SWB: Fog behind me, blue skies ahead?

Image from Sim1travels.

Today there is sunshine, fluffy white cloud and a bright blue winter sky. Sigh. There is color, still cold, but I can see some color today.

Blue sky's are a good thing.

The last week of January here in my corner of the NE has been gray, foggy and frigid. I write the word "frigid" because that is the actual description I saw on the weather forecast the other day. About this time of year, I begin to contemplate buying one of those "sunlight" lamps people in Alaska have. It's not quite Alaska here, but close enough already! At my husband's office this week, they are having a Superbowl Salad party including time for everyone a turn to sit under the beams of the happy light. See, I'm not the only one feeling the effects of mid-winter! I found myself laughing to the lyrics of "Mr. Blue Sky" one morning in running my kids to school...

"Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?

Hey you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration, mister blue sky's up there waitin'
And today is the day we've waited for"

In the midst of the foggyiness -
There were challenges at work that I did not expect.
There were some good results from a long-awaited process that left me feeling excited and confused all at the same time.
There (again) were family and friends loving on me all week long, and all that love makes mid-winter's chill melt away some. I even made some fantastic chili this weekend and had a long needed girls-out evening of treasure shopping and dinner with a dear friend.

In the blue sky moments...
I've had a dream for this discussion/writers book group to begin for the past two years. If you'd like to join in our Holy Conversations group, there will be an online discussion group on Facebook I am happy all the pre-planning has been done and the conversations will kick off later this week. In about a week, the mural I helped to create will be set up and be dedicated with a fancy-smancy ceremony the Friday before Valentine's day. That Saturday, I will play solo for a local coffee house event at a friend's church. Nice :)

This foggy feeling I have I think has more to do with mid-winter than anything. Somehow, I have more dreams and ideas for new projects than I seem to have of time. I'd like for that variable to even out a bit more. I'm looking for the blue sky moments everyday all the while praying this foggy feeling and vision will soon subside.

One of the best treasures I found this week was a little anthology of poems titled "Risking Everything: Poems of Love and Revelation." You may notice the poetry theme that took over here all week long. That shift is due to reading and reflecting on this lovely little book. I took some time to read on Saturday evening and found some new jewels as well as was reminded of of old favorite poems I'd forgotten along the way. Here is a poem that is optimistically hopeful, just like the tradition of the blog space here at Uphill Idealist. (Or as it aspires to be!)

We shall not cease
by T.S. Elliot (For more poems visit Youpublish.com)

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.

SWB: Claustrophobia and clearings

Mary Lue shared her host post on business and rest for this weeks Sleeping with Bread Examen. Her words resonated with me in the fact that due to a significant staff change at my office, there is more work to be done and my plate is feeling fuller lately. There have been more meetings, and lots of talking and planning. For the most part, I've felt much more connected to people since I've become more involved in this way, but oddly when I'm done for the day or night - I find myself in need of some quiet. Maybe I'm still sorting and planning in the back of my mind, but silence (even my own) is something I find myself being more and more drawn too. It's like the extra noise, both internal and external, makes me feel claustrophobic . A few days after Christmas, I went into a game store with my son and was overwhelmed by all the noise and activity there. The store was tiny but filled with kids and their parents vying for their video game of choice. My head felt hot, my

Sunny and rainy day friends

There are two kinds of friends in the world: Sunny day friends and rainy day friends. This is a statement that my Mom used to remind me of when I was in the midst of drama or conflict with one school friend of another. There are lots of people that we define as friends, but they are really acquaintances. Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don't you know you can't outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don't have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!" This story is funny, but it does help define the distinct difference between a rainy day friend and a sunny day friend. The sunny-day-friend is more concerned with watching out for their own health and wellness, than their friends' wellbeing. On the other hand, a rainy day friend is willing to take risks, work fo

What Summer Camp Means to Me...

I was around six-years-old when I first went to sleep-away summer camp. At the time I lived in PA and the camp (through my church) was in Ohio. All school year, I attended Sunday School faithfully partially because regular attendance allowed my family scholarships to help with the cost of Summer Camp. Over the school year, I attended most Sunday's and by the end of the year, my little coupon book was full of stamps - providing me with a scholarship to attend a camp session. I provide this background on how I first got to go to camp, because it is an essential part of explaining what Summer Camp meant (and means) to me. Going away to Summer Camp gave me a whole new experience of community. The whole process of going to and attending was the first times I experienced, "it takes a village", personally. From the Sunday School Teachers who drove a sedan full of kids to Ohio, to the counselors and staff who supported new campers: through the first 48 hours of homesickness

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