Thankful for the Future

I don't know what I will find along the way, but I know where the road is going. It's headed toward Heaven and I'm determined to follow it all the way there.

Thankful for My Part

Honestly the green bean casserole isn't my favorite. But I make it for them.

Cranberries....now we're talking. I make some with pecans and orange zest. I make some covered with sugar.

When my children were small, I thought it was a good idea to start traditions for our family. I thought it was good for them to have small details of celebration to look forward to year after year. I wanted them to know a special way to celebrate our family and the bigger traditions of our culture and our faith.

And that's what I did. We had familiar foods each holiday, we had familiar decorations, watched certain movies, and went to particular events. We found a way to celebrate each holiday and one another.

Now they're older. Adults even. And I'm single.

As the holidays come, I look around to see a different landscape in my home. Some of the traditions that were made for a young family were let go of in their proper time. The timeless traditions, like cooking, hang on.

And I'm thankful for the traditions of the past and those that are still here. I look forward to those traditions of the future that aren't here yet.

No matter what the future holds, I'm thankful for playing a part in a family, a culture, and a faith that values love and tradition.

Oh, and I'm seriously thankful for these yams. Enjoy your family and your traditions today.

LOVE!!!

Thankful for Pie

Pecan Pie. My pie is better than my pictures.

I mean, really, just look at those little leaves!

Thankful for Beauty

God is amazing. The Earth sings of His glory.

Wish I Were There

Beauty is on my mind. I seriously need to get away.

Beauty and Rest

Two things I need more of are beauty and rest. The beauty of nature, I need a hike. Or a trip to the ocean. Yosemite is calling my name.

Mom

Mom had knee surgery today. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

Gotta Love the Adventure

Every day is a new adventure. I love that about this life. Make the most of your day.

Did I Volunteer?

For school, that is.

Of course I did. I want to focus on education to acheive a career goal.

But dang....it's hard. I haven't been to school in almost 25 years! That's 175 in dog years. And I'm not even in a math class yet.

I had to write my first academic paper ever. I'm sure I was supposed to write one in high school, but I was too busy hanging out in my high school's SMOKING AREA to be bothered with things like research and APA formatting

I'm a life-long learner, and I love having the intention and focus school provides. I LOVE the validation of being graded. Who would have thought? Not my 10th grade Algebra teacher. He gave me a C- just so I would pass and not return to his class the next year. My teen charm was lost on him. Must have been the time I went to his class sans shoes. Don't ask me why, I can't even imagine it now.

I struggled with this paper for the past few days. Struggled hard. I tried to write all day yesterday. I kept thinking I had writer's block. I sat with my computer on my lap. Then I decided to vacuum. I stared at the screen some more, then I dusted. I read through the syllabus again, then cleaned the kitchen floor.

This morning my paper still wasn't written, but my house was super clean.

I went for a walk, sat with some girlfriends on the sunny Starbuck's patio, watched Grey's Anatomy on the DVR.....and finally wrote my paper.

I did volunteer for this. It's going to change my life. And bring me joy. School was the right choice for me. And my house is clean to boot!

New Way to See

Gargoyles. I would not normally be attracted to gargoyles. This is not officially a gargoyle since it is not a water spout. It is technically a grotesque figure. But I like to call all the sculptures on the outside of buildings gargoyles. Mostly because I like the word.

Anyway, I took this picture while standing at the top of Notre Dame. Which happens to be a church. This figure is perched on the top of a Holy temple. A place of worship. A Church.

Gargoyles seem so gothic to me. Sort of scary. Evil? Maybe not evil, but scary. The whole goth scene, to me, was about dark teens parading around town in long black coats and black fingernail polish. I had a chance to change my thinking when I went to Paris. Notre Dame is pure goth. It has grotesque figures perched atop all its walls. It has long, spired designs enshrining its doorways. It has gargoyles channeling water from the rooftops out their mouths onto the street below. It is quite extraordinary. I kept having to remind myself this was a church. The ruts in my mind regarding gothic icons kept wanting to pull me toward fear, or at least apprehension.

Notre Dame was built over several decades starting somewhere around the 1400s....give or take a few hundred years. My history facts are muddled at the moment. Building Notre Dame took time, money, and intensive labor. Over a few hundred years. It is amazing to me.

Standing at the front doors looking up, then standing at the top looking down I started to see things differently. I started to get a feeling for the magnificence of it. What were the thoughts and prayers of those hands and hearts that built it? Taking time to do something right. Believing in the dreams of those before you. Placing "guards" around your Holy arena. Carving out a safe haven for worship and glorifying God.

I can be so limited in my view of the world, let alone in my view of God Almighty.

I pause to ask myself, do I know the dreams of those before me? Am I working in tandem with others to hold the same values? Am I using all my resources to glorify God? How are my conditioned mind ruts keeping me from seeing other truths?

I praise God today for all the saints before and behind. I praise God for all the beauty of nature and the gifts of men.

I praise God I can see things differently.

Arc du Triomphe

The French people certainly went the extra mile building a monument to celebrate their victories. Perhaps it's something I should consider doing regularly. It doesn't necessarily need to be built with stone or wood. It could simply be built with recognition and gratitude, with pen and paper, with prayers and thanksgivings. A monument could be built with love and actions to my neighbors.

Fight the good fight. Celebrate the victory.

Be Your Beautiful Self

Being yourself can be difficult, yet being unique can be beautiful.

Relax and Enjoy Yourself

Take some time to relax and enjoy the moments of your day!

Waiting For Superman

I'm not waiting for a caped crusader to swoop in and rescue me. I would, obviously, allow said rescue were it to come upon me.....but I'm not waiting around for it.

If Superman shows up, tell him I'm out living. He can fly. He'll catch up.

Got Crabs???

I seem to have plenty of opportunity to face crabby people during my day. Sometimes it's even when I look in the mirror.

Autumn Traditions

Autumn is the kick off for the Holiday Season and all its traditions. Our family has a lot of traditions. My mom and I decided about 20 years ago that we needed to make some fun, family-friendly traditions to enhance our holiday seasons. In fall we go to Apple Hill.

Over the years, we have perfected our annual trip. We have several variations, so it doesn't get boring, but it ALWAYS includes certain things. Like apples. Of course.

And family. This is my mother and my daughter. Our precious Aunt Mari used to love the annual trip to Apple Hill. She was always the life of the party at any event. We have lots of funny stories about our trips with Aunt Mary. She passed away a few years ago. It was hard going back for the first few years without her. Today, we think fondly of her and continue on with our traditions. We are continuing building the memories with one another.It also includes the mandatory apple donuts. We go straight for the dozen. No messing around.

I'm really glad that we started this tradition. It's a good way to spend time together with our memories. It's also a great way to make the most of the beautiful days we have yet to live.