these brightFULL & wakeFULL weekend mornings

walking for miles & miles on saturday morning.

taking in the brightness.

of the wide, blue sky.

of changing leaves on trees & the quilt of fallen leaves covering the ground.

of doggie wonders.

of my heart lifting & my face softening.

of people running, cleaning yards ~ knees on earth, biking, pushing strollers & walking with beloveds ~ hands holding hands & cups of coffee.

taking photos.

attempting to capture just a sliver of this.

how it means so much.

the presence of beings & creatures.

how it saves my life.

wide open eyes, fresh air, rosy cheeks, the sound of others' voices, the knowing you are there & feeling connected.

asana, pages of writing & 14 handwritten notes of gratitude on sunday morning.

waking to this practice.

silence.

movement.

Cat Stevens.

pen & paper.

pouring out.

always

i

am

grateful

for

this & you.

the goods: list 26

• Companions for the Journey: A Voice and Story Retreat in NYC hosted by the warm, generous & true Jen Lee. i have been a follower & fan of Jen Lee's work for over a year. i purchased two copies of her Solstice: Stories of Light in the Dark cd last december ~ one for me & one for a treasured friend. in the winter i played The Portfolio Project game with Jen. and, this september i had the privilege of not only sharing a cabin with Jen at Squam Art Workshops ~ i also participated in her Story Weaving class. Jen is a gifted, soul*full & play*full being & teacher. if you hunger to speak, to tune your voice, to tell your story & to have that story be heard & held lightly in the light ~ this retreat will be the perfect place for you. register here. Jen has this to say about this retreat:
  There comes a time when you can be silent no longer. When the Self you've been ignoring is clamoring for your attention. When you are ready to stop clinging to what has been, and embrace a future that is calling to you.

  One in which you are seen, known, and still loved.

  You don't have to figure it out alone.

  It's time to find your voice. It's time to tell your story. It's time to have companions for your journey.

  It's time to come.

  February 25-28, 2010

• sunday dinner at home with my roomies + 1. vegetarian chili & gluten-free corn bread made with manchego cheese & scallions. conversations about our work, books, movies, history & herstories. apple crisp for dessert.
• Allowing dreams post by Susannah. i heart thinking of my commitments & dreams as children ~ protecting, nurturing, believing in & encouraging them.
• a thursday day trip to providence to visit with a goddess. a guacamole & chips, tortilla soup & cheesecake lunch; a walk along the river; and, mango tea at the bookstore. when i returned home ~ dinner, play & visiting time with a dear friend & his boy.
• conversations with beloveds about thanks*giving week & christmas*time plans.
• a saturday late afternoon/night date with a gorgeous, smart & silly 1.5 year old. this is what i am looking forward to today.

26 notes of gratitude

in honor of this thanks*giving month & the celebration of thanks*giving on the 26th of november (also big bro's birth*day!) i am committing to write a total of 26 notes of gratitude from now - thanks*giving day. care to join me? feel free to handwrite 'em, paint 'em, post 'em, chalk 'em, tweet 'em...

the goods: list 25

• clean sheets.
• my dear roomie, l.m., returning home after being away for three and a half weeks.
• my first Skype date with one of my fire*side beauties from Squam Art Workshops. awesome to SEE her. there will be more of this ~ much more of this!
• another Mondo Beyondo meet-up with local folks. magazines + scissors + paper + glue stick + the voices of six (five + me) fabulous women = mondo beyondo inspiration!
• halloween treats: receiving the best news ever during a two hour reconnecting conversation with a sister ~ one i have known & grown with for over two decades; a walk in the woods at Walden Pond with another beloved sister ~ receiving the whirling wind, the silence, the smiles, the tears, the being held by the great momma earth; chatting with my parents on the phone in the evening; and, a playful & sweet double feature with my roomie, l.m. ~ Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium & Waitress ~ with freshly baked chocolate chip walnut cookies & cappuccino ice cream.
• creating an altar in honor of bella for The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos). i am attending a traditional Mexican celebration of remembrance at a local cemetery tomorrow late afternoon/early evening ~ honoring bella, my maternal grandmother & others.
• the beginning of a new month. a favorite month. a harvest month. a thanks*giving month. this month there will be: creation, fulfillment, process, warmth, laughter, gathering, travel, learning, reading, writing & celebration.

the goods: list 24

• my first snow since leapin' north! um, yes, sunday, october 18th. october. mid-october. it's not even halloween yet. um, yes, i chose this. i did, i did!
• these words from The Art of Intimacy by Thomas Patrick Malone, MD & Patrick Thomas Malone, MD ~

  "If you walk on the beach, especially in a protected area...you experience a different ecosystem...That what you see is different, new, and strange to you heightens your seeing, and you feel an increased sense of connection to your surroundings. If you are out at night on that beach, you may look up and see a broad band of light sweep across the sky...You can actually see satellites go by overhead...nebulas and other galaxies. In short you see the night sky...Seeing it this way, you suddenly realize why earlier people cared so deeply about the heavens, why they named the constellations, why they charted the planets, why they looked at the sky. You feel how they could be connected, and sense how powerful an experience that connection is. In doing so, you connect yourself, in space to your stars and sky, and in time to your ancestors and descendants."

• tuesday tea dates with Trish.
• a recent 60 Minutes interview with Drew Barrymore. watch here.
• last friday i attended a fabulous yoga class at a gym in the city. it was exactly what i needed after a challenging/in my head/stuck/heavy week. getting back in my body, moving deeply & powerfully, being in a new landscape & with a kindred, on the mat to my left ~ was the perfect kind o' medicine. after leaving the class, feeling open & connected while navigating unfamiliar city streets to get to an appointment, a woman approached me as i stood at a crosswalk. she turned to me & said, "excuse me, may i ask you a favor?" i turned to her & said, "yes." she said simply & clearly, "please include in your prayers, Linda, a woman who has cancer." i looked directly into her eyes ~ beyond her eyes, even ~ and, i said, "yes. yes, i will." "thank you," she said. i am keeping Linda in my prayers. after this encounter i thought ~ what an awesome thing, to simply walk up to another being & make a request like this. yes, let's do more of this ~ ask such things of one another...if i may, ask you a favor ~ please keep Linda, a woman who has cancer, in your prayers...thank you.
• this book (found via Jeanine). read it here!
• love mail to a fire*side beauty & my beloved soul*sister, s. we go way back ~ back since high school.
• finding two scribblings on the sidewalk at dusk ~ they looked like angels wings to me.
• an updated playlist ~ scroll on down to the bottom of this page to have a look & listen.
• yesterday's inHERview with Helen of Dixon Hill. read it here.