iN THE MOMENT

In the meadow-grass

The innocent white daisies blow,

The dandelion plume doth pass

Vaguely to and fro, -

The unquiet spirit of a flower

That hath too brief an hour.

Ellen Mackay Hutchinson Cortissoz

Blowing Dandelions for Papa

PRiNCE OF A MAN

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy."

~ Eskimo Proverb

We lost my dear, sweet Papa this week. He was a wonderful man, with an amazing spirit. It was this spirit that hung on for many days past ours and the doctors expectations. He was so reluctant to leave my Grandmother and this world that he loved so much.  I felt blessed to witness their last tender days together as our family vigilantly sat by his side supporting him in his journey towards heaven.

This experience has taught me so much about the strength of my family, the transition of the body and soul as it leaves this world, and also provided me with moments that  I will treasure for an eternity,

I owe so much to my Papa.  He had an everlasting faith, belief in me, and a gentle watchful eye.  My Uncle explained to us that Papa would say his Daddy was a Prince of a Man.  In these last days Papa looked forward to seeing his father.  I know that my Papa was a Prince of a Man, a humanitarian, and had a heart of gold.

Those that love him know he is in a better place.  He has been sending messages through songbirds, a magnificent full moon, and the wind.  We know that he is looking down on us and smiling.

Even with this knowledge, he leaves in his wake, people that are struggling to find their way in this world with out his loving presence.

In the meantime, I take comfort in being able to visit him at his resting place. It is beautiful, and peaceful there. A place where you can sit with him in quiet, under the shade of a beautiful old tree, and daydream of the wonderful memories that were shared.

We love you Papa!  You did a good job!!!

HAPPY THiNGS FOR SAD TiMES

Warning::: this is a not so happy post

My family is going thorough a transition.  We are loosing my Papa.  We are taking shifts to be with in him so that he does not have to feel alone in his journey.  I think that these shifts not only for him, soothe our souls, help us to come to terms with the loss.  He is a man that never met a stranger, would give you the shirt off his back, and do this in the most humble of ways.  Finding my list of happy things this week took some soul searching, but I feel as if this list of happy things might be the most important of all.

 My Papa would want us all to find happiness even in this time of loss.  I think that finding things that make us happy even when we are grieving can help us find light in the darkness.   Here are the things that have brought me comfort this week.

:. The Happy Book: .  This was calling to me while I stopped in to Barnes and Noble for a glass of the next thing on my happy list.

:.glasses of Passion Iced Tea from Starbucks

:.SARK.  I have a book by Sark called Inspiration Sandwich.  It has always been one of my favorite.  I found her blog this week.  Check it out.

:.This Video about dealing with Anxiety provided by Goddess Leonie

:.Baking cup cakes with my cousin and daughter

:.Old Navy Sales- retail therapy is the best

:.The Potato Chip Scarf.  Knitting is such a meditative process for me.  

:.Velvet Pumpkin Soup  mmm delicious. Comforting to the soul.  Don't you just love Ree Drummond?

.......... Coldplays Fix You...I struggled with weather or not to put this on my list...I so wish that I could fix this hurt that has seeped into the souls of my family.  This version is sung by a group of elderly people that call themselves Young at Heart Chorus.  I saw an Independent Lens documentary about them back in the summer. I found it so moving then and today it holds an even deeper meaning.  This film is definitely worth checking out.  This song has been on my mind. 

If you follow the link I will  warn you this is an incredibly moving version of this song.  I have found some solace in it. 

Thank you out there for listening.

iN THE MOMENT

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."  

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

ViOLET MARiPOSA

unforgettable moments

walking through the magic wood

 butterfly beauty landing softly upon her shoulder

pausing for a moment we marvel in its splendor

  floating gracefully away into the woods

WRiTER'S BLOCK

"Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed, and a giant oak in an acorn."

~William Arthur Ward

In the effort to get over what one might call bloggers writer's block, I have decided to try out some new posting methods.  The first will be the beginning of the week "Happy Things" posts.  This was inspired by a wonderfully talented gal, Madelyn Mulvaney, .  I find her poetry and photographs are wonderful.  I was reading her blog and noticed that she posted a list of things that were making her "happy this week." I have seen similar concepts on several different blogs.  Would this be a good springboard to overcome said writer's block?

Madelyn is also giving a workshop called the Art of Living Cheerfully which looks interesting.

In addition to my "Happy Things" at the end of the week I thought I would do a post called "In the Moment."  This will be a single picture taken throughout the week that is distinct, that I want to savor, and remember.  This was inspired by Soulemama.   She has been doing this for quite sometime and has recently challenged her readers to do the same.  So when in Rome....

So here is my first Happy Things List



:. My quote for this post (listed at the beginning of this entry).  It was sent to me by my Mama. I find it     incredibly inspiring.  With the quote, she sent this anecdote about William Arthur Ward:

" When I was in high school the dean of girls was Virginia Ward. She was a petite red head that never seemed to run out of energy, quit wit or a keen eye for when things were brewing at school. She lived in the neighborhood and William Arthur Ward, a prolific writer and speaker, was her husband.  It was coincidentally written by the husband of her high school dean of girls."

Pretty cool huh?

:. The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti.  There are some positive vibrations coming through the speakers with this one.  He is coming to Ozark, AR on June 2 and Houston, TX on May 7!!

:. Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.  My sister gave my hubby the third season for Christmas.  It is the perfect show to wind down to at night after Violet is in bed. Apparently, I might be enjoying this a little too much because I had a dream last night that Anthony and I were going on a romantic weekend getaway together. 

:.tiny bouquets of daffodils

:.evidence that my hot pink peony that I was sure I had killed is making a reappearance

:.greens sprouting in my garden

:.At Play.  This is a very old reader (copyright 1940).  I believe that Mimi rescued it from being discarded from the school library back when she was a kindergarten teacher.  Violet has really been loving this book.  It has given her more confidence because it is thick like the books I read.  The stories and pictures are sweet.

:. Ledger.  I am a huge fan of Lotta Jansdotter. Ledger is her fairly new blog in which she posts a couple of times a month.  She is another source of inspiration for me. 

What are some of your "Happy Things" this week?

OOPS I POSTED A ROUGH DRAFT!!!

" Give me a fruitful error anytime, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections."

                ~Vilfredo Pareto

So today when I logged in to edit and publish my entry " Get off the Ship,"  I realized that it was already posted on my blog. 

OK, I thought, maybe it isn't too bad.  As I scanned the page, I noted it was littered with misspelled words and type-Os!! 

Oops. Well, luckily I am not writing for the New York Times or anything, so I think that it will be OK. 

Needless to say a repaired version is in its place accompanied by the pictures that were supposed to be included on it. 

GET OFF THE SHiP

"Sometimes getting lost is the learning.  To do any of that learning, though, you have to first leave the ship.
                                                                                                             ~Patti Digh
                                                                                                             from Life is a Verb: 37 Ways to Wake Up,
                                                                                                                                                Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally

As I pondered life on the eve of my 35th year I decided to pluck Life is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally from the bookshelf.  A gift from my mama last Christmas, it is a beautiful treasure trove of a book. 

The stories in Life is a Verb were written for the author, Patti Digh's, daughters.  She hopes the stories will teach them to live fully in their daily lives.  It is reads more like a workbook than a traditional novel.

I thought today would be a propitious day to do one of the exercises in the book. 

I just randomly flipped through the book and decided on the story titled "Get off the Ship."  

Here Digh describes a learning abroad cruise that she took while attending a university.  The boat was scheduled to make stops in ten ports ranging "from Kobe to Split to Istanbul and Cadiz--and beyond."

During her stay on the boat, she took notice of one student that had yet to get off at any of the ports.  Digh decides to get to the bottom of this woman's hesitance, and targets her while they are docked in  Penang, Malaysia.

After talking with the woman a bit she discovers that the woman was afraid to leave the boat in fear that she might get lost. 

Digh considers her answer and asks "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

She then asks "And what do you think the life expectancy is for woman in the United States these days?

The woman guesses eighty.

Digh cleverly asks, "Do you think you'll stay lost for sixty years?"

They decide to "get lost together" at the next port: Madras, India.

Following each story, is a "37 Days: Do It Now Challenge." For "Get Off the Ship" she challenges you to take your camera or journal and find an object that you feel inspired to photograph or journal about.  She recommends taking at least twenty pictures or writing twenty descriptions observing this object from different angles and light.  

In doing this it encourages us to realizes "Where we 'stand' changes our perspective and angle of vision....How can we change our perspective to see more sides of the people and events in our lives?"

The last portion of each story is labeled "Movement."  It provides ways to stretch these insights into your daily life: 

"For thirty-seven days, be a conscious explorer. Every day, place yourself against new themes: Get lost, take a wrong turn, veer off the path you always take, walk a different path with your dog, read a magazine you would not normally pick up, connect with someone different from you, eat in a restaurant you've never tried...Get off the ship." 
  

Next stop...Venice, or Africa, Portland perhaps?