Uphill idealist

Norman Rockwell Humanity found at Pinterest When I was in sixth grade, I had the honor of being chosen for a lead part in our Spring musical called, "Kid's for America". As you can imagine, there was quite a patriotic bend to the production. Beyond the excess of red, white and blue and various medleys  of national anthems there was a line (that somehow ended up in my speaking part) that made a huge impression on me. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, by the content of their character." MLK JR. Before memorizing this quote, I had very little exposure as to how a person's appearance would impact how other people would treat said person. I recall  my shock when this concept of racism became a clearer reality. Having the chance to speak MLK's words was a great honor for me. I passionately recited MLK's dream at each and every performance with

Friendships that last for over twenty years are rare. My friend Heather and I met while working at a shopping mall when we were just entering our twenties. I worked at the music store and she worked at the book store. One day we sat down and shared a cup of coffee and that was the start of sharing more life transitions than I can count... marriages, children, career changes, returns to higher education, moving from our home state to others, and so much more. We stayed in touch through occasional visits, phone conversations and with the help of Facebook and social media. We somehow, over the last twenty years, have retained the kind of friendship that simple picks up where we left off... The last milestone for one of our kids. The new job. The loss of job. The need of one of our kids. Today after more years than I can recall, we did not have to visit via the internet or phone. Today we had the chance to meet face to face and an amazing thing occurred... We pick

It was one of those mornings. The alarm did NOT go off. The number of hours of sleep did not come close to approaching the recommended need. The left front burner on the electric stove cooks way hotter than it should... so the tomato splattered all over my shirt, the turkey sausage burnt and the smoke alarm went off. But... I've been setting some time every morning to read Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy  and after the fiasco it already had been getting ready for work, I thought I should ditch reading and head to the office. But this time of pause and prayer is important. So I stopped. I read. The words washed over me and helped to slow down my pace. Now, it really was time to go. I got to work - only 9 minutes later than I'd hoped. It was one of those days where I did not know what to do first, so I talked with my secretary for a bit to get oriented to the needs of the day - and made my list of things to do. While it might not be a life lesso

The family was all set to go for a swim. The bags filled with towels, sneakers and extra clothes for when they would be dry struggled to stay contained. The number of children in the gaggle was undecipherable as they all were in a state of constant movement. One kid was hanging on the pool door entrance, another was hiding under the check-in counter, and two or three more tots whirred like tiny planets in a wobbly rotation around their mother - who like the sun - was a the center of their aquatic adventure. The water was calling their name. They we so prepared that they'd worn their swimsuits in route to the pool. All they had to do to reach the oasis of the swimming pool was to drop their bags, toss off their t-shirts and flip flops and then... 1 2 3 CANNONBALL! This family reminds me of what enthusiasm looks like. Even though there are a million other things this family could have done this afternoon, they had decided and were committed to their goal. This mom wi

It's been a good long time since I've participated with the blogging community NaBloPoMo. But there is something to be said for regularly practice of creative processes - so here goes an effort to blog daily for the month of September. In years past, this practice allowed me the space to develop the discipline of writing daily. One year I had over 310 blog posts as a result of taking part in this practice. Consistency in creative efforts is something I always struggle to maintain, so here once again I begin with my "writing lessons". They might not all be grand - but then again this is all about practice and the "Lessons" I can learn in the month of September by participating in NaBloPoMo once again. If you are interesting in writing around the topic of "Lessons" this month, go to BlogHer for more information and sign up!

This image found at ETSY and is created by: Blackraptor Art There are two eyes, a mouth and a nose. Is there more than that, do you suppose? Does this face only fill a frame, or give some clues to it's heart? Does a face make only a refection or more than what images mark? This is a face that shown joy and been the path for tears of regret.                                                  This face is holding on to hope for the things its not seen - yet. Are there freckles on forehead from days in the sun? Are there crows feet and laugh lines from smiling for fun? Are there dimples, or blemish, and tiny white scars. This is a face has seen life and death and the spaces between.                                                           This face has held hopes and seen the crashing of dreams. This face has been kissed and it's been turned away. This face has seen much more than what is showing today. When I look int

Several months ago, I noticed that a small church in a sleepy Western NY town was up for sale. A few weeks ago I noticed that the "For Sale" sign was gone and what had been a tender little white chapel had been flipped. It had not been made into a residential space or even yet another hair salon (even though one never can underestimate the need for a good salon in a rural community). The quaint little parish building had been refreshed, with new landscaping and the whole bit. The once weary but well loved building was dusted off and spiffed up, and now it was something altogether new. The church, was now, an antique shop. Wait. Hold on. The CHURCH was now an ANTIQUE SHOP. This statement concerning the flipped building did more than pop in my brain. The statement poured out of my mouth and filled my ears. "The CHURCH is an ANTIQUE SHOP!" I know this may initially appear to be a simple observation of a real estate transaction. But to me the sale