Mississippi Moments

Friday, December 31, 2010


Down by the Sea....
With my little dog and my Camping Buddy....the wind and the waves, the snow and ice,
the sand and seal carcass, the broken shells and shorebirds, the driftwood and detritus, trees and terns...I have been cleansed, enlivened, and Cosmically Embraced..
and I ate a whole lot of great sugar Xmas cookies, drank a whole lot of good coffee, and took some long, long, and bountiful walks with my black and white buddy while the sun rose and the moon set and when the moon rose and the sun set.

Melodie Beattie has some thoughts that are speaking to me today--this sparkle day, this last day of December, this last day of a year many people want to kick to the curb---
"Honor the lessons you've learned, and those who helped you learn them. Honor the journey your soul mapped out for you. Trust all the places you've been. Make a scrapbook in your heart to help you remember...Let the journey unfold. Let it be magical. The way has been prepared. (Many and Blessings) will be expecting you..."

The soundtrack of my life today holds the goofy grunts of my pup as he tries to steal another one of my socks from the dirty laundry basket. It contains the quiet breathing of my husband as he reads and sips another cup of relaxing tea. It contains the nestling noises of a teenager who will not be joining us until after the noonhour when we shall insist that she arise. It contains a Colleen crooning "Down by the Sea" and "Lizzy Lindsay" and "Gallant Murray". It contains the sweet, melodic sounds of Provenance by Harper Tasche. It contains the beating of my Whole Heart. And this Whole Journey.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010


Blessed and Healing Solstice to us all!
The "super moon" (closest to the earth) and the lunar eclipse (not having another one of those in the north until 2094) with the solstice bring with it some powerful metaphors--and reasons to stay up late and think, drink, and blink. Balance, taking your time to enjoy or create something beautiful, taking your time to enjoy something beautiful that Source created, taking time to shed what isn't yours anymore, wasn't yours to begin with, wasn't yours in the first place, taking time to intention what it is that you want, what you need, what you are ready for--and sometimes what you aren't ready for and Source is ready for you to experience----the Dance of Healing, Clarity, Love, Joy, and Peace. The other is Gunk. Gunk has a place. Just not Here. Not Now.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Peaceful, Promiseful Solstice to you.

I have hit the energy wall. In a big way.
Staying in the moment. Enjoying the heck out of everything (mostly) in my sphere. cannot complain. Probably wouldn't anyway. The thoughts flow much more smoothly and abundantly when I am driving. It is not even 7pm and I am ready for a long winter's nap. Which I shall be having in about 5 minutes.

Peaceful, Promiseful, Healing Solstice to you. I mean it.

Monday, December 13, 2010


"If, as with Herod,
we fill our lives with things;
if we consider ourselves so important
that we must fill every moment
of our lives with action:
when will we have the time to make the long, slow journey
across the burning desert
as did the Magi?

Or sit and watch the stars
as did the shepherds?

Or brood over the coming of the Child as did Mary?

For each of us there is a desert to travel
A star to discover
And a being within ourselves
to bring to life."----prayer from an Iranian Christmas card

Yesterday, was a day of sweet, simple pleasures, Nature's treasure, winter weather, and time together. We started the day with a long walk in the tumult of wind and rain with the dogs (Murray has been our guest this weekend). Wet, wet, dripping wet. Walked, walked, and still we walked. We caught the early ferry to Kingston. Never have I seen the water so high to the ferry dock. We headed to Point No Point to walk the beach. There was NO beach! The water and waves were so high that they crashed and battered the boulders protecting the lighthouse. The big piles of driftwood and logs were flotsamed and jetsomed into the melee. There was no beach from the Point to the boat launch. We walked the nature path that skirts the wetlands and tried to go out onto the logs. Quite slippery. Someone had built a formidable three-"room" fort that was withstanding the waves that were beating into the living room with a Strait view. The wetlands were flooded. Two herons danced and skirted the lake with raucous "rawwwwkkkks"until they settled on oppposite edges to hunt. The water came up to within a few feet of the little blue cottage that sits on the edge of the lighthouse property. We discovered yesterday that there are actually two little cottages. The water came too near to both for my liking. I have never seen the Point like this. I have visited in all seasons. This was splendid near-Winter calling forth Her power to lay clean and lay all. I can understand that intention, energetic action.

We headed to explore the Hansville families cemetery. That was special, too. Quiet. Muddy. Old names. Many, from across time. The stories. The love. The hardships. The faith. The waiting. The bonds. From 'settler" old to the present. Was wondering about those from up the way and across the bay, the S'Kallam and the Suquamish and their "old", their stories, loves, hardships, waiting, and their bonds. We are all bound. And tossed. And cleared by Winter's Dance.

Then it was off to Yuletide at a lovely church and community in Kingston. Sold out show. I am not an essential aspect as far as dancing goes. I do a little bit at the end with my sisters. The air seems so much less dramatic and relaxed. I wonder if that is just my misperception. It just feels different. I hope it is for everyone. I heard more of the music and Colleen's singing yesterday. I also was up to my ears (still am) in middle school work. It takes a LONG time to be attentive with each one. I will continue to learn how to work smarter and to teach them to do more so that I can do less and we can still be making the progress we need to be making. So backstage at the Yuletide concerts, I can work and enjoy what is happening and I am still there if someone needs an extra hand for schlepping, for selling CDs, for child-herding or running dancers through their numbers. I also get quality time with my father and sometimes my mother. I get to see Colleen. Then it was a quick shot to the ferry and we slipped right on. And home. Our dog was a lovely little traveler. He always goes into a bit of a stupor after Murray leaves. They have such a good time together and they wear each other out. I also had the pleasure of baking cookies for the Community Dinner with the daughter-unit. We had fun and made a lot of good cookies. Made the house smell great while the fire was going in the other room and Christmas music was filling the other spaces. Happy dogs. Happy people. Happy life.

The MLT performance on Saturday went off well (for that venue and for our dancers).That was all that was needed. I like how we have standards and the quality shows. Mediocrity is not entertaining. When I watch this kind of thing (these community dance recitals) I wonder if the rest of the world engages in this sort of thing. I always get a little embarrassed inside because after two, it isn't cute anymore. It is ridiculous.

A walk in the rain. Some scathingly brilliant seeds of planning glory coming from yesterday's adventures regarding future writing projects, geocaching, and local history. We shall see. Also ideas about creative retellings from alternate points of view--this one is percolating and ready to be put in a cup and sipped. Or chugged. We shall see what the students do with this today.

Hitting the Bucket List tonight. Have always wanted to see and enjoy Wight's (sp?). Tonight is the night. And with my dear friend. A cup of tea, lots of twinkle lights, ideas, Noel on Crackmas, and then home...where I have a stash of evergreens we picked up off the side of road to make into simple, elegant, sensual swags for our Noel of Spirit here.

Thursday, December 02, 2010

When it comes to the part where one is living one's wishes...then that's what I call LIVING. ---emr, today, as the fire crackles, the cider simmers, the pup whines and attempts to steal socks off the lowest rung on the drying rack, and the emr reflects.

i don't want to be anywhere else.
i don't want to be doing anything else.
i am thinking everyday about those who need and want healing, love, support, care, prayer, and easier moments. And i am sending from the abundance that seems to have taken up residence. my heart hurts for my star-sister friend who lost her auntie and her mother in a matter of days. my heart continues to hold space and love around my sister-in-law who is healing from surgery and preparing for the next stage of her healing journey. i am thankful just about every moment for the work God has called me to do. dang, i like this. the walks in the morning and evening. the fact that my knees want to give out but aren't. the getting older and getting wiser and not giving a shit about that because i am too busy living. this is my new normal. until it isn't anymore.add christmas music to it and colleen's newest collection with a bottle of a light tuscan earth-wine, and the approaching solstice sings with inner light. and tonight's blog-o-rama is dedicated to the spirit of e.e. cummings for all which is natural which is infinite which is yes----------(sorry Gretchen)---my Christmas lights ARE always on all year 'round and HEAVEN, YEAH!!!!!!!