, like my day dreams unknown to me, rise in the sky.

My only fascination lay with watching the bubbles rise and marveling how high they went before they burst.

I shared this activity with my daughters and grand-daughters. To this day, I stop and smile when I witness a child partaking in this delight.

Only later did I realize my day dreams rode on those bubbles. How many dreams did I let escape? Did they really escape, or simply hitch a ride on a star?

As an adult, the night sky and its stars captivated me. I love how the night lights sparkle and shine against the dark velvet.

Mt Sopris
Drifting Clouds

I moved west and in the high, dry mountain air found the stars more numerous than previously imagined. And they appeared much closer. In fact, close enough to reach out and grab. I began to see the connection between bubbles, stars and my day dreams.

Now I envision my day dreams found protection in the stars until such time as I could gather them back to myself. In the safety of maturity and greater self-awareness, I’m learning which dreams to toss back to the stars for another time or person to claim. With fresh eyes and new appreciation, I’ve reclaimed some of those day dreams. As they unfold and develop, I change and grow.

Now I recognize that day dreams and dreaming keeps one alive and vibrant.

My advice to you: Hang onto your dreams!

 

Do you still dream?

Are you finding any of your old dreams returning to you?