i watched the sun rise this morning.

 

people who know me, know it’s not often i totally slow down.  if there’s something that needs doing, i find it extremely difficult to sit still.  but, this morning, i was up early for a saturday.  and the building was quiet.  and i sat with my coffee and watch the sun rise.  i simply sat and watched.  still.  silent.  it was a beautiful cliche.  and it made my heart happy.

 

 

tis the day of thanks …

this year is a hard thanksgiving for me.  i’ve spent much of the year worried about money and the economy.  i’ve spent some of the year worried about health and lack of good insurance.  i’ve spent many days feeling lonely and alone, missing my friends & family who aren’t physically here.

and just yesterday i received some extremely sad news that a member of my extended family decided to end his life.   my heart is broken for the people i love who are directly affected by this.  and my eyes well up in tears every time  i allow myself to think:  what if it was my brother or my uncle or my dad?  and what if it had been me who found him?  i can’t even imagine.

and then i look back at the worries that have weighed on my shoulders in the past year or so, and those worries are instantly put in perspective.  no matter how bad it gets for me, i will always have options.  i have a husband who loves me more than i ever thought anyone could – who’s always there for me with whatever i need – to talk, to support, to hug, to sit quietly.  together, we have family & friends who love us.  who would help us in any way they could.  they would take us in without question.   the problems i have are solvable.  they may seem hard, but they’re honestly pretty petty in the grand scheme of this life.  i’m blessed.  we’re blessed.

so, this year, when i think about what to be thankful for ~ it’s becoming painfully clear and simple.  i’m thankful for the people in my life i care about.  and i’m thankful they care back. and i’m thankful for mental and physical health.  and i’m thankful for these things beyond measure.

all the rest are just little details that fall into the category of “this too shall pass”.

happy thanksgiving.  love and peace and healing to you all.

survival

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.  ~Jennifer Yane

it was a rough work week.  i’m finding it hard to keep a work / life balance lately.  thank god for the hubby-man for not only keeping the house, but for also helping me keep my sanity.  and thankful too, for the upcoming holiday break & the upcoming visit of some good friends of our’s to remind me what’s real & what’s important in this life.  sometimes it moves too quickly.  i need to stop & just be for a bit.

it’s sunday afternoon, and i feel like i’m still not recovered from last week.  add to that a busy social life this coming week.  i’ll gladly welcome a 3-day weekend (saturday – monday for me).  i think i’ll need it to keep my head from exploding.  sometimes being a grown-up is *so* over-rated!

i <3 teatime.

Tea should be taken in solitude.

~C.S. Lewis

there is very little i like more than sunday mornings and tea.  it revives me & reminds me to slow down.

post-art edit ?!?

 

i’m always amazed at the things i find on the sidewalk in & around our neighborhood.  i love the little surprises i get when i take the time to actually be aware.

i love this little addition.  there was the same saying at the other side of the line.  however, if it were my ’sidewalk art’, i would have liked it to read “can you walk the line?”.  i think the one word would’ve made a difference.  a big difference.

however, i do understand that it was put on this sidewalk most likely by Loyola students who were having a party.  i’m sure it was a pre-driving home test of sobriety.  still, a girl can wish, right?!?

easy as sunday morning

 

still plugging along with the self-portrait / week project.  some days it’s difficult.  other’s (like yesterday), it’s easy.  the light was amazing.  i was relaxed.  in my favorite nook of our place.  and sunday’s my favorite day of the week.  it all just clicked (pun intended).  i wish every week’s photo was this easy.  but if it was, it wouldn’t be a project or a challenge.  and what’s the point of pushing your photography if it’s not difficult sometimes?!?

 

 

 

 

 

vampy

to say i’m not a fan of halloween is a definite understatement.  it’s my least favorite holiday.

however, i try to play along though and be a good sport about it all ( but, seriously, i just don’t get it.  and it makes me grumpy).  the hubby-man, on the other hand, *loves* halloween.  above is our last-ditch attempt to be vampires for a last-minute-ish invitation to a party.  i think he looks awesome.  i think i look like a girl with too much make-up (we decided against the fake fangs ~ because they were very uncomfortable & even more unattractive).  however, everyone at the party said immediately “vampires, right?”.  so i guess we got it close.  and overall, the party was fun.

so even with my bah-humbug-ness of all things halloweeny, i think the night was a success … wine, good food & lots of laughs with friends old and new.  it was worth moving past the grumpies and embracing my inner-vampire.

happy halloween~!

bathtime

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.

~Sylvia Plath

i got web published. yay!

http://rogerspark.com/

~   Heartland Cafe by Eyes Azure (that’s me)

(it’s not a static page.  will only show my photo today – October 21st, 2009.)