Serenity

she's not a great piece of art, but i love her...
she reminds me to just sit still a while, to watch the sunlight move across the mantelpiece, to just b r e a t h e ...

yesterday i finished The Seven Whispers by Christina Baldwin - a small book BIG on profound thoughts - thank you Deb for bringing this wonderful author to my attention!!!

the seven whispers are:

Maintain peace of mind.
Move at the pace of guidance.
Practise certainty of purpose.
Surrender to surprise.
Ask for what you want and offer what you can.
Love the folks in front of you.
Return to the world.

the chapter on 'surrender to surprise' certainly got my attention - not all surprises are fun...

To live consciously, we need to prepare for wonderful and horrible things to happen to us that we don't expect... Surrendering to surprise allows us to practise the resilience we need to respond to whatever life offers...

so i'm surrendering... i'm embracing each new day... i'm trying to live in the moment - to forget the pain of the intense physio session yesterday, to not focus on how slow my recovery seems to be, to not dwell on what i can't do for myself...

in this moment i sit and watch my serene statue in the morning sun, and i breathe... i say thank you for this new day... and i am at peace...

Tranquillity

more photos from my saturday evening scooter-walk...
the village church (just look at that blue sky???), my 'own' secret garden (i've no idea who owns the house and garden, but i feel my breathing deepen as soon as i walk past), and a resplendent laurel bush...
thank you for sharing my walk - i just love all your comments - they lift my soul :o)

Have wheels, will travel...

One of the things i miss most, since my stroke, are my early morning walks...
But my dear hubbie bought me a scooter off ebay, and my spirits soar each day i can get my 'nature fix'...
Saturday evening i took my camera to capture some favourite things - the trees are at the end of our street; the lavender is in a neighbour's garden...
just getting out on my own, feeling the breeze on my face, stopping to pause - are what makes the day sacred.
tomorrow i'll share some more pics...

In the time of darkness...

... we have never been closer to the light ~ Meister Eckhart

The world is a hazelnut...

... in the palm of God.

I love this image of Julian of Norwich - it encapsulates what I know of God...

And each time I look at this little orb, I see the galaxies... and remember who I am...

The spot of light in it is the morning sun - our sun at 6.30 this morning - streaming through my window, captured in a tiny world on my mantelpiece...

My Sacred Life

i'm participating in a beautiful thing this month - Carla at zena musings has invited us to show things which connect us to spirit... if we just pause and look...

yesterday i shared the wonderful lift my spirit receives when a friend geographical miles away is suddenly in the room sharing the moment filled with coffee and books - and love!

these blooms are on my kitchen window sill - the awesome orchid has been blooming almost constantly for over 3 years ever since dear Jane gave it to me on my 40th birthday; and the busy lizzy my neighbour gave me when i came home from hospital. i just love how the flowers tend towards the light...

aswell as books, my life must have flowers. their personality, colour and zest remind me i have all those things - no matter how crummy things can be... i am made of the same stuff, the same physical matter, with the same divine spark...

My favourite things...

Yesterday i received a glorious package in the mail - Brenda, my dear friend in Santa Barbara, sent me a beautiful edition of Under the Tuscan Sun (my new favourite movie!!), plus a large print edition of A Year in the World - Frances Mayes' new book (it's so much easier to read than regular print) AND Artful Blogging, where so many blogfriends are featured!!!!!!!!!!

I made a cup of my favourite coffee, chocolate raspberry - i only have one cup a day, so it always fresh brewed!! - in my favourite mug, from Borders in SB, cut a piece of Nick's latest creation - apple, strawberry and blackberry pie - and dove in...

Sometimes life just gets so close to heaven :o)

PURE BLISS!!!!!!!!!!!

i am soooo honoured!!!!!!!!!

i can't believe it - two lovely 'fristers'* on different continents have nominated for awards this week - and i haven't a speech prepared....

dear penny from alaska put me up for the nice matters award and mrs nesbitt thinks i'm inspiring - WOW!!!!!!!!!! both dear ladies deserve such awards themselves :o)

as i said on my 100th post, my life has become so much richer this past year - i LOVE living in blogland!!!!!!! what a great time to be living the artistic life!! i can never complain 'they just do understand me!!!', because so many of you do!!!

i want to nominate all the kindred spirits on my list for all the inpiration they give - the world is all the richer for their existence!!

thank you, thank you, thank you

(* i can't remember where i first saw this beautiful word - friends i'd love to be sisters with - but i love it!! having no sisters of my own, my dear friends are my family)

A bowlful of love

Every morning my darling hubbie gets me breakfast - sometimes it branflakes and fresh raspberries, this morning it was strawberries...
Don't you just love the heart-shaped slices??????????

Yesterday we saw a haematologist. we learned a lot... i have indeed a genetic blood disorder... the kids will be screened in their late teens, my dad and brother will need screening now...

i will be on warfarin for the rest of my life - a small price to pay for no more blood clots!! she's referring me to the top haematologist in the county - i'm such an interesting case!!!????!!!! but you all knew that!!!!

i'm just so glad i live in a western country in the 21st century...
... and so blessed to have such a loving husband - who feeds me strawberries!!!!

here comes the sun...

... this perfect bloom is from a bouquet my dad brought me last week. can you see the nectar droplets in the centre?
it reminds me every day is a new day full of sweetness...

this is my 100th post - i'm in awe of all the amazing people i've 'met' in the past year. my life is soooo much richer since last september when i started this blog!!!!!!!!!!

i've been rereading all the beautiful comments you have sent me, and i can feel the life-giving ambrosia filling up my soul... even dear daisy lupin is blessing me from her new soul-home (i thank the universe for giving me a chance to meet this beautiful lady as some glitter sisters met together in march this year...)

certainly my life has changed so much these past 3 month since my stroke on 9 may, but as this sunflower reminds me, each day i'm learning a bit more about what my dear body can do...

today i actually showered, dried and dressed myself completely. i'm sooo proud of myself, but oooooohhh so exhausted!!! starting on wednesday the daily visits from my carers will focus on my physio exercises, so no more help getting washed and dressed... i admit i'm nervous about this, but for this day, i'm basking in my personal achievement this morning!!!

and tomorrow's sweetness has yet to reveal itself...

I got pictures...

I finally worked out how to upload pictures on my laptop!!!!!!!!!!!
The first pic is of my gorgeous pedicure - can you see the little jewels on my big toes???? Soooo funky!!! Sadly my right foot drags as I walk, so the big toe is now rather scuffed :o( I'm certainly going to book another session with the lovely Melanie - can you believe she pampers me in my own home??? Maybe I'll book a full massage next time aswell as a pedicure!!
The beautiful bouquet is from family friends from Cambridge - just look at those lilies!!!!!! Soooo exuberant!!!! Nothing lifts the spirit like a surprise delivery of beautiful flowers - except maybe a relaxing pedicure!!!