Remembrance - Day 9 of 40

Today I shall be remembering Moma's daddy, a man with a true gift for music that I wish 

I had known better. I do so find Joy in singing, as did Moma, so it warms my heart 

knowing that he had a part in that Gift passed down thru her. 

.   .   .   .   .

I've long wished that I remembered this very dear woman's name. I didn't get her often 

during the 3 long, lonely months spent in the hospital here, 3 weeks after Tadd and I 

married, and just 8 short months after we'd moved to a whole new-to-me land, far away 

from all my family and friends.

But the days when I did? 

Her kind presence *deeply* soothed my weary and broken spirit. Unlike the usual tech 

who roughly bustled about in a very business-as-usual fashion (it must be quite the 

uncomfortably vulnerable task to be asked to wash patients' bodies day in and day out), 

this precious, elderly angel patiently hummed hymns as she gently bathed my body. I 

didn't realize it until just now... unlike most of the doctors who came into my room 

every day (it was a teaching hospital and I was a very rare case so there were a lot!), it 

felt like she had all of the time in the world for me with not a drop of desire to be 

anywhere else but there with me. I simply can't put into words what a true gift that was 

during one of the most excruciating and lonely times in my life.

See there? Remembering her tender loving care this morning still brings tears filled 

with profound gratitude.

There's not a doubt in my mind that she was "God with Skin" for me during that 

agonizing time, a softly sweet spirit sent to help shore up the bereft child inside my 

heart who felt so very lost, broken and alone.

Ah, yes. 

Grace indeed. 💙

(Smiling softly as I chose my mug 

before I drew this morning's names)

.   .   .   .   .

Adding a postscript... I'm only sharing all of my photos and stories here on my blog.  

My main concern is it would feel like too much pressure plus I don't want to lose my 

focus by getting too caught up in the "performance" of my intentional remembrance 

pilgrimage, if that makes sense.

Still, she adds with a soft smile, some stories feel like they are meant to be named and 

honored in a special way. Like this one. 

And I'm so glad I did!  The comments I received helped to deepen my gratitude for this

very kind woman and our time together so long ago.  One friend reminded me that she 

would have wanted to help ease my spirit and it was a blessing to her to try to do just 

that by softly humming while gently washing.  

Another friend's comment reminded me that Touch is one of my love languages and

what better way to love on a water baby than warm soapy water and hymns?   

True balm for the Body, Soul, Heart, and Spirit.

Blessed be.

.          *          .

Practicing Hope

So Hope was my word for 2014 and "she" has been peeking in on me, her beloved daughter, 

a lot in the last little while. (I've come to think of some of my words Grace, Mercy, Hope, 

and Peace as sister auntie angels who love, guide, and watch over me)

Last Tuesday morning a dear friend shared a lovely quote about hope with me and that 

afternoon our purple crocuses, who speak to me of the hope of spring, peeked their heads 

out and winked at me. 

Our car wreck on Friday night was at an intersection with a small, red brick church with 

a wire steeple on one corner. I felt so touched when hubby came back and told me it was 

named "Center of Hope" (!!). We waited the hour for our tow truck driver to arrive in the 

shelter of her back parking lot.

And yesterday morning I intentionally invited Hope in close by choosing my sweet blue 

and white striped mug for my warm, soothing cup of creamy chai tea. I so love this book, 

"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor! So much so that every time this water 

baby gets in the tub, this gently wise and reassuring book goes in with me. And of course, 

she adds with a twinkle, I have an angel in my bathroom!

Wishing us all a good week and may there be many pockets of Hope. 

❤️

.           *             .

Savoring January Day 2 :: [Visual] List

Preparing for a soothing soak

#SavouringJanuary2017 

.           *             .

August Break :: Beneath my feet

My feet (and me!) happily anticipating a leisurely soak 

in a warm, Sunday morning bath.  

It's the first in a long while 

... way too long for this water baby. 

🛀🏻

#augustbreak2016

.             *             .

Heber Springs Bound

When my Uncle Tom died I had a real sense that I needed to be there for his funeral.

Not only is he very special to me,

I am so *hungry* for stories of our family 

and, 

with my Moma dying almost 20 years ago, 

I can no longer ask her.

But.

 I can ask her siblings.

So off we went.

A piece of our rental car's trim came loose so made an unexpected stop to get it fixed. 

The Arkansas line snuck up on us and we missed it!

The moon followed and watched over us throughout our whole trip.  Good thing. A critter
ran out in front of us and hubby wasn't able to miss it. So that piece of trim that came loose
on our rental car earlier and we stopped to have it fixed back in Birmingham?  Well, it's
loose again.

But under her watchful eye, we made it safe and sound. 

.      *      .

And the Deer (Angels) continue to show up.

Smiling warmly because when I called our insurance company earlier this week to adjust 

our coverage to include our rental for this trip, the kind agent said that, as we'd been talking,

she'd been watching a sweet little fawn outside of their office window!

Then, our trip in had several glitches ... all more on the smallish side but had to be worked 

thru before we could continue on ... and we pulled into the hotel at 12:52 a.m. this morning 

(1:52 a.m. our time). Not too long before we arrived here, a doe crossed the road in front of 

us. 

As I sat resting in a hot bath this morning, a fond smile spread. What if all of the "glitches" 

were timed so that this dear little one would be crossing the winding country road at just the 

right time?

Indeed, it appears that all is well.

.           *             .

Cultivating Enough :: Day 11 :: Flourish

Sparkling morning sunshine and cheerful birdie greetings 

blesses me so, gently encouraging me to flourish. 

.

I am fondly reminded of the lovely quote from the Talmud: 

"Every blade of grass has an angel 

that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow!  Grow!"  

.

Yes.  

❤️

#cultivatingenough 

#yestothismoment 

.           *          .

A Bath Ritual for the New Year

Had the most lovely New Year's bath this morning, courtesy of Deborah at La Padre. Her thoughtful kit, containing everything I needed, was the first gift I received this year and I've 

been looking forward to it ever since. 

I still remember how deeply touched I was by the personal ritual she created for me last summer. It was incredibly perfect and is one of my most treasured moments of 2015. 

❤️

.             *              .

Blessing Basking :: Day 7

Today this water baby 

is very grateful for some time to luxuriate 

in a hot bath with a book.

.             *              .

A Moment of Stillness and a Quiet, Blessed Reminder

I just finished a lovely e-course, Water Your Mama Soul by Liz Lamoreux and I would highly recommend it for both mamas and those of us who are simply looking to mama the dear little girl still living inside our hearts.

On our first day she invited us to write a blessing for our journey which I *so* loved and, if we wanted to, we could pair our blessing with a selfie.  Smiling softly because I first began taking selfies when I took Liz's original "Water Your Soul" e-course a couple of years ago.  Not only was that safe space (and her deeply kind presence) an important bridge for me, I've found that getting myself in the picture, too(!), has been such a powerful gift.  A way of deeply *seeing* and learning to practice tender Mercies with myself.

For my first day on our journey, I wanted to intentionally bless myself while in a moment of stillness. Smiling softly because, even tho I'm 52, I still so love being called "dear girl." The little yellow bear watching over me on the shelf behind me was a gift from a dear friend. She has stars all over her and her name is Bearie Star. Sometimes I forget she is there and it brings a warm smile to remember her. In her quiet, constant way, she gently reminds me that there are many other loved ones, whether still here or who have already passed to the other side, who are watching over, caring about and loving me, too....

There is a quote that I so cherish given to me by a very wise and beloved one many years ago. I had forgotten about it until I just recently rediscovered it tucked up in the book where I used to keep it. It's brought me so much comfort over the years and it still does:

                       "And remember, you do not walk alone. You are surrounded 

                        by a cloud of witnesses, family members and friends, some 

                        who have gone before you, all of whom have a stake in your 

                        partnership [or life or whatever fits in the moment]. Your 

                        happiness is important to them. They are your cheering section. 

                        Count on them to walk with you, and trust the One who has 

                        brought you across rivers of grief, through forests of gladness 

                        to your present pilgrimage."  

                                                                 ~ wise source regretfully unknown

As an aside, I've been welcoming in a bit of synchronicity, too. I keep Barbara Brown Taylor's "An Altar in the World" in our bathroom and every single time I take a bath, that wonderfully wise and Hope-filled book (good soul nourishment, really) goes in with me.  The Sunday right before we started our e-course, I re-read her chapter on blessings which is my very favorite. A few things she says that I resonate with so much are: you don't have to be a believer to pronounce a blessing, *anyone* can say a blessing, and if you want to know how, simply try saying a few because it is a practice, too, after all.

Yes.

Blessed be.

.           *           .

Blessings and Books About Blessings

Per doctor's orders, I was home with a slight case of pneumonia for three days this week. Both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons I took a hot bath with my very favorite soaking-in-the-tub book, "An Altar in the World," by Barbara Brown Taylor. As I started at the beginning again (I usually read about a chapter a bath ) I thought about you all and wondered if you might like to know about this gently wise book (if you didn't already).

The last chapter in her book is called "The Practice of Pronouncing Blessings" and it's really quite beautifully written (as is her style). If you're interested, I was tickled to find the chapter excerpted here.

There's another story from her chapter "The Practice of Wearing Skin" that is also quite powerful. In it she talks about a workshop that she led called "Embodied Wholeness" where the folks broke into small groups and each one brought one of the beatitudes to life. When the (so happened to be) all women group acted out "Blessed are those who mourn" it became an unexpectedly moving experience …. both for them and for those watching …. true holy ground. Smiling softly because I weep every. single. time. I read it. In fact, it touched me so much so that several years ago I typed it out for myself so that I could refer to it whenever I needed to, wherever I was.

Speaking of blessings, I asked for the book, "To Bless the Space Between Us" by John O'Donohue for Christmas and have been enjoying it.  I so love the idea of having a blessing for everything.

Smiling because I'm really warming up to the idea of writing my own blessings and how this could be a lovely way to practice Hope, my word for this year.

.     *     .

Blessing Basking ~ Day 10

Today I am grateful for some leisurely time to take a nice, hot bath while reading a soul nourishing book. (Barbara Brown Taylor's An Altar in the World)

(This is me trustin' that simply showing up is Enough)

.     *     .