The pond at night

The next door neighbors had a pond when I was growing up, and I always thought there was nothing more peaceful than the sounds of a pond at night, with the lullabies of frogs set to the music of the strings as played by the crickets. Tonight, when I let the dogs out before bed, I heard the sweet symphony again in my own backyard...and it felt even more like home than ever:)

Blessed

I am grateful and humbled when I had two friends I hadn't heard from in some time just write me today out of the blue to say that God had put me on their hearts and they were praying for me. What perfect timing -- it's not always easy living in a new place without friends, and it's a nice reminder that there is no time or distance in the spirit, as my mom always says. Especially now with Facetime -- how awesome it was today to get to see my mom's beautiful face when I needed her. It feels good to be lifted up, especially after some rough health stuff this week and it just makes me feel so loved and hopeful...and blessed.

On a separate note, I'm thankful for my Dad who helped talk me through having to remove my first tick from my dog -- quite a harrowing experience for one so squeamish as me! But I did it, and once again I am feeling like something of a frontier woman:)

What a blessing it is to have a parents and friends who are always there when I need them!

Reborn maple tree

Reborn maple tree

blushing red buds sway above

warming the ice blue

Nice line

I was reading a poem today by Henry Vaughan called The Morning-Watch and I read a line that I loved, "Prayer is the world in tune..."

I'm thankful for poetry and for new ways to say things and see things, because when I hear and see things anew, I forget to take them for granted, and that's a good thing.

Great poem

I emailed a picture of my snowy yard to my brother the other day and he replied "Winter doesn't go down without a fight" -- I told him it was a great line for a poem and he took it as a challenge -- I LOVE what he came up with and I had to share it:)

Winter doesn't go down without a fight

swaggering with his jagged icicles
jutting from gutters as switchblades
and belching black ice

Spring seems the sucker's bet
a puckish graffiti artist
tagging lilies and lilacs
infuriating the frost

so the gloves come off once more
but punctured by twigs and stems
the old man is already bleeding
(it's the way of earth-bound things)
and from the stinging clear drops
the flowers find their life.

I mean spring as a graffiti artist -- how great is that?? Just makes me happy to think about as I watch the color popping up al around. Well done, Andy!!

Hallelujah

I am grateful to God beyond words for how far I've come in my health in the last few months. To have stared into the depths of darkness and pain, from debilitation migraines, to panic attacks and neck pain...and to have emerged into longer brighter stretches of sunshine between the stormy days, is a miracle. I was holding onto hope with all of my might (or with all of my weakness, actually) following a little spider-silk of light that I could perceive...and now I can finally see the rising dawn, I can feel the warmth of love and healing in my head and body -- the only word that can contain my gratitude is: hallelujah, which is both a shout for joy and a word of thanks, the perfect word for this blog:) It is fitting that it was most often found in the psalms, uttered by David who had himself known deep sorrow and despair, which made him all the more exuberant in times of health and prosperity. I do believe the light shines brightest out of the dark...the moon rise the other night was especially poignant to me for its symbolism. Hooray for good times and hooray for all of you who have stood by me through the difficult times. To have a community of fellow joy seekers and hope holders has been a balm for my soul. Thank you.

Learning to breathe

I'm thankful that after months of thinking about it and wanting to do it and talking about it, I finally started yoga lessons. I am very excited about taking time to learn to breathe and take care of my body and about becoming stronger and stronger. I am in a considerable amount of pain, as my muscles are very sore at me about waking them from their comfortable apathy -- but I know that pain leads to growth, and that is always a good thing:)

Moondance

(This picture was not photoshopped or changed in any way...this was the spectacular golden full moon as it rose tonight in all of its glory!)

Half a cat;)

Just an update on Gatsby/Chubbles the two-timing cat...since he is no longer getting fed by TWO (or more) families, he's losing weight and feeling great! If he had some old jeans to hold up, you'd see he's half the size he used to be...but since he refuses to wear pants, here's a picture to show you how good he looks...

Help with allergies

I got an air purifier because I've developed an allergy to cats...I guess Amelie is just trying to help out..:)

Lunch today:)

Go Rocky Go!

I'm thankful for our sump pump chugging away, keeping our little house nice and dry. I'm naming it Rocky, because it is taking a beating, but it just keeps going and doesn't give up -- GO ROCKY!

Whispers of spring

I love these brave little lantern-like buds pushing up through the earth still soggy with melting snow. I am amazed at how delicate they are...and yet so strong. Sturdy enough to take on the great adventure of life even in the midst of cold and inhospitable circumstances...how they inspire me. "Rise up," they whisper, "and have faith, the spring is on its way..."

Good things

I'm thankful for my mom on her birthday, the real life Wonder Woman, and my inspiration.

Also, I'm thankful for the strength and courage of someone I love every much and for talented doctors and the gift of prayers and that she is on the blessed road to recovery.

And I am grateful to be in my OWN BED tonight as I write this after more than three weeks away. Boy does it feel good. Goodnight:)

Dancing dolphins

Is there anything more joyful than watching dolphins frolicking amidst the waves?? They are spellbinding creatures and I am thankful they exist. It gave me chills today when they came close enough to the shore that I could hear them breathing...ironically, I found myself holding my breath so I could hear it better! Amazing. Also, it is always a joy to find a reason to use the word "frolicking" :)

How to use the phone

This entry from the writer's almanac today made me laugh..."that is all!"

It was on this day in 1876 that Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call. Bell's first successful telephone used a liquid transmitter: a diaphragm that caused a needle to vibrate in water, similar to the way sound waves vibrate in air. He spoke to his assistant, electrical designer Thomas Watson, who was in the next room. He said, "Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you." Later that day, he wrote an excited letter to his father. He wrote, "The day is coming when telegraph wires will be laid on to houses just like water and gas — and friends converse with each other without leaving home."

"Hello" is, of course, the standard greeting when most English-speaking people answer the phone, but this was not Bell's preferred greeting, and it was some time before the protocol was sorted out. In The First Telephone Book, author Ammon Shea tells us that Bell favored "Ahoy!" and stubbornly used it for the rest of his life. His competitor Thomas Edison, on the other hand, preferred "Hello." Shea posits that "hello" caught on in part due to the "How To" section in early phone books, which recommended "a hearty 'hulloa'" as a proper greeting. The phone book's recommended sign-off — "That is all!" — never took root

Wrong sign

I was driving down the highway, on a bright sunny day -- not a cloud in the sky -- when I saw a bright orange flashing sign that said "FLOODED." I started wondering if it was left over from the rain last week, and somebody just forgot to take it down -- or if it was put up early in anticipation of some phantom rain in the future. And as I was pondering, I started laughing, thinking of all the unnecessary "FLOODED" signs that are up in my life -- left over from past disasters, or put there to remind me that there could be future rain. All the while, I'm completely missing the beautiful blue skies directly over me and the safe dry roads right underneath me. I was thankful for that wayward sign and it's poignant reminder of how ridiculous it is to dwell in the past and worry about the future when the present moment is looking pretty darn good. It's time to take down that wrong sign on the road...and it's definitely time to take down the distracting and equally as erroneous signs in my own life. The sky is not falling -- it's right where it's supposed to be, and for that, I am grateful.

E.T. the crossing guard

I got yelled at by a guard for taking this outside Dreamworks studio (Steven Spielberg's company) but it was worth it because it makes me laugh! Enjoy:)

Lady Luck

It's been a pretty big week for me at work, and I'm still waiting to hear what will happen with my new project -- so it was a lovely thing when I was at the park yesterday and a Ladybug landed in my hair. It was even sweeter when five minutes later she landed there again. Twice anointed by lady luck, what joy! :)

The Prayer Tree

I'm thankful for a marvelous sweet little blessing of a book called THE PRAYER TREE by Leunig. It's filled with lovely moments of gratitude and simple prayers, sometimes silly, sometimes solemn and it makes me very happy to read it. Get it if you can!

One example:

God bless our contradictions, those parts of us which seem out of character. Let us be boldly and gladly out of character. Let us be creatures of paradox and variety: creatures of contrast; light and shade: creatures of faith. God be our constant. Let us step out of character into the unknown, to struggle and love and do what we will. Amen

That's my brother!

I am bursting with joy and pride after getting to hear my brother for an entire hour being interviewed on the classical music station and having his cello pieces played. The music was brilliant and it was so moving to hear the inspiration behind each piece. His answers to the interview questions were all so thoughtful -- plus it was just plain wonderful to hear his voice all the way across the country as if he were sitting right next to me. I'm so thankful for the opportunity he was given to share his talent and look forward to all of the beautiful music to come from him!

A good day for a hike

I'm thankful today for a gorgeous hike with my hubby...I may have complained along the way, but when we got to the top, the amazingly beautiful view of the snowcapped mountains in the distance was worth it all. Of course, I wasn't exactly thrilled when I realized I had to go all the way back...but at least it was mostly downhill. There's nothing like hiking in LA after a good rain...the sky is clear and the birds are chirping and there's actually green covering the hills. And it's always a treat to get to see my beloved Griffith Observatory -- it was especially fun to see it from a new angle.