Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The simple things

I am posting the simple things in my life that I am feeling grateful for today, Christina at http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/ gave me the idea and her family will be donating $1 to http://doctorswithoutborders.org for every blog that participates up to $250.
It breaks my heart to see such devastation in Haiti.. so many children without the
basic elements of survival. Food, shelter and a warm blanket to hang onto.
It makes me think about all the small little everyday
things in my life that I take for granted.
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I am grateful first of all..

for having the ability to make my small donation to Haiti
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for fresh raspberry jam every morning
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the majestic mountain I get to see every day
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local bees that make the honey I enjoy in my green tea
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the health and happiness of my amazing family
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a reliable car to get me to my job
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warm cozy bed
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my very cool rusted metal roof over my head
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beautiful pink buds on my tree in the spring
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hiking trails
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laughter in my life
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a trip to visit my family in California
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an abundance of wildflowers
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my hummingbird feeder and all it's visitors
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the sound of the river in my backyard on a warm summer night
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wearin comfy jammies all day
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the unique sounds from my windchimes
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the gentle shapes of all my pitchers
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tulips peeking thru freshly fallen snow
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hangin with family on the deck, while the bbq is fired up
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throwing horseshoes in my backyard in the summer
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my collection of pottery bowls
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and warm soup to fill these bowls


Tuesday, January 12, 2010

a time comes





I found this letter the other day and it made so much sense to me.( Author is unknown ) I hope you get as much out of it as I did. I believe there is at least one sentence in it that will hit home with everyone that reads it.
I included some photos of all the different seasons of Mt. Sopris. I love this mountain, I see it everyday and it always makes me feel like there is something bigger, more powerful than our everyday problems.
Whatever is going on in my day, I can look up at Sopris and know that things will be better.
When I first moved to CO and was feeling a little overwhelmed with having no home, no jobs and enrolling the kids in new schools, someone told me to look at Sopris every time I felt that way and it would make my anxiety seem not quite so big.
It has worked for me for 21 years.
Have I already said I love this mountain.


A time comes in your life when you finally get it…when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out…ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.
You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are…and that’s OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself…and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

Your stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself…and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties…and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not your job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.
You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drinking more water, and take more time to exercise.
You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.
More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.
You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people…and you learn not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart’s desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.
Finally, with courage in you heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Once in a Blue Moon


On new years eve this year we had a Blue Moon. Hopefully everyone got a glimpse of the moon at some time during the evening. I was working but was able to get out and take a few photos as it was progressing upwards. This one was taken around 6 pm.


This one I took around 10 pm. With the clouds hanging around the moon it looked so eerie.
Like one of those nights you just know something crazy will happen.. especially with it being
New Years Eve.


I took this shot after I got home around 11pm, behind a bare tree in my yard.. I love the way it is just blurred enough to give a mystical feel to the moon.
One of the first years we lived in Co. in 1989 or 90 on New Years Eve there was a Blue Moon. I was talked into going cross country skiing at midnight to experience the blue moon with a couple of my neighbors. It's a night I have never forgotten as it was so bright outside with the moon and the freshly fallen snow, and of course a few cocktails earlier. A very memorable time was had by all 3 of us.


This shot is my favorite, I used the flash on this one and loved the way it captured the bare branches so precise and the moon a soft glow in the background. It's hard to see but there are very small ice crystals hanging off the branches. It looks very spooky on my desktop.
Here a a few facts on a Blue Moon:
A Blue Moon only happens
once every 2.7 years
7 times every 19 years
once every 33 months
37 times every century
once every 33 full moons

If you want to read more about why it is called a Blue Moon go to the link at the top of this page.