Good morning lovely friends

It is Christmas Eve morning here in the U.S. I am so grateful to be here with you.
This is a holiday season like no other for us all. How blessed we are to be practicing gratefulness during these uncertain times. I am practicing quietness and trust one moment at a time these days and trying to remember to choose joy.
I am grateful to be sitting by the fire that my husband made this morning in our wood burning stove.
I am so very grateful that all of the home inspections have been completed and hopeful that we will wrap up the sale of our home before too long. And although I am sad not to be spending Christmas with our daughters, I am grateful that we are all well and safe and that, because of modern technology, we can be “together” virtually. And God-willing, we will be making the 2,000 mile trip out to Colorado soon to begin the next chapter in our life adventure.

I am wishing you all a most peace-filled season of lights and a healthy and safe New Year 2021. Thank you for the blessing you have been in my life.

~Om shanti friends…..peace, peace ♥

How lovely to be here with you all on our Prayer Tuesday. As always, thinking of Ursula and sending love to her family….dear CP we miss you.

We are moving along little by little with our move. By God’s grace we received a full asking price offer on our quirky little farmhouse.
I have a strong awareness of His Presence and that He is leading and guiding us on this next part of our journey.
It is bittersweet….this home and farmland has been an immeasurable blessing in our lives and I am grateful for every day we have had here. But…I feel the pull to be living near our daughters and so far, God is graciously paving the way.

I do ask for your prayers my friends. I received a worrisome medical report and am having a procedure next week to determine what is going on. I can’t help but wonder if this is where my urgency is coming from…an intuition that something is wrong and that God wants me to be with my daughters as soon as possible. This could just be my wild and anxiety-driven imaginings….my brain has been known to take me to dark places! Still I am grateful, no matter, and I have a deep stillness within…most of the time! 😂

So grateful for the settling in under winter’s blanket. Another winter to practice hygge! My husband is working from home and has been making fires each morning in our wood burning stove. There is something about staring into the fire in holy silence that soothes my spirit. This morning I sat by the fire and read from Gunilla Norris. She speaks of winter, not so much as a day on the calendar, but as an experience that is felt in our being. She suggests that it’s arrival is a kind of liberation….we can let ourselves rest and turn within. Winter is “a womb in which to grow” she writes….I love that!
~My prayers for you all to embrace the arrival of winter…whenever that may be for you. So grateful for the gift of all of you here in this sacred space. Om Shanti friends…..peace, peace.

Good morning lovely friends:

In advance of our Tuesday prayer day, I wish you all great peace during these challenging times.

We are in the process of selling our home. People are coming tomorrow to see it but today is quiet, so here I am.

It has been non-stop packing, organizing, cleaning, fixing, etc. All the things you do to get ready to sell and move. In addition, there are a myriad of emotions during this process. We love our quirky little house and our beloved farmland and it will be hard to leave it behind. But our daughters are 2,000 miles away and we are getting older by the day!
We have heard that houses are selling like crazy right now due to Covid. People wanting to get out of the crowded cities and suburbs to move out into the country. This is an experiment of sorts to see if we can get a better price than we would have in the spring, which was our original moving target date.
We will see. And in the meantime, I am grateful that I have the time to do what needs to be done…I am not working at all, not wanting to go back into the schools. So this keeps me busy and my mind occupied.
My sister continues to struggle with her health and with some obvious mental health issues. I feel powerless to help her and it breaks my heart to see someone I love be so self-destructive. She has not ever, and is not now, taking care of herself or attempting to heal her wounded relationships. I am grateful to my nieces for all they are doing to try to help her and I appreciate all the love, support and prayers you have given. Thank you friends….from my heart to yours. ♥♥

~With grateful love

Dear grateful sea….thank you for thinking of me. This has been a challenging time in my journey with many peaks, valleys, detours, and unexpected turns along the way. I am grateful that I do not travel alone. And trust that, in the end, the road will lead me to where I am meant to be….physically and spiritually.

I too love the solstice….it is a time rich with mysticism, folklore, rituals and mystery!
~Om Shanti…peace, peace, peace this season and always my friend. ♥

Dearest Anna…..I woke before sunrise this morning. In my morning prayers I asked for your papa to be free from pain and I prayed for you and your family to have strength and comfort. And then I came to this sacred space and saw your post that your father had died. Cara Anna….my love and prayers will continue to be with you. My dear friend I hope that you feel comforted knowing that he is no longer in pain. I am sending you love from my heart to yours across the ocean. God bless you and your family and may your dear papa rest in God’s peace.

Dear Dee…..we are glad that you found your way back to this sacred community. I want to extend my comfort to you by telling you that we all experience times of spiritual dryness. And even anger with the Divine. Be assured that, no matter….God’s light still surrounds you and His love still enfolds you. I pray that you will feel His Presence and know that you are Loved eternally and unconditionally. I want to encourage you to be gentle and kind to yourself, to continue to practice self-care in whatever ways speak to you, and to honor your feelings, whatever they may be.

You asked for suggestions…..I wonder if keeping a journal would help. Sometimes writing things down, without censoring yourself, just being completely honest helps to bring some measure of peace. Perhaps start this process by reminding yourself, in writing, that you are Loved just the way you are at any given moment. I have always found comfort in reading Psalm 139…a reminder of God’s Presence always and that I am “fearfully and wonderfully made”.

I am remembering you and your husband in prayer and hope that you can find the peace that is buried deep in your heart.

~Om Shanti shanti….peace, peace. ♥