TWO + TWO= ONE

Two doses of vaccine + two weeks = one happy gal. What a weight off! And what a thrill to be able to spend time with family celebrating our daughter's birthday! It's funny how I didn't realize the weight I was carrying in trying to maintain all the careful edicts to avoid bringing covid-19 into our milieu. And what utter joy it was yesterday to be able to hug and laugh and just be together again. Even if you don't think you are worried, go get the vaccine when you can. You might be surprised. I was.

JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Laguna sky

I don't know just what made the day seem special. Was it the earrings I put on before heading out for a morning walk? Was it the lovely video of dancers sent early by my daughter's mother-in-law? Was it enjoying texting yesterday with my eldest grandson? Was it the cookies baked and sent over by my neighbor Bina? Was it the delivery of yet another Round Robin journal and some laser images delivered by friend Faith? Was it time spent in the garden weeding? Or the time clearing out shelves in my office in anticipation of a distant opportunity for new flooring?

These things and probably more. Sunshine. A light breeze. Morning fog that felt so sublime and soothing. Birdsong that seems to be everywhere. An array of pelicans flying low over the ocean's waves. A Zoom celebration of friend Eloise's birthday.

And there are probably more little moments that participated in making the day just feel good. So I will hold on to all of these things and hope for more of the same on yet another day...maybe dare I hope tomorrow? Life brings so many opportunities for enjoyment if I only look up from the busy-ness and the lists and the niggling fears. 

Live my best life with what I am given...for the now.

TOO SOON

Phil, age 5

Snippets of memory flood my mind...flashes from a childhood that seems by today's standards really free and full of exploration and experience that cost nothing. Just two years separated us, with me being the elder, and for years he would follow me around, getting pincurls when I did, copying so much of what I did. And when anyone would pick on him,he would simply declare that they'd better watch out because his big sister would beat them up. (Not at all sure what I would have done had anyone ever challenged that last one.)

We stayed close through most of our adult life until a family squabble changed all that. Sadly, we had not spoken for years. Still, when he passed this past week after a too long illness, I could not help but remember the good times instead.

R.I.P Phil

WHY NOT...?

Why not holiday butterflies?

In the midst of working the early shift and dealing with what life brings into play, the holidays just seem to have taken a bit of a "back seat."

When I blithely said to a friend yesterday that maybe I would just have the ingredients on hand for a nice spaghetti dinner for Christmas day, she was aghast. "Wasn't tradition important to me?"

Don't get me wrong, I love traditions and place value on them.  But...when it comes right down to it, what really matters to me is not the tree, not the presents, not the wrapping, the songs, or the holiday baking. What really matters is having those I love near me, not only at this holiday season, but all the time.

So butterflies, spaghetti,...why not?

WHAT IS LEFT BEHIND

Footsteps in the sand

This morning in the dark of pre-dawn, as the chirping of rising birds sounded outside, I found myself thinking of not only what we leave in our wake, but also what is left after something like the recent road trip taken with daughter Jenna.

While describing the trip in brief to friend Maggie I realized I was mostly leaving out the "left behinds" like joy and laughter that come from shared moments with a loved one. I was leaving out the exhilaration of a completed hike. I omitted the feeling of awe of standing atop a white sand dune while others stretched out seemingly forever. The musical notes still singing in my head from Jenna's huge collection of song was yet another, vast, lingering thing.

Memories and more........

I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN...

Program cover

It has been a busy week and I have a feeling this is only the start of others like it, but I am striving to stay committed to the promised two blogs per week.

In between creating art and framing it and all the little bits and pieces of getting ready for the summer festival there was still time to have some wonderful family time. 

On Wednesday we had been invited to eight year old Felix's charter school in LA to see his class perform a wonderful play based on their field trips to various ocean themed sites.

The kids wrote and choreographed the entire play themselves and did an impressive job. The costuming was fantastic and all was coordinated and very well attended.

After the program we all spent the remainder of the day together. Some of us (and yes, I'm still a bit sore) engaged in some rowdy basketball together. I found it a struggle to match up to fourteen year old Christian, but hung in there. The long shots were what killed me...no three pointers for me!

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together sharing what we found special about the day. Needless to say, everyone mentioned that the play was "IT." And the being all together.

Special family time for sure!!

Felix was an octopus