Soulful Sunday Quotes

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. (That is why it is called "the present")".
Eleanor Roosevelt (Kung Fu Panda in parentheses)

I have a tendency to not live in the moment. I always plan - er, ok, worry, about everything, mostly about what "could" or what "might" happen. That is why I love this quote. We all need to plan for the future, we'd be stupid not to, but we also need to take time out to live in the moment. Be present for whatever is happening NOW. Dogs (see above and below) are good at that. Arwen is especially good at that.

If Arwen sees something interesting, she smells it (or tastes it, see photo above). If she is hungry, she eats. If she is hyper, she plays, shaking the heck out of her favorite toy of the moment. She loves to walk and bark and sniff. She stays present, and really, she has no worries because of it. I could take a page out of her book, as could most of us I think :)

So, relax. Take a deep breath. You wouldn't want to spend all of your time worrying and planning, only to reach the end of your life and say, "Well, heck, I missed so much by not paying attention to what was happening then. I wasn't present." What a shame that would be!

Enjoy your Sunday, be present, laugh at little things. Leave the planning for Monday, it will come (unless we have a Zombie Apocalypse, but then you won't have to worry about anything but not having your brains eaten, so no problem)!

See you tomorrow, Zombies be damned :)

Soulful Sunday: Happy Stats

Inspired by The House of Mouse blog (http://lifecraftinessandeverythingelse.blogspot.com/) I thought that maybe each Sunday I should relate some happy things that went on in my life, to bring the happy back into a world that is sometimes not-so-happy. Between news reports of natural disasters, political instability and environmental disasters, it's easy to forget the little things that make each day worth living. So here goes my first attempt:
Happy stats:
-Finding an organic veggie garden a 10 minute walk from my house, full of the most delicious (and affordable) produce I've ever had (aside from home grown, of course), and run by very friendly people.
-Discovering that I do, in fact have one tiny pumpkin starting to grow after being worried that all the blooms I had previously found were male (ie, not pumpkin-producing). Now, if hte weather holds out, I'll have at least one pumpkin to bake with, mmmmmm pumpkin :)
-Making progress on the wedding gift front. I can't show you yet, but I will, and I hope it will be worth the wait.
-Using Arwen's shedding brush on her every other day, and thinking that she must be part sheep, not sheep-herding-dog, after all of the fur I got out of her. It's amazing she has any fur left!
That is all for now, I'll see you all soon. Arwen send you her little kisses (she has good breath I promise, I brush her teeth regularly!), and I send you all happy thoughts and prayers for a great week,
and Arwen

Soulful Sunday: Goodbye to a Very Dear Friend

On Tuesday, March 9, 2010, Renee of Circling My Head Blog passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was so brave and smart and caring. Though I am glad she is no longer suffering, the world is truly darker without her bright light shining. I didn't know her for very long, but we became fast friends and exchanged little gifts a few times. If has taken me almost a week to write a tribute to her, as really, nothing I can say, write or express will ever come close to describing the wonderful woman she was.

I loved her spirit. If people didn't understand her, or tried to say anything against her (which, really, wasn't very often as she was just so damn right in everything), she would say, "Fuck it!" sorry for the language, but there are times when it is right to say. On Wednesday when I read the announcement on her blog about her death, I was quite upset and didn't really know what to do. As an emotional eater (yes, guilty!) I immediately wanted something with carbs. Bread, or pasta or fat, or comforting, but it had to be good. The other side of this rather one-sided conversation was saying that I'm trying not to eat processed foods as they really don't agree with me, yadda, yadda, yadda. So yeah, I said...

"Fuck it!" I made cheesy tea biscuits in honor of Renee. I love you and miss you.

The tea biscuits were delicious, and Brennan and I ate all twelve by the end of the next day. It was worth it. Renee was worth it. Her spirit lives on in everyone who takes the attitude that we ARE worth it. We are God's children. We ARE.

Rest in peace Renee, we can't wait to see you in heaven when our turn comes.


P.S. I am very sorry for the language today. I seriously debated for a long time whether to put it in as I didn't want to offend or shock anyone, but the loss of Renee hit me pretty hard, and that is really what she said. I didn't want to bleep her. Anyone who reads this blog knows I try very hard not to swear, but sometimes you have to get it out. I got it out, and thank you for understanding.

Soulful Sunday: Getting into the Holiday Spirit...

From http://icanhascheezburger.com/
I thought it might get you into the spirit.... :-)

Soulful Sunday: Happy Mother's Day!

Yes, I know, it looks a little odd. When everyone else is showing roses and countryside worthy of Da Vinci paintings for their Mother's Day posts, I show two little dandelions. Well, there's a story, and since you're still sitting here I'll tell you:
As a kid, my mom and I didn't have much money, and before my step dad finally came around (like, where had he been? lol), I didn't have anyone to take me places to 'get mom a present'. So I made her presents, painted her pictures and, of course, brought her dandelions. Lots of them! I made bouquets and they would be all over the apartment, and later, the house. When I got older I tried making chains and headbands out of them, but one eensy weensy bug in my hair quickly put an end to that! So a dandelion bouquet it would be, it is, and it forever shall be.
So here's to my mom, who did a pretty darn fine job (if I do say so myself!). Who taught me to ride a bike, swim, be kind to others, love to help people, and most importantly, love learning. I may not be perfect, but I would be nowhere near the person I am without your love, support, guidance and unconditional cheering-on.
I love you, you are wonderful, and I couldn't have chosen a better mom if I had tried.
I hope you love your dandelions :)