Birth and Movement

Nature called to me and said, "Daughter, come into the snow and let me tell you of spring". I followed the voice of my abiding Mother, for she alone has the power to smote shadows from my heart. She led me to the horse farm in the middle of town and showed me the birth of power. There I found, to my utter joy, a pint-sized Arabian horse, newly born and scampering beside its mother. Nature said to me, "A new journey awaits you. One that brings freedom and power and contentment. See the great spirit inside that little horse. Kick up your heels and free your own spirit".

From the farm I was led to the swamp. Wings were everywhere. Wave after wave of migrating Canada geese flew over me. Strings and ragged Vs of feathers flecked the sky. Thousands and thousands of honking birds, each announcing itself, came to rest in a field of last year's corn. It was a joyful noise. Nature said to me,"You are about to break free of old childhood restraints and begin to come into your own. Be open. Look to new possibilities. The next spiritual quest is upon you. Ready your wings for migration".

From the swamp I was led to a barn. The wood was old and the roof was gone, but it served as the backdrop to an aerial mating dance. More sure than the sighting of a robin, the return of the turkey vulture is the true harbinger of spring. And so they danced on air, swirling around each other, wings wide open. Nature said to me, "The vulture is more than it appears to be, and so are you. The shadows over your heart were temporary and necessary for a higher purpose has been at work. Welcome rebirth and ready yourself to join the dance".

Nature said to me,"Daughter, do not look at the crusted snow. It's time is passing quickly. Birth and movement is all around you. Your spring is already here".

{ The first 3 photos are mine, taken with my low budget, no-telephoto-lens camera. The vulture photo is a stock image.}

The Field Of Happiness

There is no happiness but that which I create for myself. There is no happiness that some one can bring to me that will last. I must lay happiness down at my own feet. I must embed it in my own heart. I must build that foundation for myself. If it is not built with my own toil and blood and beautiful thoughts, it is merely a foundation of shifting sand, sure to turn quick or blow grit in my eyes. Happiness is the work and the making and the choice of my own.

Having forgotten this wisdom, I find myself in an empty field, late winter snowflakes showering down. It is not where I thought I would be. It is not what I thought I asked for, wished for, or visualized. But here I am. Less than warm, empty hands, blue mist shrouding my brain.

And so, I have a choice. Remain suspended and cold, or look closely at the beauty of the field I stand in. Stop looking beyond or behind this field and see where my feet are standing now. Lay happiness down in the snow-covered grass. Take my empty hands and press them together over my heart. Embed love and prayers. For me. I have the choice to stand in my field, dissolving blue mist and snow with beautiful thoughts, with happy thoughts, knowing spring will come.

International Women's Day

Have no doubt. Have no fear. You are exactly where you are meant to be. Right now. You are the energy of Love made manifest. Exactly where you are is where your love is needed most. When your love is needed elsewhere, you will move to that space. Body, mind, heart or soul. But right now, your love, your goodness, is best served up in the company you are keeping and the places you occupy.

If you feel stuck, if you have doubts, if fear is a silent companion, serve up your love and your goodness to yourself. Right where you are. Dare to put yourself first in the company you keep and the places you occupy. Dare to fill your own well before you attend to anyone else's. Fill it with creativity or a neglected book or a walk in the park. Fill it with tea and silence. Fill it friends and flea markets. Fill it with whatever brings you joy.

A woman filled with joy, a woman who serves up love to herself first, is a woman in charge. Of herself, of her dreams, of her life. A woman in charge is a powerful force for good. A woman in charge is able to offer her love and wisdom where God has planted her. She is also able to know clearly when she needs to pull up her roots and plant herself in new earth.

No doubts. No fears. The road is clear. Put yourself first. Love yourself first. Fill your well to overflowing and let the joy you create lift the company you keep and the places you occupy. Let it lift your dreams until they become your life.

A Message From A Friend

This picture and this note appeared in my email today. Sent by my dear friend, Mr. E. Such sage advise from the woodpecker family must be passed on. If her message resonates, I invite you to join me in doing what makes you most happy.


"I was awakened today by an odd sound I haven't heard in a very very long time. It took me 3 tries to get it right. At first I thought of a tree frog singing its nightly song, but then I remembered that we don't have Arctic frogs here. I soon realized that it was Your Friend outside my window. I actually see her nearly every day. She is very friendly and doesn't mind me coming closer to watch, or all the birds fluttering around her. She is in her own little world, going about her business oblivious to the rest of the world.

For whatever reason, she wanted me to tell you that you should do the same.

Do what makes you happy and don't be distracted by those around you. "

Little Things

I'm a big fan of little things. Little gestures. Little kindnesses. Little gifts of the heart. Big gestures certainly have their time and place and needfulness, but it's the little offerings that speak to me at full volume. That widen my smile. That supply more oxygen on the in-breath and keep love flowing.

The other night, amid a simple gathering of 6 friends and myself, I was filled to the brim with little gestures and gifts. David, a master bread maker who uses only organic ingredients, served his artisan Kalamata olive loaf. Warm. I swooned at the first bite. It was the singular best bread I had ever eaten. Smeared with soft cheeses, it almost liquefied me off my chair. While I was swooning and chewing, David was in his kitchen making homemade gourmet pizzas. Naturally, anyone whose art is bread making has a pizza oven in their garage. The caramelized onion and goat cheese wedge I devoured defied proper adulation. All I could come up with between bites was, "oh, my God". Then Sue, the Confection Contessa, served up her from-scratch chocolate cupcakes and it was all over for me. They were heaven in a pastel paper wrapper.

Other recent kindnesses include a Buddha head that showed up between my doors one snowy day and has since become the favorite in my collection. A pack of Wizard of Oz bookmarks in my mailbox. A link to a Yvonne Elliman video on YouTube. A response to a comment I left on a blog.
All little things. All sent with love. All potent.

There is an energy of love that permeates this planet. It is available to all at all times. The quickest way to access this energy, to feel it and to pass it on is through little gestures. Little impulses and little offerings to others that originate in the human heart. It will be the little things, given in love, that will save us all. No matter how little we may have at any given moment, there is still a little thing we can offer. A hug, a compliment, a note, a phone call, a slice of warm bread. Little things add up. Little things count. Little things can make the difference between hope and despair. Between a quality life and a life all but lost.

Let's keep love flowing. Let's give and receive little kindnesses. Often. Daily. Willingly.