stray cat

There was a stray cat living in a barn behind our house all summer. He watched us from a distance. He was luxurious fur stretched on a skeleton, with eyes of fire. I left food around for 2 months, and he finally allowed me to approach and pet him. He was wild, unpredictable, and would hiss and scratch unexpectedly, so I was as wary as he was, but still, I kept approaching. My husband has allergies, and we already have 2 cats, so he did not want another housecat, and I knew I couldn't keep him. Yesterday he showed up with a collar! So my "Boots" found a home!

Kindness is a mysterious force that gets inside us all and changes us and makes us easier to be around. The family I was born into was not kind; we were nice. It is not the same. Nice things are said and done with an implied contract in mind. Some reward is expected for being nice, whereas kindness shines like the sun with no agenda.

A teacher once said to me, "Opening your windows does not guarantee that the wind will blow through your house, but keeping them shut guarantees that it will not. Love is like the wind. You have to be open, or it can't come in."

Kindness is a call to open.

3 new dresses

My daughter can now drive; she has her own Etsy store, and has done rather well. I want her to save some for college and also have the experience of being in charge of her own money. So, for the first time, Marci drove herself downtown to shop the small independent stores on Lexington Ave, and bought 3 new dresses with her own money, and without me to help her choose. I like them all! I like that she is choosing independent designers selling in small Indie shops, and I really like the hand crochet on the 3rd dress, which is her favorite. It's a new kind of moment for me, I mean, it's one thing to pass along your genes, but to see that I've helped nurture my daughter's talent, helped her start her own creative business, and really enjoy her sense of style, too- that's a lot to be thankful for! Dress #2, the one with the pockets, that's just so cute. I like that she'll still humor mom with the posed pictures, too.

on a hike

We went hiking in Graveyard Fields this weekend, and saw how the leaves are just beginning to peel off summer's safe beauty and begin the wild magic show. I fell in the creek trying a daring move, and was not hurt at all. We laughed like we were little kids again.

Later we found bushes of wild blueberries, sweeter than any I have ever tasted. It is like falling in the water to put one in my mouth. I am suddenly filled with surprise.

There is so much goodness in the world. You know? It is wasteful not to notice.

BIG news

BIG news! HUGE!! After losing his job in the near economic collapse last Oct, after 11 long months of unemployment in which our family has often wondered if we would lose our home, my husband was offered a great job with a great company!!!! And the best part is that it is in Asheville, so we don't have to move! Ken had a great strategy, and I am very proud of him. He offered his services as a financial and operations consultant to small businesses in our area. At a time when corporations were going under and failing, Ken helped small companies to survive, to position themselves for success, and to grow. Each client became a great testimonial, and eventually one of his clients saw the value of his contribution and has made him a full time offer.

We just got the news last night, and this morning I unloaded a kilnload of Ravens, such as the ones above. The Raven is a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. He is a cunning protector of his friends, and a guardian. Our acre of land in the mountains has been surrounded by an unusual number of crows/ravens since Ken lost his job, and perhaps their presence has encouraged us to make the good decisions we've made. Prayers, family, friends, and luck have all helped, too.
As Meister Eckhart said, "If the only prayer you ever pray is Thank You, that would suffice." Well, THANK YOU!!!! WOOO HOOO!!

At the beach one morning

When the ocean has been sad, been weeping furies of tears that break the world down into very small particles, and the mist is everywhere in my eyes and hair, I love to walk with the seagulls along the shoreline. Nothing is more beautiful than when the sun first begins its shine on those turbulent waves. This dense peace, as the light glistens on spray and foam, is not the happiness of a sunny day with its carefree azure waves. It is the deep peace of those who have known pain in their lives. It is the beauty of soothing, of soft healing, perhaps even of forgiveness.

Early Monday morning on Labor Day, I walked the beach one more time before we left. I felt the windy chill leave my skin as a the horizon broke into blue fire, and color emerged. The subtlety was astounding.

Anyway

I was writing to a friend about trying to do the right thing and being afraid to be judged. In situations where I feel called to not go along with a group but am afraid of the fallout and drama, I read these words from Mother Theresa. This has given me courage many times. I am not Catholic, and prefer words like the Creator, the Sacred, or The One Who Makes and Sustains Us (it's the poet in me!) but Mother Theresa's magnificent wisdom transcends sectarian differences. If you are reading, I hope that this applies somewhere where you need courage.

It's Between You and God by Mother Theresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
Why?
Because in the final analysis, all of this is between you and God….
It was never between you and them anyway.