Whataweekend!

 "Spirits of the Sea"

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  We had a wonderful evening at the Museum.  The exhibits were breathtaking...African Cloths, Medieval Exhibit, Chinese Buddhism and American painters were the ones we managed to look at before the concert. The place itself is gorgeous and was built for the World's Fair in 1903 and then given to the city of St Louis. They are doing a lot of work out there right now and expanding the building as well as some repairs and remodeling.  The venue for the concert was small...only about 150 seats, and the acoustics were terrible. But the band just threw out the mics and sat down on the floor and went crazy. They were magnificent.  The music was wonderful. There were so many people there, they decided to do 2 sets of about an hour each, and we got in to the first one because we stood at the door for an hour (upon the advice of the information desk woman). She was spot on--when the first set was done, they asked us to please exit and if there were any seats left after they seated everyone, they would open it up again.  Naturally, there were no seats. In fact, there were people who couldn't get in at all.  They played violins, resonator guitars, some kind of clacky things that played like castanets, but looked like tongue depressors, kazoos, a jug, and an African banjo instrument made from a gourd and hides with a long long neck,called an ekontone. Rhiannon clogged in the aisles and they all were hootin' and hollerin' and there was lots of audience participation. It was an absolutely delicious night, altogether.

  And then this morning we had to get up early and go to a funeral.  It was a large and solemn affair punctuated with  laughter and reminiscing. In the longest ever funeral procession of my life, we travelled about 20 miles to the cemetery. It was crazy. We were there to support MissT  and she held up pretty well, all things considered.  It was her aunt who finally succumbed to her fight against pancreatic cancer and her mothers younger sister. So there were lots of tears and fears and all the things that go with funerals and people who tragically die too young.

  We came home after stopping at a new Mexican place for a little lunch. It was quite good and then we were home and I vacuumed and started laundry.  Now it is after 11 and I am ready for bed.  

  Music and funerals and love and grief. Friendship and food and  art and laundry. All the things that an authentic life is composed of, with all the ups and downs and plateaus that come along.  I never thought my life would be like this, for years, when I lived in a twisted surrealism of my own design.  Now I long for the times when I can stay on my little piece of dirt and just breathe...simple things like folding stacks of laundry bring a new serenity to me.  I am blessed by an extravagant God, to get to live the life that is mine.

  I live in an abundant Universe.

  Namaste.

Suddenly Saturday

This is one of the places we took the oldest grandson to pan for gold,when he came to visit for 2 weeks in North Carolina.
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How blessed am I ???

Let me count the ways...

1. Sober as a judge today.
2. Happy, Joyous and free.
3. Not regretting my past.
4. Living out in God's country, in the peace and quiet.
5. Grateful as all get out, for almost everything.
6. I have a house full of happy pets that love me unconditionally.
7. I am married to a kind, sober man.
8. Not to mention handsome!
9. And smart!
10. I have enough food to eat.
11. I have a roof over my head.
12. I have satellite connection for my computer.
13. I'm getting water...SOON! Like, next week, maybe!
14. I have a Higher Power that loves me and wants the best for me.
15. I have friends who love me, warts and all.
16. I have a peace in my heart that I have never known before.
17. I have a spirit inside me that sometimes sings!
18. I am blessed with family and with more love than I can possibly need.
19. I can make a list like this, and it makes me feel better.
20. I can go to sleep tonight, knowing I've lived my best, loved my best, and be ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning." ~J.B. Priestly (1894-1984)

Namaste.

Wicked Good Wednesday

Blazer and Merlin...taking a break.

Had an interesting day today and will keep this short and sweet. Kittens had the devil in them, puppies were racing around in high gear most of the day, and I had a frustrating moment or two. But the good news is this:

*Never once thought about drinking
*Felt especially blessed several times throughout the day
*Made a doctors appointment about my knee
*Got to chat with several sober drunks
*Got to help with a 4th step
*Ate some more Good&Plentys :)
*Got to read for awhile this afternoon with my leg propped up on 2 pillows
*Got to be used by God to reunite a mother and her youngest son...even if only for a couple of days



Life is good.


Namaste.

Saturday at the races...

This is a shot from yesterday, across the back part of the gardens and down to the pond. It was an excruciatingly hot day, and thankfully the storms rolled in last night and cooled things off some. The heat index was only 103...

The gardens are going to be my life before long, lol, at least for a couple of months. It looks like we'll be having a bountiful harvest. The squash are blooming now too. The corn got a little laid down by the rains and winds last night, but I think they'll recover alright.

The computer was unplugged last night because of the lightning and so I didn't get a chance to even come online after getting home from the meeting. It was good meeting, all in all. Took a couple of newcomers and then home again.

Feeling blessed today, even though things aren't perfect in my life and lots of little issues are bobbing around. But it's all small stuff, and as long as I don't sweat the small stuff, I'll be alright. I did have a moment today, I must admit. But I went in the other room and sat there talking to my Creator for a little bit and things came back into perspective. I'm especially grateful that I have that in my life today. The ability and the capability to hand things over when I finally realize it's too much for me to handle on my own.

Especially blessed to be:
*Sober
*Healthy
*Loved
*Breathing
*Spiritual, in a Howdy Doody kind of a way
*On good terms with almost everyone I know
*F-L-E-X-I-B-L-E (*wink)
*Relatively calm in the face of annoying everyday stuff


Gratitude is a gift I choose every day. It has changed my life, practicing an attitude of gratitude, and I hope I never forget that.

Creator and I are having some kind of fun today!!!!!


Namaste.

Truly Tuesday

It was one of those days when you are grateful to be sober.

A day when more than once, I found myself staying in the moment and being mindful of the things and events around me. Savoring. What a rich and delightful experience it is to live this way. If I could figure out (or remember?) how to do this more often, it would indeed be a wondrous thing.

I have been thinking about how much I learn from nature. From the trees and the flowers and from the critters all around me. From the unconditional love I have from my pets to the learning to bend in the wind from the willows. From the rebirth of the world every spring, to the quiet rest of winter. In class last night, we were discussing (among other things) the way some people seem to take a personal affront to the weather every day. Like it's a contest of wills...or a punishment. I have a hard time seeing things in a black and white way anymore. I'm not so sure there's really good and bad...maybe it's all just experiences that we get to learn something from. It is what it is. I guess that sounds incredibly simplistic and naive to some, but it's how I view my world. I have very few unpleasant experiences in my life and I'm sure it's because of the my perspective. Always something to learn...what to do, or what NOT to do. Always 2 sides to every coin. It leaves lots of room for speculation, I guess.

All I know is that I might be one of the happier people I know. My worldview has been shaped and polished by my experiences on the planet so far. So many ways to look at things, and so little time. lol

I'm off to bed. Getting up early to keep the car. Have a date with a bunch of drunks at noon and then off to pick up about a hundred "hens and chicks" the succulent plants and 5 Rhubarb plants. Gotta love Craig's List !!!!

Blessed to be feeling the serenity of my humble little abode today. Blessed to have had a great conversation with my Creator this morning and the feelings of peace that came as a result of it. Blessed, especially, to be here now and having the wherewithal to be grateful for it all.

Sleep well, bloggers....


Namaste