·
Wednesday, 31 December 2008 – New Years Eve
We
played “Facts in Five” and snacked on delightful cheeses and sausages as we
waited for midnight to arrive.
The
real celebration will be the parade on New Years Day – we have to be up by 5AM
to arrive at the parade site.
We
stay up till midnight and watch reruns of Dick Clark (at 80, his unlined face
is almost scary…) bringing in the New Year on the east coast. We watch the TV and the webcam broadcast
online.
The
old year departs quietly…
The
New Year holds promise of new beginnings…where will we be next New Year’s Eve? Ne jobs, new digs…we shall see…
·
Monday, 29 December 2008
We
were up at o-dark thirty to head off for the 30 minute drive to the Donate Life
float building site in
The
warehouse, adjacent to the Rosebowl stadium, housed about a dozen Rosebowl
floats – works in progress. The agency
responsible for coordinating float building activities did a fine job of
organizing and managing all the processes involved.
By
8AM, Mark was in place high above the floor, horizontal on a beam, doing the
tedious work of placing flowers on the upper areas of the float. I was on the floor, seated at a table with a
dozen other people who worked on preparing the flowers.
We
worked steadily throughout the day and made friends with a wide variety of
people who were connected in one way or another with the organ donor
family. Two women I worked with hade
received two kidneys another was a heart recipient. We both heard some amazing, motivational
tales from recipients of various organs.
There were about 75 volunteers working on the organ donor float during
our shift.
While
we worked, crowds of tourists were guided through the area to observe the
processes. Many watched from catwalks
near the ceiling. The media and many
dignitaries, including the parade royalty and many government officials, toured
on the main floor. The atmosphere in the
warehouse was one of controlled chaos!
On
breaks we went out into the warm
At
4PM, we called it a day and headed back to
·
Saturday, 27 December 2008
We
depart from our home at 3AM.
We
spend the whole day en-route to sunny southern
In
the back seat, Zia Maria stretches out.
She is a quiet passenger. At each
gas or food stop, I brave the biting winds and cold temperatures to hike around
the area with the dog.
The
worst part of the trip is the final approach.
The long descent into
Traffic
is heavy, yet they move quickly, dogging, weaving confidently through the other
vehicles. I focus on my breathing. I pray – affirmations of Truth. I am grateful when we finally arrive.
We
arrive in time for dinner.
·
Friday, 26 December 2008
Snowstorms
have hovered around the area for weeks.
We leave on our trip very early tomorrow, so the weather is a matter of
concern. But, when it came time to
collect the rental car, our concerns quickly shifted from weather to simply
getting a vehicle. It seems that the
local Hertz dealer (and the ones in
Bad
weather across the nation has left the local Hertz dealer short about 300
vehicles.
The
stress level escalates quickly. Mark
gets on the phone.
Success! He finds that Budget will honor our Hertz
reservation. And interestingly enough,
the final cost on the rental is far, far less than what Hertz would have charged
us.
We
happily collect our cute, little, red, economy car and go merrily on our
way.
·
Thursday, 25 December 2008
Christmas Day we relax at home enjoying a
lazy day.
We
sit under the Christmas tree and breakfast on hot croissants. We linger as we open modest gifts.
We
stop and examine everything. We read
aloud the directions, play with the “toys”, discuss the gifts and then
reluctantly move on to the next gift-wrapped surprise.
Later,
we cook and talk as we put together a jigsaw puzzle. A friend arrives and joins us for this quiet,
happy day. We snack on rich, sugary Christmas
goodies – wreath cookies that turn the tongue green, chocolate fudge that adds
pound just from looking at it, home-made, rich, frothy eggnog. Three big, happy dogs circle the kitchen,
begging and just being dogs. We talk on
the phone to many friends and family. It
is a long, lazy, happy day, punctuated with too much sugar.
Saturday,
we leave for
·
Wednesday, 24 December 2008 – Christmas Eve
What is Christmas Without Children?
Wonderful
memories of holidays past – this photo (below) of Mark and his sister Pam sum
it all up for me.
“…Yes,
May
all your Christmases be bright!
·
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
The
guest-dog (Plutarch is his name) is outside lying in a deep bank of snow. My own canine (Miss Zia) prefers to stay cozy
indoors.
There
is about a foot of snow on the ground and more falling at a fast clip. The world is like a snow-globe being shaken
violently by a small child.
The
boughs on the trees are aching and bent, almost touching the ground.
In
the tallest tree, a collective of robins has gathered and despite the cold and
snow, there are birds arriving to take advantage of the running water that
flows into the koi pond.
In
winter it is water that birds most need.
This yard is a haven for them.
I
place a few pans of warm water outside the door and the robins arrive to splash
and bathe. They wait their turn. They are courtly and fastidious.
It
is a joy for me.
·
Monday, 22 December 2008
We
walk the dogs under the moonlight and in the midst of a snowstorm.
We
revel in the beauty of the night and the antics of the dogs.
The
dogs tunnel through the snow with their snoots.
They take big bites of snow.
Then,
without warning, they leap like stags – suddenly and with abandon.
We
laugh.
Life
is a pleasure. And hot cocoa awaits!
·
Sunday, 21 December 2008
I
make a Russian Vegetable Pie – it smells wonderful. The cabbage and onions and the spices meld
into an irresistible invitation to feast.
The surprise of cream cheese and egg medallions that are the hidden
treasure in this dish are a delight to the palette.
But no, we cannot even have a taste of this
pie. It is for a party – a holiday open
house for returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
As
the pie bakes, I distract myself with finding my Ukrainian shirt.
Mark
joins in and soon we have on our peasanty costumes. Though it is not a costume party, we decide
to wear our Ukrainian attire anyway.
We
take along some salo and vodka – typical Ukrainian party fare.
·
Friday, 19 December 2008
I Cannot Seem to Write
I
seem unable to free myself from the keyboard.
I seldom write anymore. I just
surf.
I
still have yet to put pen to paper to prepare holiday cards and letters.
I
have nothing to say.
I
am simply a sponge, a vessel.
Where
did that joy go? Will it return?
·
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Booked ‘em!
Outdoors,
the weather is wicked. It is as
inconsistent and changeable as a moody 6-year old.
Indoors,
the fireplace burns, the radio spills out comforting sounds and the dog rests
on my feet under the desk. I while away
the day comparison shopping online.
My
goal: to purchase airline tickets for my impending pilgrimage trip to
My
criteria: spend less than $1,100.
Day
is done and mission accomplished!
In
the end I saved $250 – not bad for a day of surfing the Internet.
So
the journey takes on a shape. With seats
reserved and the calendar marked, my excitement mounts.
Soon
I will be counting down the days.
·
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
"Oh
my", she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane,
"it's
fruitcake weather!"
-
A Christmas Memory, 1956, Truman Capote
I
love fruitcake. Any kind of
fruitcake.
In
my opinion, there is no bad fruitcake.
I
won’t make my own simply because I respect Mark. He resists so many holiday temptations so I
try to spare him, by not having it in the house.
Truman
Capote’s book is a good holiday read.
I
will settle into a comfortable chair and vicariously enjoy the fruitcakes so
lovingly prepared by the people in this book.
Fruitcake
weather is also reading weather.
·
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Scene from the Posada
The
crowd gathered around Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus and joined in the
caroling. The candles, luminarias and
farolitos flicker and add warmth on the bitterly cold night. People sip hat cocoa and cider and seem
happy.
It
is a lovely tradition.
As
the crowds begin to disperse, a small child breaks away from her keeper. In moments the little girl is reaching out to
take the swaddling off the Baby Jesus.
Her dark eyes sparkle. People
stop and watch.
It
is a lovely moment.
·
Friday, 12 December 2008 (Full Moon)
My
High-Tech Hiking Boots Arrived – Camino, Here I Come!
·
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Climbing the steep stairs to the dark, dusty, humid
attic in the big yellow house on
I don’t remember the purpose visit of that visit, but
I do remember the gift I came away with.
Two gifts really; one tangible, one a gift of wisdom.
Among the dusty treasure among the steamer trunks, old
luggage, retired items and ephemera (including a huge paper napkin collection),
was an old framed print. As a child, I
would gaze at the waterfall and the placid lake, framed by a majestic,
snow-covered mountain and a forest of conifers.
A few deer added grace notes to the scene. No where in my
I went straight to the neglected picture, dusted it
off and stared at the scene, as engaged now as I ever had been.
“
“You must promise to hang it on the wall.”
I quickly made that promise and in the decade since
that day, I have kept that promise with joy.
Today, I unpacked that picture. It was buried in the myriad boxes Mark
brought with him from his recent trip to SC.
During our Peace Corps tenure, the picture was lovingly stored away.
What a pleasure to see the picture and to think of my
wonderful mother. Though I live among
the snow topped mountains and have travelled to so many beautiful places since
my girlhood days in
The gift of the picture is one of the treasures my
mother shared that day. What was the
second gift, the bit of wisdom I cherish from that encounter?
It is very simple, but often overlooked: if you are
blessed with something you love, hang it up, use it, take joy in it…or pass it
along to someone who will.
My word (and attitude) for the upcoming year is this:
EDIT. I want to edit my life and
possessions so they reflect beauty, joy, order and grace.
(NOTE: We are house-sitting here in this cozy,
hippie-dome-home, but we are do not look like “transients” – in fact we almost
look as if we had lived here for decades!)
·
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Inconclusive Grappling with
the Illusion (Delusion) of Control…
The
chilly morning dogwalk found me pondering about fear and bitterness. I imagine the seed for these thoughts was
planted by one of the blogs I follow, but my thoughts continue to circle around
the topic. I mentally poke at it with a
stick and see what it does.
The
choices people make and the way they live their lives seems dominated by fear.
Even
their simple choices.
Living
with fear as a constant companion is like living in a prison (or perhaps a
gated-community or even in a modest house in the suburbs). Everything inside the walls is ordered,
predictable, controlled.
It
seems as though this approach to life gives fear the upper hand. In fact, this kind of controlling mentality
exacerbates the issue and promptly leads to more anxiety and new fears.
The
illusion of control is comforting, briefly, but in the end, it may be in
letting go that we can find the most long term comfort.
If
we list pros and cons, contrive to determine every contingency, think and
re-think…we lose the moment. We
rationalize. We only half-live. We act out of fear…and we are not honestly
facing our dreams and desires.
I
am still puzzling over this paradigm as I observe the limiting behaviors of
many of those I see around me.
Fear
is interesting and so is complacency…but that is a topic for another day.
·
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let
it Snow…
Paraphrasing
classic lyrics: …let it snow, let it snow, let it snow… the weather outside
isn’t frightful – I find it quite delightful.
The large flakes falling down on the rocks and trees around the koi pond
give me a view that resembles a movie set.
I half expect Fred and Ginger to waltz out and do a fancy dance number
on the steps that lead to the upper patio.
Inside,
the stage is set too. Zia-Maria is
curled, nose-under-tail, in front of the fire.
Since the day is grey, I have the Christmas tree lit and the light
glances off the glittery decorations.
The scent of fresh pinion pine greenery wafts through the house and
delights my eye as I admire my own holiday decorating handiwork.
It
is time for some Christmas music and hot cocoa.
It is time to wrap gifts and hand-scribe cards. What a lovely way to spend a day.
Unfortunately,
I have a list of priorities which have bubbled to the top. I will enjoy a pleasant hour of gratitude and
grace before I consult that list and re-prioritize as needed.
Enjoying
life, living life…these are important things.
These things must take precedence over the mundane demands of the day.
The
urgent things clamor at us…while the important things (often) use a more subtle
approach.
Walking in a Winter
Wonderland…
My
coach and trainer (Miss Zia) roused me out this morning and made me go
walking. I’ve neglected this daily
activity for several days. And heading
out into a snowstorm and 27 degree weather just isn’t exactly tempting.
But
Zia was insistent, poking her cold wet nose into my hand and making urgent dog
talk.
I
bundled up and reluctantly headed out the door, holding my end of the leash and
smiling at the dancing dog on the other end of the leash.
The
walk was exactly what I needed (as is frequently the case). I am back home, warm and happy, with a
greater appreciation for the abundance in my life and ready to move forward.
Isn’t
it great how we sometimes don’t get what we want, but somehow end up with
something better than we ever imagined?
·
Monday, 7 December 2008
A Surprising
The
radio announcers spew out the doom and gloom about the economy. During those outbursts, I turn my thoughts to
prayerfully affirming the Truth about Life.
Many
people become mesmerized by the dire predictions they here.
I
am using them as opportunities to grow spiritually.
These
fearful tales are kind of like the apple and the serpent…or like failing to see
the beautiful sunny day around us because we are so focused on the dark shadows
in front of us…
My
own plans to augment my income by doing some contract work and possibly doing
some substitute teaching have been looking less promising lately. Funds from the state dried up my contracting
illusions and in nearby community they’ve eliminated substitutes altogether and
are asking teachers to take significant pay cuts…so the human picture is not a
pretty one. The picture is, however,
just that: a mortal illusion. It is not
the Truth. I turn to my Christian
Science training and cling to the thought that we must “…look beyond fading,
finite forms…” and remember that “…right motives give pinions to thought…” (Mary Baker Eddy in S&H). I think of those people wandering n the
desert for forty years and how they were provided for.
The
phone rings and breaks my reverie.
More Spiritual Growth - A
Surprising Phone Call…
Yes,
a surprising phone call. Out of the blue
a totally unexpected, unsolicited opportunity has surfaced.
I
am offered a very flexible position that may allow me to serve an organization
whose work I respect and still retain the autonomy I want during the next few
months as I prepare mentally, physically and spiritually for the Camino.
I
can almost hear my mother’s voices, quoting Mary Baker Eddy, as she says:
“Divine Love always has met, and always will meet, every human need.”
Life
is good…or should I say Life is God?
·
Sunday, 6 December 2008
Ordered My Camino Hiking
Boots
I
went online and found the hiking boots I have been eyeing and admiring all
fall. They were marked down, AND then
reduced and in my size. (Finding a 9 ½
is almost always a challenge!)
These
boots were recommended to me by the Pilgrim I had tea with Friday. Like me she requires a larger toe box and a
narrow heel. I was delighted when she
brought out her boots and gave a personal testimony. Just another happy coincidence? Perhaps.
The
markdown is huge. A $100 savings over
retail. And I got another $5 off because
I used the new Google pay system.
The
final price of the boots came out exactly to the amount of the check I recently
received for dog-sitting a wonderful canine friend.
Another
nice coincidence.
So
now I am happily awaiting the arrival of the boots that will be my constant
companion on my forty day pilgrimage in May.
·
Saturday, 6 December, 2008
Sobering Accident at the
Habitat Site
Mark
was the bearer of bad news when he came home from his day at the Habitat for
Humanity site.
One
of the regular volunteers was using a table saw. She somehow sliced off all her fingers and
the thumb on her left hand.
They
air-evaced her to the University hospital and she will be in surgery for many
hours as they attempt to reconnect the digits.
·
Friday, 5 December 2008
Tea with a Pilgrim
I
spent a wonderful afternoon with an amazing couple of veterans of the Camino. (One of our mutual friends dubbed her “the
pioneer” of the Camino, but that is a bit of a stretch since the Camino
predates Christianity and I am fairly certain the Pilgrim in question is not
THAT old!)
What
a pleasure to meet such engaging people with similar interests and such a joy
in living.
I
find I cannot write about the experience without gushing like a young
teenager. I feel like a child under the
Christmas tree!
I
will close with a simple thanks to the Universe for the amazing opportunities
that appear when we are willing to commit with love and humility.
·
Thursday, 4 December 2008
The Economy: Surprising
Blessings
The
radio bombards us with fear. I hear the
word recession hundreds of times each day.
The economic downturn dominates people’s thoughts, especially as the
holiday season approaches.
This
fever over the economy is a wonderful opportunity for us all to learn about the
choices we make and how we live. If we
can look away from the mortal picture, we can see the blessings that we have
become complacent about.
What
a joy it is to simply and to refocus on what is really important in our lives.
What
a pleasure to edit our lives down to what is essential, meaningful and who we
really are…
We
can take this opportunity to be free from the compulsion to shop and accumulate
more, more, more.
We
can just be.
So
many of us are owned by our possessions.
It
is a chance to commune with God, the Universe, the Great Spirit or whatever
people choose to name their deity.
We
can spiritualize our thinking and demonstrate our beliefs about abundance and
joy.
Instead
of striving for more, we can acknowledge and enjoy what we have….and we have so
much.
We
can be fit to receive more, by honoring what we already have.
We
can relax with friends over a leisurely cup of tea, we can snuggle in a cozy
blanket and read our books, we can write a letter or play with the
kids/cats/dogs. We can occupy ourselves
with so many good activities…
And
we can give back…we can reach out to others and share our sense of joy and
abundance.
Yes,
for some people, the fear dominates their thoughts. These people will be challenged to reframe
their thinking. It will be hard for them
to turn away from their fearful thoughts and the compulsion to list their “rational”
reasons for being afraid. If we turn
from the shadow of fear and look to the bright light of abundance, we can
really live. (As I typed the word
shadow, the 23rd Psalm ran through my head)
I
am saying a prayer of thanksgiving for the abundance and peace that are ours –
I am saying my prayer every time I hear that mortal voice that seems to induce
fear in so many.
·
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Am I Drooling on the
Keyboard?
I
came home from the dentist with a fat lip.
The swelling has gone down, but my jaw is still talking to me.
I
linger at the keyboard. My initiative is
sapped.
But
my teeth are basically repaired now.
I
still need four crowns.
·
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Still on the Work Treadmill –
Just Not Paid!
One
might assume my pace slowed down since
I
had hoped it would.
But
no, the joys and challenges of life have filled any void I thought I might
have. Here it is December and I have yet
to establish a routine. I look forward
to days that I own, days I can simply be and unfold, to write, to prepare for
the adventures ahead.
In
the guest house stacks of boxes await me, boxes that have been sealed and
stored for 4 years. I am eager to
discover the treasures inside, but equally aware that the contents of each box
means more choices and decisions. Dishes
and photos call to me…
These
are not the only boxes haunting me. The
workshop materials and my accumulated office stuff are stacked next to boxes
that contain our
And
then there are the Christmas boxes – time to deck the halls.
Less
is definitely more.
Of
course there are other items on my personal agenda (see my 10 November post –
sigh!). But I ignore them and the boxes
and move forward on a work-related project.
Did
I say work? Yes, a work-related
project. Yes, I gave up the position to
buy some time for myself, but volunteered to be on the fundraising team for the
organization.
Call
me crazy…cuz I am.
As
a
But,
there are perks; at least I can work from home, at odd hours, I can wear my jammies.
ab
TO READ NOVEMBER
POSTS OR OLDER ENTRIES,
RETURN TO THE
ARCHIVES ON THE LEFT.
Our
Peace Corps
January
2005 - May 2007
Our
AmeriCorps*
in
beautiful
August
2007 – November 2008
My Santiago de Compostela Camino Blog:
http://pilgrimageofgratitude-mycamino.blogspot.com
Life is good!
ab