He said "What a beautiful gift!"

With twinkly eyes and profound sincerity,
Those are the words spoken by my Mr. J.

after I hum the song that I woke up with that morning.

"I don't know the title of it, or who sang it" (I say)...

and I speak the words I THINK might be the lyrics

"I wish you love"......or maybe "flowers in the Spring"

(even now as I type the melody floats beautifully through my head)

So I (try to) hum the tune to him ...and he smiles and tries to name the tune

and the one who may have sung it....
"maybe Bette Midler" (he says)

"YES!!, or even someone before her" (I say)...

And this is a typical evening
(or shall I say the 20 to 40 minutes)
we have together

after his 12 to 16 hours at the cafe
and my 9 to 10 hours at that crazy desk of drama.

and I am grateful.....

for this small piece of time that is so rich...

for someone who always points out the positive and fun..

who would never say

"that's the craziest thing I've heard!"
accompanied by 'that look'

even when I first announced a while back
that I wake up with a song playing in my head more often than not
(like: Maniac from Flashdance that I laughingly called 'Splashdance')

Who smiles, instead, and proclaims,

"What a beautiful gift!"

So as I think on it two days later

after hearing some devastating news that my dearest friend is enduring

and thinking on the trials so many people are going through right now

physically
emotionally
financially

and I wish I could send a little magic
even for a moment
to everyone of them

maybe a little 'morning song'

that maybe ends something like:

"but most of all, I wish you love."

............

I have now found several versions of this 'morning song'
The original is French from Charles Trenet
"que rest-t-til de nos amours" I believe from the 50's
Here Natalie Cole sings it

however, I did not seem to have the 'intro' in MY version
apparently MY brain only started with the music
attached to...
"I wish you bluebirds in the Spring"
I like that I had a filter on to begin with the happier verses.

More currently, Rachael Yamagata does the song quite nicely

GRATEFUL

That is the post.

That is my word for 2009.

I know there are blogs out there that have put the question out to us or the challenge to use ONE word.

...and I have thought on it for these past 15 days.

REALLY, truly, contemplated.

I will state it here quite simply,

Grateful

the second most powerful word to my spirit....

the sister word to love.

When I hang up the phone
(gosh that is an OLD term now, isn't it?)

I am grateful
that such an instrument gives me the connection to my children

or my Dad or siblings..

or my dear friend across the country..

when I can text a simple

"love you" or "goodnight"

just before going to sleep

it feels like
these precious ones are not so far away..

I am grateful.

that I have a job,

a roof over my head,

a car to get me where I need to go.......

three amazing children...

beautiful sunrises and sunsets...

The list is huge,

isn't it?

When I 'visit' grateful in the midst of any storm,

it is like a healing balm.

It's magic.

THIS IS THE DAY

THE COLOR IS

BLUE

THE SUBJECT IS

PEACE

THIS IS THE GATHERING PLACE

DONA NOBIS PACEM

"GRANT US PEACE"

This is my gift away

A GREAT TEENY PEACE STAMP
FROM NORAJANE'S


JUST TYPE
PEACE
IN THE COMMENT BLOCK

I WILL LET THE COMPUTER DRAW A NUMBER


NOVEMBER 13
- FULL MOON

nOtEs FrOm ThE nEsT

In Just a few short days

we have the opportunity

and privilege

to let our voice be heard

to follow our hearts

to make a change

we

need
a
change

and there is such

hOpe

~ ~

THIS MOMENT

NoTeS fRoM tHe NeSt


Tonight I will share a canvas that has been a work in progress.
16X26

With magenta, pink, and shades of blue, I prepared this canvas without any idea where it was going

until
I stood back and saw the colors together
and how the patterns played out.

From that moment I knew the text about
listening

that I used once before would need to appear again.

I had the glimmer of an idea on what else would be added.

It sat while I looked at it for months.

During my time of recovery, rest, and reflection these past few months,

I could see how this piece would evolve and I have been excited for it.

this weekend I actually picked up a brush and began the next portion
that will be applied to the canvas later

While I was doing that I was thinking about color
and the role it plays in our lives

whether we are immersed in art or....

simply living out our day to day lives.

I stared at the blue that I brought into this piece and thought about how I am reaching more and more often for BLUE.

We choose colors for our walls,
for the clothing we wear.

Certain colors make us happy it seems and others soothe us

Even as young children we pick certain crayons more often than others.

My youngest child went through a phase that I remember vividly........

Brown.

He consistently chose the brown crayon to make all his drawings.
That still makes me laugh to think on that.

Through the years, I seem to have stayed away from blue.

I never really wanted to paint a room blue, but did so for our oldest boy and then sponged in clouds as if that was the only way
I could think of a blue room.........a large space of sky brought inside.

Lately, however, I am drawn to shades of blue and have now begun to wonder if I am attracted to the color that is associated with peace and relaxation as I continue on with the journey within.

Denise Linn writes in her book SACRED SPACE,

Blue is the first of the cool spectrum colors.

It stimulates you to seek inner truth.

Blue helps you to attain inner peace and to live out your ideals.

Blue stimulates inspiration, creativity, spiritual understanding, faith and devotion.

Blue allows for gentleness, contentment, patience and composure. It has also been used for pain reduction.

Blue is also excellent for a meditation room or a bedroom, or any room where you want to have a feeling of peace pervade the entire atmosphere.


How synchronistic life events and actions can be.

It all fits together when you step back and take a moment to really look at it all.

When I moved out here ten years ago. all I could say was that it

"felt right"

..at the time.

I felt comforted by the huge blue sky
and the strength of the surrounding mountains.

I have been choosing blue lately
because I have been looking for peace,
understanding,
and healing.

My thought tonight is this:

Blue is the color of peace.

DO ONE KIND THING EVERY DAY
quietly, for someone else, without expecting anything in return.

Stamp from Stampotique
#6037 - Moon Garden

It can be as simple as looking into the eyes of a stranger

and

acknowledging

them with a greeting of

"Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon"

or even just a kind smile.

Or

giving or sending a card or gift,

perhaps anonymously, with a note to simply

pay it forward.

These are unusual times.

Kindness is powerful.

Collectively a spirit of kindness can create a shifting.

Don't you think?

Give it some thought.

Look around you.

Opportunity is everywhere.

Every Step On The Path Is Meaningful
~

every day is a gift
every moment..
precious
an opportunity to

love

forgive

be kind

create joy

be generous

make a difference

~

OH, THE BLISS OF SATURDAY MORNINGS

Good morning dear blog friends

There is so much on my 'to do' list

the house has suffered along with me

for almost four weeks

and, I must tend to it.

There will be little,
if any,
art today.

But all I need do is look through the window

and bliss out on the beauty of

nature's art

the sun shines..
the birds chirp and twitter..
the bougainvillea is stunning..
only 85 so far...
what a relief from triple digits!!


Today I am taking an opportunity for generosity

a small 'pay it forward' if you will

after THIS compassionate soul

reached out and gave of her time

and her 'shoulder'

and laughter

and allowed my floundering, hope of relief...

to be renewed.

Thank you, sincerely.


My 'Pay It Forward'

so .....
if you have read this far

this is a GIFT AWAY post.

yes..

I will give this original watercolor piece I did earlier this year.

A steadfast angel

with a message:

Every Step On The Path Is Meaningful

4x6 matted in cream 8x10

signed
and poetry (Every Step) hand written on the back
From my heart.......to my hand..........to you.

Leave your comment here
with your e-mail address so I can contact you
(especially if you don't have a blog)

A name will be chosen next Saturday, September 20