life stories: delighting

today i'm finding delight in:

really, really pink toes.

yummy coconut macaroons.

(some are for sharing, i promise!)

time with my sweet one & his little toes. may we each find delight, take delight, and offer delight to others these sweet honey-suckle filled days of summer.

life stories: stretching moments

there are moments when stretching takes shape in daily rhythms, like the practice of yoga. where our muscles are stretched, awakened. there's a path that this stretching takes: releasing the muscles aids in bringing me fully into the present. being present to the stretching clears my mind and allows rest and recovery. i am who i am in that moment, fully alive, breathing deeply and sending peace and love through each stretch. (my blonde arm hair looks so, so hairy in this image...but it's really not so hairy...really)

there are other moments where the stretching takes a different shape. where the once stubborn resistance meets a moment of clarity, where reconciliation happens at table over wine, bread, local foods, and dessert shared. where the stretching isn't just about your muscles and mind, but about all the muscles, heart strings, and resistance meeting a letting go. there's a point in stretching where you must release. this stretch as pictured above reached across six years. yes. 6 years. it's one that was met with tears, thankfulness, and gratitude. there's a release where we are each fully present to the moment, even if the moment is a bit surreal at times. even if the moment is all that's known and the future unknown. it's a stretch that's proved to be good for all involved, where reconciliation, love, and gratitude will stretch on, reaching other relationships and providing the necessary spaces for life & healing, in self and others.

sometimes, always, it's a stretch for me to say: i was wrong. but sometimes, often, those stretches bring me fully into the present: binding my heart, mind, body, and soul.

the work of our gardening hands: lavender

the lavender is harvested and added to a pitcher made by the hands of my friend ana.

one plant.

stems standing tall.

surveying the harvest of only a portion. you can hardly tell they've been cut. each stem is lovely, each blossom. these will be used in a few ways: in laundry bags, dried & in vases, and in strawberry jam (if i'm not too late!)

the work of our gardening hands, part ii

wisteria.

weeding as a spiritual practice.

i believe working in the dirt is without a doubt a spiritual practice!

coral bells (another variety), i believe.

red maple leaves, a story.

river rocks from my home of m-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i in front of my little corner flower garden: zinnias, poppies, sunflowers (hopefully to come in three varieties if all goes well.

as a sprout, sunflowers are delicious.

our sweet blueberry that when purchased looked so sad. it's very, very happy here above our lime thyme & silver thyme beside Jo's soon-to-be-expanded sand box.

sweet hydrangea blossoms.

yarrow above the mind that is so, so abundant.

another hydrangea blossom. so lovely.

the work of our gardening hands, part i

i've realized how much daily routines have shifted for me: the sun is out and i'm near it. i'm also: weeding & working in the yard, vending more often at art shows & markets... my hands are at work, indeed. so, i highlight a bit of the work of our hands in the yard. we participate in growing things as a family. enjoy these images & take delight in the work of our gardening hands:daffodils i have nothing to do with. their presence is welcomed and enjoyed, wherever the wind carries them.

a partial view of the back yard with our huge hydrangea, one of three

representing something different.

plums.

a partial view of the front with clematis, rosemary and abundant hostas.

ice plant.

coral bells.

oh, the gardenia.

the glorious gardenia.

sometimes i spend a few minutes returning to posts of yesterday. it's a good practice, i think, and one that some of you share with me. i appreciate that there's a flow to writing and a flow to reading that is natural and appreciated. here are a few past posts highlighting what's 'in our garden': making gardens magic beans garden glimpses

the work of my hands

here are a few projects i've been working on. while my hands have been busy at these instead of typing! will find more time & space for that daily routine to return. i promise. until then, find my daily journaling (uploaded *most* every day, but there are times i'm not able to get online) here at calledtocreate.

art star craft bazaar, philly

booth sharing at this year's art star craft bazaar:

tasha mckelvey pottery.

feet ready for the ride home.

and a custom order: creating a pendant from a special cap celebrating a 3oth birthday. she's had this in her purse for over a year in search of the artist to create the pendant. i'm honored to receive this gift of creation!

a prayer for others

a prayer for mothers. a pouring of my spirit into writing as a practice. i thought i'd offer the actual text as seen. if there's a request, i can type the print. written on mother's day. more names could be added, but my heart carries them each one.

centering and presence

there are small and large pieces in the works. i am in the midst of a few projects which i am

grateful. each day brings something new, even when it's stressful. i appreciate the gifts, both large and small, that are presented.

recently on retreat, i was given two small canvases on easels (one pictured above). i've been craving time to sit and paint, using my doodle art in the layering. it was good for my spirit to do so on retreat, to paint the base of these 2 canvases, front and back. i will pick these up again soon and bring them to completion. each step in the creative process with these canvases is good and nourishing. i am thankful to maria and her many gifts bestowed upon me: through her thoughtfulness, her presence, and her ministry of introduction.

i am thankful for the time and space to create. for the ability to sit and cut, sit and dream of new works. you can read more about that centering on my other blog calledtocreate as the theme is present there, and will be present in the days to come.

my mind is captured so often these days by the sights and sounds outside my home. the birds which pluck the juicy earth worms from the ground. the birdsong outside every corner of the home. the robin's nest beside my porch. the new and old fabrics my hands hold. the quilts currently in the works. the food and menu planning that takes shape regularly. the growing garden. the friends we're so fortunate to have staying with us. the daily rhythms of work, play, and school. the friends of my son's who knock on the door almost daily to play.

i am so thanful for those who surround my thoughts: for the blogs of others, the art of susannah, and the times at table with my friends. oh, it's a good life (as mark says) and i'm thankful.

there are large and small works taking shape, in life, in love, in art, and in the space of our home. for all of these and much more, i give thanks.