Late to the party….life has slowed down and opened up space for me to continue on this haiku journey. I am grateful for this gift.

Trees-Givers of life
Xylem Phloem
Pure water
flowing from my roots
miracle food
from my leaves

Trees speak to me without words….they are mystical creatures in my eyes…my “spirit animals”. They are miracles of nature and have a unique role in this web of life. They remind me that all living things are inter-connected and all belong.

Good morning lovely friends

What a blessing to catch up and read all that you have so generously shared over the last few days.
I finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bronchitis….given 3 different medications and am finally starting to feel somewhat better and stronger. This was a long and exhausting sickness and, because I live with chronic illness, was even more debilitating.
I am so very grateful to have figured out what was wrong and for the medicines that are helping me. Grateful that the depression and lethargy have lifted and grateful for the opportunity to practice peace-filled acceptance of what is….even though I must admit to stumbling at times. I am learning so much about joy…..that deep within us, joy can be found and nurtured despite outside circumstances.
Trust has always been a challenge for me, perhaps because of my unpredictable and tumultuous childhood, but I am learning this too. My sister-in-law struggles with fear and recently she sent me a lovely gift. It is a beautiful wall-hanging with a quote from the Psalms:
“When I am afraid I will trust in you” Psalm 56:3

I have it hanging by my desk. I am looking at it now and am so grateful for the love and companionship this gift represents…and for the truth it reminds me of. I don’t have to give in to fear…I can choose to turn it over to our Creator and believe that all will be well. All is unfolding in my life with love. Unconditional and eternal.

This has become my mantra when fear tries to take hold. I say it aloud. I say it in Spanish as well because somehow it is so beautiful to me in that language: “Cuando tengo miedo, confio en ti”

I have been given multiple opportunities to practice this lately …not only with my health issues, but with some anxieties and fears that have cropped up as a mother. And with some decisions that my husband and I are making regarding our future as we are getting older….what and where will be the next chapter in our lives.

I am grateful for this sacred space and for all of you. Thank you for being my long-distance companions on this journey. It is a truth, as Ram Dass has said, we are all just walking each other home.

~With grateful love ♥

Good morning dear lovely people:

What a delight to be sitting here in my little kitchen this morning with the sound of non-stop bird chirps and songs outside! It’s a free-for-all at our feeders! Sparrows of various kinds, nuthatch, cardinal, woodpecker, red-wing blackbird, blue-jay, brown-headed cowbird, catbird, black-capped chickadee, and my favorite…a sweet pair of mourning doves. How grateful I am that our Creator has provided us with this array. I’ve been a long time lover of birds…they delight and entertain me and always make me smile. Next to trees, they are my favorite creation. 🐦🌳

My husband is working from home again today….how grateful I am to be sitting next to him as he works and I visit with you. We are having our chimney worked on today and I’m glad he is here to talk to them and answer/ask questions. It’s a lovely sunny spring day here and soon I will venture out for a walk and perhaps some errands.
I’m so grateful to have this day with no work, nothing that absolutely has to be done. More time to recover from the world’s most stubborn cough and cold! 🤧

I am so looking forward to the summer and lately we have been getting glimpses of my favorite season. Perhaps this weekend we will do some plantings in our flower boxes.🌸🌻

I am wishing you all a most splendid day filled with the sights, sounds, joys and delights of our Mother Earth and all her gifts.

~With grateful love ♥

Dear Mary….well, you just brought back a lot of memories for me. As you may remember, I retired from teaching when we relocated after 15 years as a middle school science teacher. For me, it was perfect timing. Not to be overly dramatic but I found that my soul and spirit was just hurting from the trend that I was observing over the years. I was starting to seriously consider leaving the profession when my husband’s company moved and we moved along with them. I am grateful for that timing.
It was becoming increasingly discouraging to hang in there…both with my students and the administration politics. I always prided myself on having close, meaningful relationships with my students and their parents but as time went on the atmosphere changed and became more adversarial despite my best efforts. I wondered what difference I was making in their lives as they seemed more and more apathetic about learning….wanting to be constantly “entertained” and needing instant gratification.
I think there are a lot of factors contributing to this, but the most depressing to me is the attitude and non-involvement of their parents. Social media, video games, less interaction among the family,
My principal was a bully and I shed many tears over his treatment. It’s just so very sad and I recount all of this to let you know that I understand…but also that I admire you for your willingness and desire to hang in there.

We each have to find our own way…for me, it was a gift to leave. For my own health and mental/spiritual well being. I was making more money than my husband (I was at Master’s plus 45) so our income was more than halved when I stopped. In addition, we lost our benefits and had to switch over to his company’s benefit plan…not as good as mine so that was a big hit to our finances. For us, it was totally worth it. I’m still working part time as a substitute secretary for 6 schools in the district where we now live and I do online scoring for a standardized testing company. I work sporadically at temporary jobs and of course thankfully there is my pension, which covers our mortgage. But it’s nowhere near what I was making before. Again, for me totally worth it.

Mary…I love that you are journaling about this. I am confident that as you work through this and turn it over to your higher power (I am an adult child of 2 alcoholic parents so I am with you there as well) that all will be made clear and unfold for your highest good. I would encourage you to sit in silence and solitude whenever possible so that you can hear that small still voice inside of you that is our gracious guide in this life.

Thank you for sharing so openly and with such vulnerability….it is a blessing to all of us here in the gratitude lounge and I so admire your courage.

I could share more about my journey through living with the disease of alcoholism but will end now as I’ve probably gone on far too long. Except to share these words from A. A. Milne….Christopher Robin to his beloved Winnie the Pooh:

“Just remember
you are BRAVER than you believe,
STRONGER than you seem,
and SMARTER than you think”

And I would add “more LOVED than you know”

~With grateful love dear friend ♥