Moon Over Benzie

Here is a photo that I snapped last night around 9:30. We were taking a drive on a forest road in Benzie County, Michigan, and the moon was shining so brightly through the yet barren trees and reflecting off remaining patches of snow. It was quiet. It was beautiful. It was peaceful.

Splash that Paint!

I am loving this!

Strolling in Austin

I spent the evening of this St. Patrick's Day in Austin, Texas.  My companions and I were taking an after dinner stroll through the downtown area. The balmy evening breeze was in sharp juxtaposition to the temps we had left behind in Chicago. Yes, we estimated that it was about 60 degrees warmer in Austin that day. It was the last day of an annual city wide music festival and the side walks were still filled with music fans. Even the panhandlers were grooving to the tunes.  Life was easy. Life was good.

At one end of Congress Boulevard stands the Texas Capitol building.  It's an impressive sight.

I now know that Austin is the Live Music Capital of America. Everywhere you look someone is hauling about a musical instrument.

It is true that the purpose of my visit to the Texas capital city was to attend a day long business meeting. Hopefully, this meeting will have positive outcomes.  However, what I will remember and cherish is the hour of laughter and exploration with my compadres along those sidewalks. In the end, what really matters are those moments of joy that are infused into our every days.

What moments of joy did you experience today?

Aligning Gratitude with Action

What could be more joyful than the birth of a grandchild? I have been so blessed!

 

I am grateful for this child, named Alexander Joseph. I am grateful for his parents.

I am grateful for a family with whom I can share this joy. And I am grateful for the many friends with whom this joy I also share.

I am grateful to have lived long enough to hold my grandchild in my arms and to experience his precious essence.

I believe that each life is a gift. God’s precious  gift. It is a gift not to be squandered.

Each of us has a choice. We can see our life as a precious gift .. or not. If we choose to see our lives as a gift, as uniquely special, then how can we be anything but grateful?

And does not this extraordinary gift of life deserve profoundly deep gratitude? And does not then this profoundly deep gratitude demand a response? If yes, then how do we choose to respond?

I choose to live each day in a way that acknowledges my gratitude. I choose to connect my gratitude to my daily living. My intention is not to squander my finite days, but to live each day with appreciation and joy.

Typically, each grandparent believes his/her grandchild to be extraordinary. And I am no exception .(Just  listen to the amazing way he burps!) But I also know that each child born is special and deserves both love and nurture.

One way that I demonstrate appreciation and joy for my life is to provide financial support to children less fortunate than my brood. It is one of my daily practices of gratitude to financially support children in other parts of the world. I see it as aligning gratitude with action.

This is just one way to align gratitude with action. Small steps of gratitude infused with action can make a huge difference in others’ lives.

I urge you to live in gratitude, to live in joy.

 

P.S. There are many worthy organizations that offer financial support for disadvantaged children throughout the world – usually under $50 per month. One organization that I support is TLC Barefoot School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Check it out at www.thebarefootschool.com 

Spanish Moss Questions

As I was walking around during my recent visit to Savannah, Georgia, I saw a lot of Spanish moss - and I mean just tons of it - draping down off of trees.  A very  cool sight for this Northern Gal. The moss provides a beautiful patina to the historic district.

So I was interested in learning more about this plant. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services website provided a lot of helpful information. Turns out this plant is not classed as parasitic. Instead it is an epiphytic plant. This is a plant that does grow on another plant but makes its own food rather than sucking the nutrients out of the host plant. Spanish moss does not have roots. (And now I quote from the website) “It uses its long, thin, scaly stems to wrap around the host tree and hang down from the branches. The leaves are covered with cup-like, permeable scales that ‘catch’ moisture and nutrients from the air and from pockets on the surface of the host.”

Traditionally there were many uses for Spanish moss – stuffing for mattresses, furniture, car seats. It is still used with floral arrangements. Birds, bats, reptiles and bugs call clumps of this moss “home”.   

But there is a down side. First, be wary of picking this moss up off the ground as you might receive nasty bug bits. Second, Spanish moss may damage its host tree by over-shading the leaves and/or weighing down and breaking tree limbs.

When I compare this potential of host tree damage to human relationships, some questions arise:

• ·         Where do we put down our roots and how are we nourished?
• ·         When do we overly rely on others to support us?
• ·         Do we overshadow our family and friends?

Good questions to ask ourselves. Living in mutual support is not in itself a bad thing. One could argue that mutual support is an essential part of healthy human relationships. But I believe that vigilance is required to assure that a balance is maintained - that support does not become smothering, that epiphytic does not becomes parasitic, that we lose sight of our own source of nourishment.  

We observe, we tweak, we love. And maintaining this balance within our relationships assists us along our individual paths of growth and possibilities and joy.

path of growth and possibilities and joy.

Walking in Savannah

I recently enjoyed a lovely weekend in Savannah, Georgia. I stayed at the William A.Thomas Home (built in 1871) in the historic district. Life circumstances have made me an early riser. Each morning I would slip out just after sunrise and explore the neighborhood. But for the cars, I would have thought myself transported a 100 years back. Every couple of blocks I would come across a city park square. Most of them commemorated an individual such as Casimir Pulaski. Typically, there is some combination of a statue, monument and fountain. The spanish moss draped off the trees. It all just screams Gracious Living.

Wright Square

German Square fountain

Tree covered with spanish moss

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William A Thomas House located at 109 Liberty. It's a lovely site to host a group

Sadly, I can't remember the name of this square which is the largest of the squares that I visited. This walkway was magnificent.

Casimir Pulaski Square

Even now as I post these photos I feel the residual sense of peacefulness from these early morning walks. I understand that the summers are pretty hot and miserable, but with January daytime temps in the 70's, this Chicago Gal was just loving it!

Now back in Chicago basking in the current daytime highs of 15 degrees F., I think about all of the monuments to important people of days past and I wonder what it would be like to design my own city. Let's call it "Linda-tropolis." Who would I commemorate in my own city with shady tree filled squares, bubbling fountains and impressive statues and monuments? Certainly my parents and grandparents who nurtured me. ......Several teachers that provided such important encouragement: Barbara Smith, Lyn Wetteroth, Eva Knapp.... Mentors in my careers..... Family and  friends...... Those who have dedicated their lives to the service of others that have so inspired me.... To honor them all, I believe that I would have to design a very large city. 

I suspect that my city design would not be that different from others. As each of us travels along our life paths, we are supported and positively impacted by so many people. Maybe we won't be able to design parks and statues, but we can name and honor those who have played such an important part in our lives. 

With gratitude and joy - Linda 

At the Rialto

I recently participated in a Christmas music program at the Rialto Theater in Joliet, Illinois. The Rialto has a rich history of performances over the past century. The marble lobby and beautiful chandeliers transport one back in time to a more elegant age.

And then there is the pipe organ!

This magnificent instrument once provided the musical background for silent movies. Today, it is still providing wonderful entertainment. I think of it as  Liberace meets a cathedral. Like so many other of the old theater organs, this organ is situated on a platform that will rise up from beneath the stage and then be lowered back down out of sight after a performance. Very...um...theatrical.

The Rialto is a joy!