Thursday, June 30, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Hope-filled Connection

Taking a moment to connect with Grace 
before starting work 
by tenderly holding my red heart with black stars, 
reading a meaningful poem, 
looking at my angels 
and "Our Lady, Undoer of Knots," 
all while gently reminding myself 
to practice Abiding well. 

.      .      .

(since we're working with a 31-day list 
I'm combining the last 2 prompts 🙃)

#everydaybeauty

.            *            .


Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Movement


I had 2 ideas for the prompt!  :)

#everydaybeauty 

.            *            .

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Purple

You are Enough
(For reals 💜)
#everydaybeauty 

.             *            .

Monday, June 27, 2016

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Friday, June 24, 2016

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Go (Gwinnett) Braves!! ⚾️
Thankful for great seats and a nice breeze. 

Chopper paid our section a visit.

Our evening was capped off by a fireworks show.

.             *             .



Everyday Beauty :: Love

My girl and me

.            *             .

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: A Self-Portrait

Headed home after a good day's work. 

#everydaybeauty 

.             *           .



Our Lady, Undoer of Knots

A very dear friend found this lovely image and shared her with me. I'd never heard of 
Mary referred to as "Our Lady, Undoer of Knots" before and I can't tell you how much 
I *love* both the picture and this name for her! A true gift indeed.

When I look at her tranquil face I feel safe, reassured, and peaceful, deeply grateful for 
the quiet reminder that I don't have to untangle all of the knots in my life all by myself. 
There is always, *always* help.

This morning I am reminded of when I was 9 years old and working on my very first 
sewing project. The moms in our 4-H club had decided that it might be best if they 
taught one another's daughters how to sew. Grinning a bit playfully here as that worked 
out quite well for all of us.

On this particular warm summer morning I was at my "other mother's" home and, 
sewing along at her kitchen table, had made a real mess of it. Sensing my frustration 
and that I was getting close to the point of Never Wanting To Sew Again, my gentle 
guide calmly invited me to move to a clear spot at her kitchen table and gave me a cool 
drink. Then, rather than risk my getting discouraged by making me rip it all out myself, 
she went about patiently removing my stitches. 

I still remember how the sunlight streamed in on her kitchen floor as I waited but even 
more than that, I remember feeling so struck that she would actually do this for me. 
Alls I had to do in that moment was sit, enjoy my glass of sweet iced tea, and watch 
her as we chatted. When finished undoing my knotted mess, she helped me pin the pieces 
of pale yellow cotton fabric with small blue and pink flowers back together and encouraged 
me to try it again. 

To this day, forty-five years later, whenever I have to rip something out, it never feels 
like punishment (well, mostly it doesn't).

Instead, taking my yellow handled seam ripper in hand, I often think of her kindness 
and smile yet another warm thank-you her way.



.            *            .




Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Without Looking Through My Lens

This photo speaks to me of the blessed hope of Grace 
always knowing right where to find us. 

❤️

#everydaybeauty

.            *           .

Monday, June 20, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Breakfast

A bowl of Crispex, my favorite cereal, 
and a chunk of mozzarella cheese for protein. 

#everydaybeauty

.            *          .

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Warmth

Heading-home sunset 
reflects the warmth in our hearts 
after a lovely day spent with family. 

❤️

.            *           .

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Sky


Looking up and out of our front windows.

.              *                .

Tranquil Tokens




Very kind, deeply touching words 
sweet surprise card
tucked in with my hearts and talisman. 

💕

.            *             .

Friday, June 17, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: An Ant's View

It always, always comes down to Grace for me. 
Or, wait. Maybe that's "up."

❤️

An Ant's View - # 2 - A Bonus!

Because I love visiting her after morning Mass 
and 
because I enjoy this prompt and the new perspective it offers so much!

#everydaybeauty

.              *            .

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Lightness

My new little sweetheart has been very good company in the last little while, 
lifting, lightening, and rinsing my spirit with Hope. 💕

#everydaybeauty

.                *                .

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Water

Being raised a farmer's daughter on the hot, dry and dusty plains of Texas, I came to know 
very early on that water was our lifeblood. Our family prayed for rain every single day and 
twice on Sunday as it was a regular petition at Mass.

We received so little that, rather than quarters or eighths, we counted rain in sixteenths and, 
during really dry times, we even counted it in hundredths. Every single, precious drop was 
celebrated and how much "moisture" we'd received was included as a regular highlight in 
letters to loved ones who lived states away. 

In a conversation with Daddy this past Sunday evening, he told me "they "claim" Amarillo's 
annual rainfall is 19-20". He then told me about a time when all that fell for an entire year 
was 6 inches!  I asked was he farming then and he said, "Yes. Nothin' grew that year." 

Don't let anyone tell ya that farmers', especially those in the Texas panhandle, aren't 
tenacious!

Here in Georgia we get about 50" a year and, even after moving away almost 29 years ago, 
raindrops on my windshield still feel very much like holy water sent straight from Heaven.

#everydaybeauty 
#handtohearteverydaybeauty

.               *                .

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Evidence of Where I Came

. Growing up with peacocks on our farm was always such fun. I love that Daddy still keeps 
  them on his homestead and I'm so grateful he thought to send me home with a handful of 
  feathers one year.

. My First Communion book says the special day was April 13, 1969 and my faith remains 
  an integral part of who I am.

. The gold "D" on the same chain as my cross was Moma's last (tangible) gift to me. Before 
  she died she had the diamonds from the wedding ring Daddy gave her mounted on each one 
  of our initials and gave them to us on Christmas Eve 1996.

. Angels have long had a very special meaning for me and I chose this one because we prayed 
  before every meal as a family and still do.

. I love the blessed peace of candlelight which always speaks to me of hope (whether I realize 
  it in the moment or not).

. My black lantern has Stars on it, reminding me of the vast Texas Prairie sky that I grew up 
  under.

. The piece of cement "stone" anchoring my tableau is from the old farmhouse where I did 
  most of my growing up and still have such fond memories of.

❤️

.              *              .


Monday, June 13, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: A Daily Ritual

Practicing remembering to use great care 
in where I choose to Abide 
as I light my sweet red oil lamp 
encircled by her loving guardian angels. 

#everydaybeauty

.             *             .

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Our Backyard

Our backyard this afternoon

Our front yard on this beautiful Sunday evening 
(In the interest of equal time and all 😉)

#everydaybeauty

.             *               .


Saturday, June 11, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Afternoon


Baking a Pineapple Upside-Down cake 
in the company of angels 
and, as is my fond tradition, 
a lit candle to remind me of those I love. 
#everydaybeauty

❤️ . 🍍 . 🍒 . 💛

So, in the name of "keeping it real".... 😉

Turns out I filled the skillet too full and not only did the butter and sugar from the 
bottom/top run out and onto the bottom of the oven.... We had a bit of a fire just now!  

Yikes!

So glad my expert fireman was here to come and save the day by pouring salt on it!

My job?  Fanning the smoke alarm with a damp towel so it'd stop BEEPing really loud!! 

Who knew baking could be so "exciting"?! 😳

.               *              .


Friday, June 10, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: A Moment of Joy

Enjoying a scoop of Coconut Cream Pie ice cream 
(my new fave!) 
in a waffle bowl while relaxing in my swing 
on a quiet, summery Friday afternoon. 

Ah, bliss. 

#everydaybeauty

.               *            .

Morning has broken

Waking up this morning
and coming in to this scene 
brought a big, ol' contented sigh of relief.

Smiling, I started singing:

Morning has broken
Like the first day
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird
Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for the springing
Fresh from the world 
~ song lyrics

.                  *                 .


Thursday, June 9, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: [Me and] My Shadow

... strolling down the avenue. 

🎼 ❤️ 🎹

#everydaybeauty

.               *               .

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Orange

So my dear goddaughter and I are playing this month, exploring moments of Everyday 
Beauty in our ordinary lives, together. 

When I saw "Orange" come up for today I smiled big, knowing exactly what I wanted t
o capture this quiet, summery-feeling morning. 

My sweet girl made this beautiful cross stitch picture, her very first!, and surprised me 
with it when we were in Texas for her confirmation last month.

I very affectionately call her my Sunshine and what a happy accident to also capture the 
reflection of my love for her as well.

I also posted this photo on my Facebook wall and a friend commented that my phone 
was orange, too. 

While I had noticed, not wanting to take away from her gift, I wasn't going to mention 
it... at first. 

But!  

As soon as I read my friend's comment, I said aloud "it's gingham, too, which reminds me 
of both my Moma and Grandma."  

So now? This simple photo actually has 4 generations reflected in it!  I think my 
goddaughter would really like knowing that so I've shared it with her, too.   And she did!

I do *so* love working with prompts! 

#everydaybeauty

  ❤️

.                 *               .

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Compassion

I was awake in the wee hours this morning, struggling. A gremlin in my head kept telling 
me, in a very convincing tone (as gremlins do), that something I had shared was way too 
much. (a very old voice, this one). 

Not being able to sleep, I got up, pulled out my journal and, as I've been learning in a 
course I'm taking, I practiced giving myself the soothing gift of self-compassion. I opened 
to a blank page and, just as a loving Mama would tenderly gather her fearful child close, I
began to write. I was able to gently reassure both myself and that very old part of my 
brain, who is just trying to keep me safe in the only way she knows how, that while it 
may not have been received as I'd hoped, it really was ok.

And after writing a few pages while practicing deep, calming breaths?  I felt so, *so* 
much better.

Blessed be. 

❤️
#everydaybeauty

.              *                 .

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Everyday Beauty :: Something in My Hand

There's something very healing for me about taking an almost daily, "everyday" type photo.
I'm finding that it gently affirms for me that it really is ok to show up in my own life, notice 
the goodness and beauty that is there, and, when it feels right, to share my picture. To my 
delight, this is becoming a welcomed, gentle practice encouraging and reminding me to name 
my place and claim my (rightful) space on this beautiful earth of ours that we all (((share))).

I've invited my goddaughters to join me in revisiting some photo prompts from last year and yesterday's invitation was "Something in your hand." In response, I shared this photo with 
the caption:

"Something in my hand (and in the background 
are my crutches, things that are in my hands a lot)."

As I continued to sit with my Grace (<-- my fond nickname for my Higher Power) mug filled 
with warm, soothing chai tea, I remembered something that I so loved in Brene Brown's Self-Compassion course with Kristin Neff.

First, we did a review of the oldest part of our brain, our amygdala or reptilian brain, which, 
when triggered, automatically throws us into Fight, Flight or Freeze mode. They talked about 
how this part of our brain is the easiest to trigger and how it sees our self-criticism as a threat 
to our self-concept. (!!!) While self-criticism is actually a misguided (and unhelpful) attempt to protect us - it wants us to do good but beats us up as a way to try to help - our brain sees our 
self-criticism as an attack and tries to protect us from it(us) using Fight, Flee or Freeze!!

(wow.) 

I'd never thought about how self-criticism could be one of my (old) brain's way of Fight-ing 
what it sees as a problem - "You're doing that all wrong and people won't like you!! You better 
shape up *now*!!" It's simply my reptilian brain, or what I've come to see as the voice of the 
little girl who still lives inside my heart (so I want to use great care in how I refer to this part of 
my brain because she's simply doing the best she can and wants to help me, too) trying to keep 
me safe. Her methods aren't real effective, but still very well intentioned from her very young 
stance.

Pausing here for a moment to place my hand over my heart, close my eyes, and take in a deep 
breath. I want to honor for myself that this is very valuable and crucial info in my continued 
healing of the expectations (both inner and outer) placed on my young girl self to caretake my 
family at a very young (way too young) age.

They then talked about how we also have a Mammalian brain and, because mammal's babies 
are born helpless and need their mother's care for for a very long time, this part of our brain's automatic responses are Tend and Befriend.

Yay!!!!! :)

I *love* this so much and find so much Hope in it.

I had a Psychology professor who used to say All. The. Time. "When the emotions are high, 
the brain doesn't work." He'd always follow it with something like "we have to wait for our 
emotions to come back down before we can access our brain again."

While it felt deeply wise at the time, I didn't fully understand what he was trying to convey. I 
realize now that this fits in perfectly with what Brene and Kristin were talking about. When we 
are being taken over by our emotions and/or lost in our storyline (so when our reptilian brain is 
front and center), we *can't* access the wise part of our brain until we can find a little space 
from the Fight, Flight or Freeze response.
Yes.

And
so I'm not broken.

Here's the wonderful news: Kristin said there are ways that we *can* access our Mammalian 
system even when our sweet mind can't and/or isn't ready go there (and boy-oh-boy, do I know 
this one!).

Yay!!!!

Three things that "trigger" our Tend and Befriend responses are:

1. Physical warmth
    The example was given that a warm compress is more soothing than a cold one.

2. Gentle Touch 
    Kristin said not to underestimate the power of touch 

3. Soothing Vocalization 
    She said "tone is everything!" and also that the *universal* vocalization, 
    meaning across cultures, for compassion is "awwww." (!!!)

So, if we are stuck in strong emotion and/or our head's storyline, doing one or all 3 of these 
can help call our mammalian brain back online.

I'm sharing all of this, first because I love it *So. Much* (can ya tell?, she asks with a playful, 
twinkly grin).

And also because, while I always knew that holding a warm beverage was soothing (and the 
shape of the mug matters a lot for me!), after posting my photo yesterday morning, it occurred 
to me that holding and drinking a warm cup of tea is really about Tending and Befriending 
myself and practicing self-compassion thru warmth and gentle touch, all while taking exquisite 
self-care.

So is putting my hand over my heart. As an aside, one of the exercises they had us do was to 
close our eyes and spend some time trying out different comforting gestures to find what is 
most soothing for us because the same one won't work for everyone.

And so is taking 5 (or more!) deep breaths!

Isn't all of this about trying to make a little space while also Tending and Befriending?

Yes.

Smiling softly, fondly, warmly, thinking of that story of the tribe that encircles members that 
have lost their way and are acting out and the community bring them back home to themselves 
by singing their song to them. So rather than ditch or throw away a part of themselves, they 
love them back home.

Yes. 


.             *             .

Abiding in Love . . .

.... and in the Grace of warm memories.

.              *                .