Images

January 1, 2014 Image

turquoisetangle:

poetdreamer:

bochebelaila:

Kintsugi (金継ぎ), meaning “golden joinery,” is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using gold. It restores functionality to a broken vessel, and not only adds beauty and worth, it turns destruction and damage into the most valuable part of the piece. The scars of the past are not erased  or hidden away, to be ashamed of – they are transformed, immortalized in gold.

How many times have I felt as if I could hold no more water – like a dry cistern? How many times have I felt parched as dust from a cracked vessel? As many times as I have felt like pieces of me have been lost or torn away, and as many times as I have cried over how broken I have become. Yet, with time, patience, hard work, and the touch of a Master craftsman, I may yet be restored.

A reminder for us all. Yes, life changes us, even sometimes breaks us. But those breaks can be stronger and more beautiful if we heal them with art. Fill the breaks with poetry, paint the cracks with art. Take the time and be stronger for it.

Thank you for this. I needed to see it today.

I first reblogged this post by another in December 2012. I’m reblogging it again today, just over a year later, on January 1, 2014. I just emailed this photograph of repaired pottery with beautiful words to my sister with the subject line, “We’re glued back together with GOLD.” She needed to read it too, because of this text reply she sent to me earlier today, “Yup all the pieces are coming back together. I can see they are being glued carefully into place. So proud of you. That may seem silly but i am.” Silly only because she is my younger sister, but not silly at all. I assured her I understood completely, and added that she and I are stronger together, connected by our “all in” ginormous hearts, even though we’ve made our homes many states apart. Life goes on and so do we, wearing cowgirl boots with sass and kickass, though we have pleasing manners too. ‘Cause we’re Gary’s Girls and Patty Sunshine’s too. Damn straight. 2014 is The Year of the Horse and we’re ready to run the race, while setting our own pace.

January 1, 2014

December 20, 2013 Image

barefoot in boots
this morning
grabbed ‘em fast
cowgirl kind
my pair for courage
I’ve worn ‘em
for the past two years
dog’s been gnawing
on my snow boots
snow is melting
rain is falling today
leather cowgirl boots
were fine for driving
both my boys to school
my newest pair o’boots
are sporting zebra stripes
they are made of plastic
perfect for puddles
and walking in the rain
it’ll be rain boots
for the rest of today

December 20, 2013

December 18, 2013 Image

bedtime mayhem

I said, “It’s bedtime.”

My oldest son heard, “It’s time to put on a stormtrooper helmet, grab a noise-making blaster, blare the Imperial March from your back pocket, and come down to the main floor looking for a fight.”

My youngest son minded by getting pjs on but heard, “Grab a sharply pointed pencil to wield like a lightsaber, while simultaneously threatening your big brother with a glass of ice water, and moving quickly from here to there dodging blaster fire.”

Blue heard, “Mom’s tired. Everybody GO CRAZY!”

December 17, 2013

December 14, 2013 Image

Dear Mom,
Your grandsons and their/our neighborhood friends did you proud.
Love Your Oldest Daughter,
Janean
(Who has made lots of tracks in freshly fallen snow, Blue and me. I wrote a mini blog about it last night and titled it, “paws and boots.”

December 14, 2013
This is a Facebook note I wrote in reply to my mother who was lamenting all the newly fallen snow on her block without any children playing in it. She is a retired elementary school teacher, first third grade, but she spent most of her time teaching kindergarten. The magic and beauty of a new snowfall isn’t lost on her. She still greets snow with verve, sparkly eyed enthusiasm and the most dazzling of smiles.

December 14, 2013 Image

Blue is a snow dog. We were outside for two hours early this morning. During that time Blue ran and played with Jake (his canine buddy across the street with a fenced yard), we walked around the block so he could “go” and to greet the shoveling neighbors, in between those other endeavors the dog romped on the long leash that is temporarily fastened around the front yard tree while I cleared the driveway and sidewalk (even though we aren’t going anywhere). That was my 6:30a-8:45a. Then breakfast all around. Snow dog is love seat napping now. I have one more cup of coffee waiting to drink, but then I may join him. Happy snowy Saturday here.

December 14, 2013

December 12, 2013 Image

this morning’s sunrise
color filled the sky
as I looked back
over my shoulder
waiting on that dog

this morning’s sunrise
I nearly missed it
considered shortcutting
skipping our usual park walk
so glad we took the long way

this morning’s sunrise
all the more beautiful
because of the still, quiet, calm
across a neighborhood
usually filled with busy sounds

this morning’s sunrise
I paused to take a photograph
a picture never does it justice
the color is richer
the pink truer
the clouds more fanciful
yet a photo catches the moment
when I removed my gray fleece glove

this morning’s sun rose
just a little before seven a.m.
the temperature was zero
my weather app said it felt like -15 
cold
it was cold
Blue and I kept walking
on toward the park
moving closer to home
as the sky smiled
in shades of pink, lavender and blue
white sky now
a winter one
so glad I was up and at ‘em
and didn’t miss the glowing glory
of this morning’s sunrise

December 12, 2013

It is 10:26am now. Outside temperatures have warmed up to 12 degrees F, and it feels like -6 now. Warming up!

December 8, 2013 Image

I’m standing with one foot on the ledge between the kitchen sinks, and one foot on the adjacent kitchen counter, twisting a hook into the window moulding to hang a birthday treasure. My youngest boy just says, “Hi, Mom” as he ducks into the half bath off the kitchen. Blasé. No big deal. Curiosity not piqued at all. Even though, for the record, I am not often found counter climbing. In other news, both of my feet are back on ground now, even if my heart is soaring a bit, as I daydream and smile at the blue crescent moon made of glass now dangling over my head. On sunny days the faceted clear crystals will add colorful rainbows to my kitchen walls. I can hardly wait! Until then, I’ll smile at la lune and dream about the kind of moments that happen just once in a blue moon. Smiling crooked crescents are my favorite moon phase, other than half, three quarter and ginormous full. I sort of love them all!

December 8, 2013

December 8, 2013 Image

My youngest son slept in this morning. Sweet ten year old boy needed those extra zzzzz’s. The sound of his door creaking open from the top floor drifted down to where I stood in the kitchen. I smiled in anticipation even before I heard his joyful exclamation, “IT’S SNOWING!!!!!” He spied those tiny white flakes through the big picture window. I met him in the front door hallway. He hugged me. We stand nearly eye to eye. A few hours later, on the phone with my father, he told me my mother met the snowy morning in much the same way. Joy is all around us, especially in the simple things, those quiet moments, like a prolonged good morning hug that says, “I love you” without the actual words. Snowflakes are no longer dancing on the wind. My youngest boy has been window gazing periodically, still hopeful for a blizzard and no school snow days. Patience. Winter is just begun.

December 8, 2013