Winter White

A new year, a clean slate, 2014.  What will I write on my slate this year...It's always a fresh beginning in January..as if the past has just slipped away.  It's not that we will forget the things of this past year, it's more of a second or third or 60th chance to write again, our future..our desires, what we want to accomplish.  I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore...I haven't for many years.  I remember always making the same one and then half way through the year I would be filled with sadness because , once again I didn't achieve my goal...then one magical year...I did.   It was a miracle for me...and to this day...that miracle is still alive.  After that year, 1983, I never made another resolution because I learned about real forgiveness.  We are sometimes so hard on ourselves...even when we accomplish the goals..so today, I just move into this new year with my clean slate..white and frosty, knowing that I will accomplish many things but nothing is written in stone and that's o.k. by me...

Wishing you all a very bright and shinny New Year..full of love, light, laughter and joy...but mostly I wish you Good Heath...

"In this new year, may you have a deep understanding of your true value and worth, an absolute faith in your unlimited potential, peace of mind in the midst of uncertainty, the confidence to let go when you need to, acceptance to replace your resistance, gratitude to open your heart, the strength to meet your challenges, great love to replace your fear, forgiveness and compassion for those who offend you, clear sight to see your best and true path, hope to dispel obscurity, the conviction to make your dreams come true, meaningful and rewarding synchronicities, dear friends who truly know and love you, a childlike trust in the benevolence of the universe, the humility to remain teachable, the wisdom to fully embrace your life exactly as it is, the understanding that every soul has its own course to follow, the discernment to recognize your own unique inner voice of truth, and the courage to learn to be still."
-Janet Rebhan

Textured with Kim Klassen's Minus 45

Creating Christmas Memories

Liam is ready and very excited about going to the Teddy Bear Tea at the Taj Hotel in Boston...It is a very special day..and the look on his face, as we start out, tells me it's going to be a "memory making" day.

The Taj Hotel, formerly the Ritz, is one of the finest hotels in Boston and they really know how to put on a show..this was a kids event but it was very fancy and proper..and so much fun.  Each child was to bring a Teddy Bear to the Tea, which would then be donated to charity...Liam has a mind of his own though.  I took him shopping and he decided that he wanted to bring a Monkey..I like that he knows his own mind and is not afraid to act on it...he took very good care of that monkey until he delivered it to the hotel.   On the way home though, he said he missed the monkey...

First on the list of things to do was for Liam to get that letter to Santa Claus written and mailed...this, my friends, was very serious business.  He drew the photo's on his letter and I did the writing and we got it in the mail just in the nick of time..I assured him that Santa would get his letter in plenty of time to make his wishes come true.

As you can probably guess, the girls far outnumbered the boys...and oh my, it was so much fun just to see the fancy outfits that they were wearing..it's been a long time since I've seen so many girls in real party dresses. They were really cute.  

Tea Time and so many treats...I'm wondering though if it is really a good idea to put a bowl of mini marshmallows in front of a four year old...his lunch consisted of hot chocolate with many, many marshmallows and a quarter of peanut butter sandwich...no fancy sandwiches for this boy...in the meantime Jenna and I devoured our sandwiches, scones with cream and petite sweets...oh yes, and let's not forget the tea.

Oh look who came to visit...Mrs. Claus and one of the Elves...Liam took them very seriously and it was so much fun to see him in awe of Mrs. Claus...after they left..he told his Mom and me that he didn't think the elf was real...to big.  Hmm, he's to smart.

After decorating gingerbread men, wreaths and candy cane cookies, it was story time...I'm not sure Liam was ready to get fully involved...he's just going to check it out first.  Just in case it's not his thing..

He decides it could be fun and he finds a group of boys and then he is "all in"...they had to close their eyes and also cover them while the Big Elf...hid.   It was there job to find the elf and bring him back to Mrs. Claus.  

There were many more things to do...he got his face painted..he had popcorn and colored.  It was a very busy day for this little guy.  His first big Christmas...he really gets it this year.  His excitement is barely containable and he is a joy to be with at this exciting time...Before leaving we got a photo of the three of us with the biggest Teddy Bear there...It was so nice to have time with my daughter and Liam..to celebrate the season. Next year it will be so much fun to add Jaxson to the mix...

While waiting for Liam to gather his things...I looked over and saw Jenna sitting on the windowsill, looking out to the Boston Common...such a poignant photo...reflecting on the beauty of the city, and all that the holiday season brings and requires when you are the Mom of small children...I was glad that she could sit quietly  for a moment...and just be.  She is a sweet and loving Mom..and I am blessed to have her.

What better way to end such a beautiful day than with a lovely glass of wine while we waited for the valet to bring the car...of course, we were in stitches when we found out how much it cost to park the car...whew...but none of that was important at the moment...we all left with such light hearts and visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads...

I believe that Christmas is magic, that Santa Claus is real, that all things are possible, that life is precious, That peace is reasonable, that laughter is special, that blessings are devine, and that love is grand.

Merry Christmas my friends...find the beauty wherever you are.  Enjoy the little things and never let go of the magic of this very special season...wishing you all the most wonderful of year ahead...in 2014.  Thank you for stopping by for tea.  For your Friendship and for your Love...

Several photo's textured with KK_Villa...thanks Kim..

The Gift of Girlfriends

There were 11 of us yesterday, one was sick...I missed her, just as I would have missed any one of these girls if they had not been able to come to my Annual Girlfriends Christmas Tea...These girls are my life line.  They are long standing...and they know my history and still they comes, year after year.   It is the one day that we take pause, during this busy season, and just sit and catch up.  All leave with a full belly, having eaten to many calorie laden sweets but we also all leave the table, once again, re-newed in our love for each other.

It's a mixed group of that I have picked up along the road of life.  One was my maid of honor 45 years ago, the longest standing was my friend way back in high school...I drove the school bus in town for many years with another one, and some I met through my kids playing sports..the thing they all have in common though is their longevity. They are my sisters of life. The sisters I never had growing up and we are fierce in our protection and love of each other...Good times, bad times, sad times, crazy times...at least one of these girls is by my side..  Two are nurses so I always seat them, one on my left and one on my right,...I like to cover myself as best I can.   Through thick or thin and fluffy...they listen to each other and give what help they can...usually while eating..LOl...I love that about us.   Then we usually "wine" a bit and that clears our head and our problems.

I can't imagine how people get through life without friends.  For me, after so many years with these girls, most often I don't even have to speak...they know when I need a lift, a shopping trip and they show up...some need to called once in awhile though...Holly..

Each day we go out into the world and people see us and make judgments...they know nothing of the road we have walked..the pain we all have had or the struggles that come with aging..they see what they want.  Not so with my "girls"..every one of them has walked with me..some for 50 years, they have seen the struggles, hugged away tears, laughed with me until we peed our pants...(many times). They have traveled with me through fat, fluffy and finally healthy and not once have they ever been critical or jealous...These girls are my life line to living a full and amazing life..these girls are my "it takes a village"...I shutter to think where I would have landed if each one had not come along to lift me up.

As I write this they all come to mind and so many more really...these woman are my family...I don't care about their DNA and they don't care about mine...what we do care about is each other.  They come to my table each year, with good cheer, humor, hugs and so much love...for me and now for each other..I wish that my table were big enough though to welcome all the woman who have touched my life...especially those who I have met and now enjoy through the internet...Some of you are so special...I have a Cowgirl Heart Sister, I have an English Sister..I love a young girl in Chicago...I met a flickr friend here and now we see each other often...and Oh, my special friend Kim...we have not met yet...but we will, and maybe someday I'll take a walk in the woods with G, and meet on the beach again with my Colorful friend...and I even belong to the "Groupies"now. All of  you inspire me.   So know, that anytime, my table is open to all of you.  My friends of long standing will push aside their chairs and make room for you at the table. That's the kind of people they are.  

So if time gets the best of you this Christmas season...make yourself a lovely cup of tea, use the good china, have a sweet and take a moment to think of all those who have touched your life in Friendship...I bet it you did your list would be longer than Santa's...

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 
― Maya Angelou

“Sometimes I need
only to stand
wherever I am 
to be blessed.” 
― Mary Oliver

Thanksgiving Blessings

There was no turkey, no stuffing, no squash or pumpkin pie...No table settings for 6...no high chair joining in with a little boy full of laughter.   This year we weren't even home..this year I really, really got the meaning of Thanksgiving and giving back...and being grateful for all that we have and especially for those that I love.  I learned that food and festivities do not define what Thanksgiving really means...and it was powerful and precious.

We spent the day at Boston Children's Hospital...my little family of 7..all together, squeezed into a tiny room...We played lego's, watch the Smurf video...colored and read books...we took short walks pushing a IV pole and watching two little brothers ride in plastic trucks all around the halls, laughing together as they raced...not a drop of food or drink was allowed in that room...because Little Liam had surgery last Sunday and he is still restricted...the surgery is what prompts this post but it is not what defines it...what defines it is how thankful I am for his life, for his smile, for his healing. I am thankful for a family that doesn't ask what we can do,  but we all just show up...day after day...until we are no longer needed...I will be forever grateful to his parents for their 24 hour concern and love and sleep-overs so he is never alone. My gratitude goes beyond anything I could have imagined for the skill of those fine doctor's at Children's, one of the finest hospitals in the country...and a basket full of thanks for the nurses who care for him with such joy in their hearts for these little patients...

Life doesn't always come in a neatly tied package...it sometimes throws us a curve that we could never even imagine..but riding on the waves of those curves are lessons learned...life lessons that sometimes make you stand up and take note of the real meaning of life...the real gifts we are given and it reminds us of the goodness of so many people...strangers until you meet and whose hearts touch yours in unexpected ways...

So for the first time that I ever remember we did not sit down at the dining room table with the fancy dishes and way to much food...what we did was gather in goodness and Grace...in gratitude and love..because when it was  time for me to leave the hospital I left taking Thanksgiving with me...it was always there...in my kids, my husband, friends who prayed and doctor's and nurses who in my mind perform tiny miracles everyday...it reminds me as I entered the season of Christmas..to keep Thanksgiving in my heart and pass the goodness along...and be so Grateful for the Blessings I've been given...

I hope all my family and friends found many reasons to be grateful and thankful today...

"I am grateful for what I am and have.  My thanksgiving is perpetual.  It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite....only a sense of existence."...Henry David Thoreau...

Welcome to Fall in Rockport

Rockport..a tiny fishing village thirty minutes from my house...Home of the famous and hugely photographed Motif #1.  A tourist town that all who visit Cape Ann just have to come and visit.  It's artsy and all the little shops are run by "creatives" just like all of us who see the world in our own unique way and the try to capture it through whatever medium we love...it sits on the sea, this beautiful village and about a month ago a friend of mine went on a little photo tour to see "the other side of the town"...the part where the real folks live and play.  I highly recommend this sweet tiny village if ever you are in New England...and the season does not matter...it carries it's beauty straight through the year.

First stop, no matter when I go is always the Motif...even though I have photographed it a bazillion times, the wharf still draws me...maybe a new angle, maybe different light...but always the Motif in the background.

Heading out of town...we headed for the rocky shore and the beach...it's a beautiful sight with the lighthouse in the background...rugged and welcoming at the same time.

This view shows you just how close to the water these residents live...fortunately the rocky shoreline protects them but with the way things are going you have to wonder how long that can last...the ocean can be vicious as well as beautiful..so much erosion has already happened along our shorelines.  But still, for a time, I love to dream about what it must be like here.

In the fall and winter you can walk this lovely beach so much easier than in the summer when the resident well, take up residence on the beach..like the name of the town indicates..it has a lot of rocks...they are really beautiful to view..and at the right time of day  the light hits them wonderfully.

Heading back up to town we exit the beach and make a loop around the neigborhood and see this view as we head in...the harbor view with the two church steeples in the background...so calm and quiet on this early morning visit.

My last find of the day...a doorway on a side street...It was a beautiful day, not only for all the beauty of the ocean and beach...but it was well spent with a good photography friend.  We all know that's a great find for any day.