life promises us nothing, 

not the length of our stay

nor the complexity of our path.

life promises us nothing

except 

that there will be opportunity to learn everything we need to know.

tragedy?

count on it.

but count also upon joy.

joy - mjd 2013

and if 

you stay open

and if 

you grow still,

and if you 

can strip away everything you thought was important,

you will be left with the love

you began with.

your open heart was earned with bravery,

and persistence

and tears.

awaken - mjd 2013

now that you walk the world

with an inner smile

you can do what we were meant to do -

share it.


share your story

share your smile

share your love.


there is an unknowable future

that you can touch.

how you touch it 

is up to you. 

small stash of metal bits discovered

karma - 2013

'actions send out ripples.

karma brings it back,'

so said a wise woman to me.

turquoise, amethyst and lapis

stones associated with karma 

 be still - 2013

in stillness,

one feels

both floatingly heady 

and deeply rooted.

our world, 

our lives

are fiercely beautiful

and command our attention.

are you present?

sparkling iolite and earthy vesuvianite 

joy - 2013

'smile, breathe and go slowly.'

thich nhat hanh

embrace joy.

turquoise and carnelian

on joy

i grow still 

because 
if i 
do not

i fear 

i will shatter into a million pieces

or
i will lose my center again
after the light inside fought so valiantly
to show me the way
out of the deepest darkness
i had ever known.

i grow still

because
when i do

it is always the right thing to do.

because 
when i do

i feel everything

and that includes joy.

not the momentary exuberance 
that the monkey mind knows.

but joy

warm
and
glowing

the kind you feel 
when you find yourself
being grateful for 
everything
and 
everything
brings you contentment.

and the other positive emotions?
they all keep company, like the best of friends.



so why not choose joy?

flowers in december?

i was musing upon 

contentment and joy

simple pleasures in our lives

how gratitude opens

and open heart practice takes courage...

how the moving atoms in our bodies

connect us to the moving bodies in the sky.

how our words and actions

ripple

ripple

ripple 

through people and, hence,

time and space... 

magic moments

'this world, after all our science and sciences,

is still a miracle;

wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more,

to whosoever will think of it.'

~ thomas dekker

the little one asked me to come for a walk with him late this afternoon... as only my children do, he sensed the weight that was holding me down, he remembered it was my favorite kind of light and he shared with me his thoughts, his joy, his love... how lucky am i? 

simple - cont'd

'don't pin much hope on the mail,

and when the phone rings don't expect anyone wonderful to be calling.'

~ andy rooney

oh, andy - you obviously never met anyone through etsy!!


i practically skip to the mail - that should have been on my simple things list... dear mellisa from chinook jewelry sent me a business card holder, a ponytail holder, and some gorgeous lotus tiles... you had to see these... she has more - and if i don't snag them all, you may be able to get yourselves some!!

and i also found a lovely woman named lashell on etsy at who hand dyes sari silk in gorgeous colors... do you know how hard it was not to buy more?! almost painful... her mother taught her how to do it... 

'inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.'

~ pablo picasso

here's to getting some time to work this weekend in a way you love ...  

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! 

bittersweet

"may god give you...

for every storm a rainbow,

for every tear a smile, 

for every care a promise

and a blessing in each trial.

for every problem life sends,

a faithful friend to share

for every sigh a sweet song 

and an answer for each prayer."

~ irish blessing

i do not watch the news on television & only sometimes glance at my google news page - it all affects me way too deeply... the place that i seem to experience the news is in the blogosphere... because here events are attached to people... and they share their feelings... 

i think this week is a perfect example of the bittersweet of life... leann weih having her son at ft. hood and suffering a mother's worry... and cynthia thornton bringing home her sweet baby max and experiencing the throes of joy that accompanies a  newborn's arrival... 

why do we blog? to connect, of course... most of us though, do not completely wear our hearts on our sleeves... things trickle through... 

i think that one of the gifts of blogging is having an opportunity to connect with those we never would have met... and it is clear as one navigates around the 'blogs i follow' that deeper friendships have evolved... how lucky are we? in this chaotic world with so much pain and joy, to find people on the same wavelength... perhaps providing support or bolstering the spirits of those feeling a bit lost... perhaps providing new insights... or giving us moments of much needed laugh out loud tear spilling... (i think we know who this person is, and i have told her that she needs to look into writing a column)... seeing the world from a different point of view - particularly in photos of the natural world and families... for it does not only take a village to raise a child, it takes a village to navigate through life...

i love the insights that artists provide and how they share their creative process... the groups that get together to collaborate... knowing that you can share a 'look what i did' moment with people who get what it is you did...

my everything has been so expanded by this opportunity... and i am so grateful...