holiday wishes
…what if the last time you saw or spoke to someone you loved was the last time?…would your parting have been different from the one you had?…would you have looked into their eyes just a little bit deeper…would you have lingered in that hug a little bit longer?…would you have said something you have been holding back…an “i love you” or “i appreciate you”…or “thank you for being you”…?
many years my family has spent a holiday with one or another family member ending up in the hospital…not the kind of family tradition anyone would plan for…
this year it was christmas eve…and as i sat in the little waiting room with my mom and the tired little christmas tree the hospital had put up for those who found themselves there instead of attending one celebration or another, it felt like deja vu…we had done this before…always a different waiting room but the feeling nonetheless familiar…why were we here…again…
the day was very long and stressful but fortunately all went well despite a few bumps here and there along the way…
as i left the hospital to help finish plans for christmas day i had another familiar feeling…i looked around and noticed everyone was moving so fast to rush and get somewhere to do something so seemingly important…the world was whirling by…at the same time i felt caught up in the vortex of activity i also felt sort of suspended in slow motion…
…thankfully, christmas was spent at my parent’s home with everyone present and safe and warm and close together…there was a lightheartedness to it that came with the unspoken gratitude for a day that could have turned out very differently…there was appreciation of the value of the life we are given, both of our own and of those we love and who love us…and also a bit of melancholy mixed in for the inevitable effects of time passing by and the vulnerability and fragility it brings…
i hope your holiday has brought you closer to all your heart holds precious…
home is where the heart is
it is the heart that makes a home…the spirit and love of those who occupy a space bring it to life…ever notice when you go away for a long time and come home again it seems at first as if the space feels so empty…like it just stood waiting for you to return…it can take a little time for you to become reacquainted again…for you to infuse yourself back into the walls, the floors, the rooms…
personal treasures bring in the hearts and life of others, even more so when made with their loving hands…this little embroidered heart was made for me by my mom and sits on my bookshelf in the living room…from her heart to mine…
the ninth day of december views
thanksgiving
…gratitude is as a light…a light of awakening that becomes brighter and ever more hopeful…such a small adjustment to make really…it is right there all the time…available and only waiting on my attention…my heart is overflowing with love…there is so much to give and to share and to hope for and to pause over and notice…the gift of days like these is their service to us…ticklers for our awareness…
…kind words are jewels that live in the heart and soul and remain as blessed memories years after they have been spoken…marvea johnson
never underestimate your importance and the ways you plant seeds of hope and gratitude in others with your words and actions…a kind word of encouragement, an offer of a gentle hand…can change someone’s life…
there are those whose lives affect all others around them…quietly touching one heart, who in turn, touches another…reaching out to ends further than they would ever know…william bradfield
Asian Inspiration
Harmony: Acrylics, Caran d’Ache, photographs, sumi ink on watercolor paper.
Japanese Happiness Book: Decorative papers make up this book displayed in a little stand I found at Linens & Things.
Cover of Japanese Happiness book with medallion from scented candle that reads “Happiness”.
Interior of Japanese Happiness book with kozo paper and velum tabs. Pages stamped with the kanji symbol for “love”
friend
walking and playing in the park with you showed me a free spirit born into a body made for hard work.
thank you for sitting with me faithfully through illnesses, surgery, lonely times of confusion, and the deepest heartbreak of my life…thank you for pacing the floors in the middle of the night with me when my pain was too much to bear…thank you for walking with me and listening to me and letting me soothe your fears and take care of you…thank you for looking at me with those eyes that never judged me or wanted me to be anything other than your companion.
the sunday morning paper was so much fun to read with you
how could I ever have been too busy to play
thank you for being my friend…i learned from you and i had so much fun with you…your sweetness even in the grip of your deepest terror taught me that when faced with our greatest fears there is an essential part of the heart that remains untouched…
my walks in the park and the nights now remind me of the comfort and peace i once felt just by your company.
i miss you.