Summer Reading

One never knows what chance treasures these easy unconcious rollers may toss up on the smooth white sand of the concious mind;

 what perfectly rounded stone, what rare shell from the ocean floor.

 - Anne Morrow Lindberg, Gift from the Sea

I no longer keep track of how many times I have read Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg, a text filled with wisdom and peaceful observance of the stages and rhythms of a woman's life. Nearly every summer I revisit the pages of my well-worn and well-loved copy, amazed at the peace that washes over me when I see my own questions, my own musings so precisely verbalized by a woman who lived a life so very different from mine. It reminds me that we are not alone in this journey because deep down our hearts are the same.

This book is particularly appropriate reading for me this week given that I am staying at the beach and celebrating my 46th birthday.  These two events have put my contemplative nature into overdrive.  I always wanted to be a woman who grows older with grace but I admit that lately I sometimes find myself wondering who that cheerful and slightly sagging chick in the mirror is.  Does she know that 50 is just around the corner?

I love watching and listening to the waves as they form and make their way to shore.  The tide, like the passing of time, is unstoppable... relentless.  Every day it flows in and it flows out, changing the landscape with each crash of a wave.  Life is just the same.  Things come crashing in, circumstances change and the best I can do is look for and appreciate the beauty that is before me right here and now because it, too, will be changed with the arrival of the next wave.

I haven't needed much "stuff" to keep me happy this week.  Even the one moderate suitcase I brought seems superfluous (although I really, really tried not to overpack).  The weight of unneccessary possessons is such a burden.  As I headed out to the beach my first day here I filled my backpack with so many things I thought I might need.  Did I really think I was going to read my book and work Sudoku puzzles?  Today I will probably walk out the door with just my hotel key.

Most of all, though, I have learned that I am ready.  By God's grace I believe I am ready for whatever the next year, the next season of my life brings. 

Tomorrow I head home.  This retreat has been great, but I look forward to infusing a bit of beach girl attitude into my everyday life.  I want to pursue my renewed desire to simplify and "lighten my load", to seek and appreciate the beauty that washes up on my little shore each day.

A Great Gift

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea

between the shores of your souls. - Khalil Gibran 

   

This week I have been given a great gift...time alone by the sea.  I can only imagine what it must be like to live near the ocean where the horizon is so wide open and the land is a constantly changing canvas, washed clean and reshaped again and again by the pounding of the surf.  For a few days I will wander, rest, reflect and dream on my own.  In the evenings I will come together with the man I love and do more of the same.  I find that we are beginning to settle into this rhythm in our everyday lives as well, as our kids are growing up and away from us.  Like so many other transitions I have experienced, this time is bittersweet...a mixture of sadness and excitement, adventure and grief.

There All the Time

This dresser is one of my favorite pieces of furniture.  The huz and I unearthed it long ago in a little shop in southern England.  For years I wished I had a key for the top two drawers.  They open and close just fine, but I wanted to be able to lock them.  (In case we were one day visited by a lingerie thief, I suppose.)

The other day I looked down at a charm necklace I wear quite often and had the brilliant idea that, just for kicks, I'd try my favorite little skeleton key in one of the locks. 

Yep, you guessed it...a perfect match!

I was really surprised.  It makes me wonder how many other "keys" are jingling around in my life.  How many answers to questions are already in my heart and my mind, just waiting to be recognized and put to use? 

Anticipation

Sometimes I think I should just write my entire blog about the MT SYLVAN COFFEE HOUSE & MERCANTILE.  I spend enough time there and I love the people that frequent the place so much.  Sometimes when I walk in I hear can almost hear the theme song to the television show, Cheers,... "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came..."

I walked into such a sweet atmosphere this morning, as Denise Warren was readying the tables for a bridal luncheon.  As proprietor, Denise always takes great care in preparing a fresh and peaceful environment for her guests and today was no exception. 

There is something delicious in the anticipation of a celebration.  There is nothing more joyful than friends coming together to share a bit of life, and being asked to facilitate that is really quite an honor.  I was blessed to be able to help out today by furnishing centerpieces for the tables.  They featured some of the vintage spoons I've been altering and stamping lately.  (I'll have to post some more pictures of those later.)



So I've been thinking a lot today about that atmosphere...where preparations are made for a great celebration.  What if we lived each day with that kind of anticipation?  What if we walked around believing something joyful and wonderful was about to occur?  Would we see and interpret things differently?  Would set-backs and dissapointments become opportunities...just bumps on the road to something better?

A View from Above

I ran across this photo of our front yard as I was organizing my photos today. 

It was taken early one morning last summer, when the day was fresh and full of possibilities.  This is the view from the desk in my studio.
Sometimes I look out and see my son chasing (or being chased) by our dog or my daughter sitting on the swing with a friend.  I can see the driveway as people come and go and I always seem to look up just when our sweet mail lady leaves something in the box by the road.
From this vantage point, I see a bigger picture than I would see on the ground.  I see things "in context", if that makes sense at all.
It reminds me how grateful I am that there is One higher than I Who watches over me.  When I can't see past my immediate situation, my Father in heaven is there, knowing all that has been and all that will be in my life and in the lives of my loved ones.  From God's perspective, every moment is fresh and full of possibilities and nothing is random or out of control.  Most importantly, just as I look on my children with such overwhelming love as they laugh and play and trust, my Heavenly Dad delights in me simply because I am His.
There's a little verse trying to make it's way out of my head today.  It's nothing fancy, but it expresses a bit of what's on my heart:

On days when I don't understand
I place my life in your strong hands
And trust that from your throne on high
You see and know the reason why
Then, safely resting in Your grace,
I sense a smile upon Your face

No "Givens"

So after all my talk of sunshine yesterday, look what I saw upon waking this morning:

The weather can be so unpredictable as we move from summer to fall.  One day I'm dancing barefoot in the sunshine, the next day I have raindrops dripping from the tip of my nose or I'm hunting for a sweater to ward off a fresh chill in the air. 

Life is just that unpredictable in so many ways.  There are no "givens."  Rain clouds appear unexpectedly.  Frosty evenings send a chill through my bones.  All I know to do is look for the hidden blessings and trust that even the darkest night is broken by the sunrise.

Make an Adventure

Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul.

-William Somerset Maugham

My son and I were taking a walk the other day when this ominous dark cloud came up. We were quite far from our destination when it began to rain. Asked if he wanted to find a safe place to wait out the storm, he replied, "No, let's keep going and see if we can make an adventure."

Today may you find such child-like trust and abandon in your own heart. May you see in your circumstances the potential for discovery and adventure, no matter how big the challenge and may the road ahead lead to peace and great joy!

Love the Moment

Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed. - Corita Kent
An unusual amount of rainfall in the last few weeks has made the flowering plants around my place happy, happy, happy. Their beautiful blooms inspired me to pull out some flower canes left over from recent projects and make a pretty little collection of flower beads.

When I work with these beads I will try to think about the quote by Corita Kent. I will remember that flowers begin in darkness...a tiny seed planted in the right environment becomes a thing of great beauty. Even the ugly stuff...the hard stuff becomes a lovely gift when we allow it to shape us into stronger, more patient, more compassionate human beings.
Today, if a worry, a hurt, or even an irritation crosses my mind I will do my best to love that yucky moment. I'm not sure how successful I'll be, but I'll give it a shot. If I give that seed the environment it needs (a trusting, hopeful heart) just maybe it will become a thing of beauty in my life...