little spring trip

I'm back from vacation!
My mom flew in from Iowa and we spent some time in South Carolina visiting family, then headed to the beach for a few days. Being with my mom again (it's been 8 months) was simply wonderful. I feel our relationship has changed and grown so much over the past few years, and I am so pleased with the closeness we've acquired. She is also a great help with the kids, who dearly love their Nana.
This trip to visit family was just what I needed. I spent one memorable evening staying up past midnight with my Grandmom, talking about the old days. I drank in the details of her childhood, trying to imprint her words in my mind. This information is sacred because it is personal to her life, and also because it can provide some fodder for future writing. I learned such fascinating things, and am amazed at the amount of change she has seen in her 79 years.
I took a few pictures of her home to document her special attention to details.

As I grow older, and also as my kids grow, I find spending time with family to be very important and fulfilling. This little spring trip to see my family and grow my relationship with my mom was great!
What fun things do you have planned for the spring?

my favorite corner

Something that will always brighten my day: a surprise package in the mail! Thanks to my sweet new friend Barbara, I received this beautiful package. She does incredible work, and she sent me a little painting of a moth. I had been loving that moth from afar on her etsy page, so I am especially delighted to find it in my own possession! She also sent me a handcrafted bookmark that has pieces of paper and fabric on it, completed with stitching and the letter "J" for my name. Thank you so much, Barbara, for brightening my week and my home with your sweet gifts!
Here's the moth in his new home.

I've had my nose (and mind and heart) stuck in this book lately. It has been the soil for many new, positive, and healing thoughts.

Oh and for those who have asked, here is the valentine that I made for my sweet husband. I want to frame it and hang it up in our bedroom somewhere.

And if you need me, just look here. My favorite corner of the house, perfect for reading, thinking, and napping. I plan on taking it easy this weekend, in preparation for some time with family next week, and some time at the beach, too!
What do you have planned this weekend and upcoming week?

child of illusion

It seems that times of growth and change can be so difficult and often painful. I have had a difficult month, and that's why I haven't written. Though writing is my long lost love, and I know it is ameliorating, I often push it away in hard times. This year has just begun, yet I know it is the beginning of something special for me. I decided to begin truly appreciating life and thriving. This is my life, I realized, and if there is something I want to do, or make, or give, or see happen, then I need to do the work required to bring it to fruition. Though life is short, fleeting, and perhaps this lifetime is one in a million past or future lives, it is important and I do not wish to let it slip by. I read that you can view life one of two ways: as though nothing is a miracle, or as though every thing is a miracle. I would not consider myself a believer in miracles, but I appreciate the gist of this statement. I want to live as a child of illusion, taking it all in with wonder and curiosity. Backing away from my labeling mind, which constantly wants to judge situations or thoughts or people as "good"/"bad", and instead just coming at the world with an open mind.
I feel that when I decided to start living, truly living, a seed inside my heart and mind began to grow. As if on cue, a tiny tendril began to push against the surface. It hurt so much and it stirred all the dust and ancient hurts up, but still it pushed. That tendril broke through when the surface could not take the pressure any longer. The surface cracked, allowing the tendril to reach up blindly, pushing for more light.
Now I hope to water that seedling, and to nurture it. I wish to encourage it on its journey. What this means in real terms for me is that I would like to begin nurturing my spirit, in many different ways. Creating is at the core of my (and your) being. I would like to create more. I would like to write more. I would like to give more. And I would like to love more.
I often whisper sweet things to my baby, specifically "you belong", and I'm beginning to realize I also need to whisper that to myself. Because I believe that is what we all want, is to belong, and we do belong. We belong here, in this life. We can find purpose. We belong here in this moment. We can learn to take it in, and to be still long enough to really experience that peace and belonging. This is what I hope to learn, and to experience, and I hope this also for you.