on joy

'when you wish someone joy,

you wish them peace, love,

prosperity, happiness...

all the good things.'

~ maya angelou

i was delighted to have been gifted by beth hemmila of hint jewelry ... we all know, love and  appreciate beth for her ability to distill a feeling, thought or concept down to its very essence - no small feat... her small treasures carry with them not only beauty but an incredible weight of meaning... and, as i have mentioned to her a number of times, i love how you can feel the imprint of her finger in the back of them... the connection with a person, feeling their intention and energy when i wear one of their adornments means so very much to me... on a daily basis, i have her lotus charm hanging around my neck... 

so i was delighted to have this double necklace - but here is what blew me away... without ever having said anything to anyone, without choosing this one, she picked the perfect one for me at this moment... for i always love any of her charms and finished pieces associated with peace or trees... truly, this one came in a bit from left field... and yet that is what makes it just right... it was something i had been neglecting... 

bluebird

joy... 

'joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm

and our intelligence aglow.'

~ helen keller

what? you  might ask... let me explain... in trying to 'inhale' and 'exhale', to find peace, i was getting through the day, the week, which can turn into months and years and YOUR LIFE... i laugh with the kids, don't get me wrong... but i had lost my connection with joy... with letting go... having become guarded and being more of a quiet, contemplative person it is easy for me to delve into all kinds of feelings of the serious nature... but i had forgotten the other... 

this meant a lot coming from beth... she was one of my first etsy 'meets'... she featured a pair of my earrings on her blog almost a year ago... at a time when i didn't even know what blogging was... she was the thread i followed in coming into this world... and she knows, i hope, how very much i appreciate her... 

so thank you, beth, for a gift that probably meant more to me than you know - 

'joy delights in joy.'

~ william shakespeare

so while you are being present - don't forget to smile! 

new day

'you must do the thing you think you cannot do.'
- eleanor roosevelt

so very aptly named by beth at hint, this scarab charm captures the essence of conquering the challenges within ourselves that we face daily - "wear a sacred beetle as a remembrance that you are slowly coming into being, creating something magnificent from seemingly nothing."

while tests come from the outside world in bucketfuls, some of the most deeply seated ones reside within us... we can be our harshest critics and our worst enemies... it is so freeing to take on something we are uncertain about or even fear ... and so gratifying to work it through...

we were in philly today at my youngest son's first tae kwon do tournament... he is a child who has been through a great deal due to his extreme prematurity... every accomplishment is a victory... this morning he sat huddled on the floor with tears pouring from his eyes... 'i can't do it,' he said... a new situation combined with a gym that was filled with people and the accompanying noise that comes with a crowd had brought him to a standstill... there are things he has to do medically that i cannot change or control... but this was an opportunity for him to appreciate his strengths... all i wanted to see him do was get on the mat, i didn't care if he froze and did nothing, just stepping out there would be more than he thought he could do... well, he did get out there, and later stated, 'i can't believe i was so upset about doing this.'

my 10-yr-old did something today that will change him forever - he grew... is he wiped and cranky right now? you bet - those really emotional pushes drain us... but they are so valuable... and i wept with happiness for him...

it took me months to finally put something onto etsy - i was so afraid that i had nothing to offer, that no one would like what i made, that i couldn't manage the photo editing... now i anticipate making something to list - i love the process... finding the beads, making the finished piece, then naming, photographing and writing about it... marketing is still a challenge, but i am working on it...

i have entered the worlds of blogging, flickr-ing and even listing on artfire... do blogs make my stomach churn? yes, indeed... but here's one more...

so what was i afraid of? and why do we hold ourselves back? whenever i am reluctant to do something i think of eleanor roosevelt, a woman who truly pushed herself to become everything that she could be... and who certainly excelled at it...

one step (and sometimes a leap) at a time we evolve...

what will you do today?