When You read this you will chuckle because you predicted I would write this and you know who you are. But, it won’t be what you thought it would be. Everything is something to write about. A first trip to the grocery store has a secret story to tell. Open your heart to what life has for you and adventure will unfold before your eyes. All of the experiences that life hands to us have something to teach us. Yes, All of them! Many of them, I’ll admit, I’d rather not learn or at least not so painfully. Nevertheless, there they are. A gift for the unwrapping tied up in plain brown paper and white cotton string. On a beautiful Wednesday in the early spring we met in an old house warmed by years of living amongst its walls. Warm?! Are you for real? It was freezing, you’ll recall. Yes, it was. But, I still say that wonderful old house is warm with the spirit of the lovely people who called it home for so long. So, there. I can hear you now, ok, I guess, but it was still cold. I surprised you with some old fashioned home cooking complete with cast iron skillet and donning an apron. I’m a messy cook. As the food baked up in the oven I tucked my feet up under me and we both settled in to the afternoon. Be still and listen. For a while the world fell away and all that was left was two souls and a story. thank you for trusting me enough to share. Just maybe, in that moment the song of life became a little sweeter for someone. I do hope so.
And now?
These five photos were taken in the same place all within a single minute. You’ll recognize the one from the last post. Can you see the water now? How quickly our world changes.
Are You Busy Too?
Busy. Busy work. Busyness. Business. Busybody. Busy. Everyone is busy these days. We have to move fast to accomplish all that needs to be done. We’re proud to be busy. And we feel a little guilty if we’re not. I know all the reasons that one stays busy, keeps busy, needs to be busy. One has responsibilities after all. A family to care for. Bills to pay. A job to keep. A community to be involved in. You know, stuff to do. And, those are valuable and beautiful things to have in one’s life, worthy of your time. At what point though do we lose sight of the fact that we’re human beings and not just human doings? Sometimes life hands us a slow motion view of what we’re doing and sometimes we slow down long enough to see it. Really see it. A few years ago I was working on a bulletin board project at a school. I was playing with children’s art work to display it to its very best. Their choice of colors and styles was so much fun! Their art teacher was fantastic at guiding each of them to their very best. Occassionally someone would walk by and we exchanged pleasantries. Soon enough I’d be back at my joyful task. I saw a friend coming whom I hadn’t seen in a while and I paused. We hugged and greeted each other warmly. There was an air of electricity about her. And, when I asked, how are you. Busy! she replied with fervor and anxiety. Can’t stop now. We’ll catch up soon. That was several years ago and we haven’t really caught up yet. She’s a fine woman whom I call friend, involved in helping more people in more ways than I can count. But, in that moment I was struck mostly by the word – busy – in all of its glory and sadness. How much simple goodness is right in front of us but we’re moving too fast to notice it. How many people reach out to us in ways we never see…because we’re too busy to see them. Sadness is often quiet I think. We have to be still to reach out and ease it for another. We have to be slow enough in our movements and thoughts to show someone, I see you. You’re all good. That’s all most of us want anyway, just to feel that someone really knows us where we are and that we’re ok. Well, I realized then that I don’t want to be that way. Busy, I mean. Too busy. Electric busy. Georgia O’Keeffe said “Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.” That’s how I’d like to move through life. Gracefully. Seeing. Taking time instead of letting time take me. Don’t get me wrong, I fail miserably often and have to slow down and restart. It’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of activity. But, these days I try to be where I am. When I manage it and open myself to what’s right before me, I can’t even begin to tell you how all the small unnoticed moments glow with a beauty all their own. Time spent or thoughts shared with those you already know and care about takes on a sacred delight. Then there are people I don’t know at all who have shared beautiful and sometimes sad things with me. They don’t want anything from me. It’s as though they simply need to say something and feel they’re being heard. A gift of sorts that I really can’t explain. And, I never see them again. Still, in that moment it seems that I’m right where I’m supposed to be for a reason I don’t understand and will probably never know. I don’t know if any of them recall the stranger who listened but I remember each of them… as a flower I stopped long enough to see. It’s not a busy thing but it does take time. Time that I’m happy to give away.
P. S. The photo at the beginning. How much time did you take to look and what did you see? Sky? Well, it is and it isn’t. It’s really a picture of the water. The water reflecting a stormy sky. The circle in the center is the sun. In less than a minute this didn’t exist anymore. One small minute to see water and storm clouds and sun altogether before it vanished.
Absolutely Brilliant!
So…you have one of those days.
It starts off pretty quiet on the outside. You begin chasing thoughts around in your mind.
Some are daily, others are cosmic.
Nevertheless, they stack one upon another keeping you wondering…
You push them aside to tend to the day and all that it asks of you.
Something makes you giggle.
You read something that touches your heart.
Dinner turns out just right.
You’re worn and tired
But, you head out the door to walk…anyway
And then, there it is..
the quiet moment when you are just where you are supposed to be
and you open your heart to where you are
and it’s absolutely brilliant!
****
ellie894 March 19, 2017
Rare Jungle Birds
**
Pileated woodpeckers!
They are huge birds at two feet tall.
They don’t show themselves very often.
Once in a while I catch a glimpse of them as they sweep through the forest.
But I always hear them before I see them.
They sound so out of place in east Texas. I ask myself if something has escaped from a rainforest exhibit at the local zoo. Seriously! Their resounding call is tropical, even Amazonian.
The first few times I heard it, I thought, what is That?! Now, I recognize the song and smile inwardly.
Recently I found this tree. After a bit of research I figured out that it is their handiwork. Clearly they are as fierce and powerful in their hunting as one might imagine.
Pileated woodpeckers dig more thoroughly than an archeologist fresh on the trails of ancient history. The fresh pale color of the shavings tells the story of spring nesting and hungry babies. I have not sighted the birds themselves yet.
But, no doubt, they are nearby…
Rare jungle birds have come home.
****
ellie894 March 18, 2019
St. Patrick’s
springfield…
Can you hear the chill in the air
Can you feel the silence of the trees
Mockingbird serenades his sweetheart
Dog tags ring joyfully
Ellie, Jack and Bo race one another
Across an open morning field
Not running To…anything
Simply dashing
For the pure joy of it!
****
ellie894 March 16, 2017
all shall be well
All shall be well…And all shall be well… All manner of things shall be well…
– Dame Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich was the first woman to write a book in the English language around the year 1395.
When my world is spinning seemingly out of control I recall her words and try to rest in them.
****
ellie894 March 15, 2017
what’s in a name…
George Bilbo Bumpus. Bobolicious. Bow. Beau…Bo.
*
My Bo goes by all of these names. Bilbo searches for home. Bumpus is a turkey eating hound from A Christmas Story. Bow is the crown on a gift. Beau is a handsome gentleman caller. George, well honestly, I’m not sure where that one fits in. And, Bobolicious is just plain fun to say.
*
Bo came crashing into my life on December 25, 2015. Yes, I do mean crashing!! He was already a full grown dog. He had an enormous amount of energy and enthusiasm to spare and to share. He didn’t seem to know that paws and claws belong on the ground. I’m still not certain that he’s completely learned that one.
*
I live outside of town. Unfortunately unwanted animals are regularly left near homes or along the sides of the road. I can only imagine how abandoned they must feel.
*
Dogs like him wander until they find someone who looks into their soft eyes and says…yes. Of course, there is also the offering of a good meal. Bo was so thin that I could see every one of his ribs. That is no longer the case. He eats enough to keep four dogs full! His early ways made it clear that he didn’t know what it meant to be part of a family.
*
The first few days and weeks with a surprise dog are filled with wondering and waiting. Do they have a home? You ask around, check in with the local animal shelter, put up signs. Soon enough you realize there isn’t anyone missing them or looking for them….
*
It breaks your heart. Then, your thoughts turn towards the future. Will you say yes and make them a part of your life? And if you do, next comes the bestowing of a name. 
I feel a great responsibility in naming things. It defines what something is as well as what it is not. Some names come more easily than others. Off the top of my head, I can think of 8 different names that I go by depending on who I am with. Four of those were given to me by my parents and another by my brother. That’s five names before I even began school!
*
Hearing any one of them makes me smile and feel quite warm inside. I belong somewhere. I belong to someone. I think of who first gave it to me. It has created something special between us.
*
Do you know one reason I took so long to begin wordpress? A name. I had a terrible time choosing a name for my site. They, whoever “they” are, list a great many factors to consider carefully before you start. I got so caught up in what others told me that I should do, that I became paused in midair….unable to begin.
*
I finally gave up and chose something simple and meaningful to me. To commit is the thing. Or at least I hope it is. To begin somewhere, even if it’s not where you thought it would be. To say, yes…
*
Welcome home Bo...
****
ellie894 March 13, 2017
my water walkers…
Prayer should be the wild dance of the heart. In the silence of our prayer we should be able to sense the roguish smile of a joyful God who, despite all the chaos and imperfection, ultimately shelters everything.
– John O’Donohue
ellie894 
