The End

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world,
the master calls a butterfly."
............................................... Richard Bach









I believe we must trust that what is to come is beautiful, for what is to be will be. if we want it to be beautiful so it will be........why not just relax and enjoy the process; learn what there is to learn.

On occasion I have reached what seemed dark and dreary times; what I thought to be the end of what I could endure. The end of what I could endure in all cases turned out to be the beginning of new experiences; more enlightening and positive ones.

Always sad..........the end of a marriage. That end though had to be. It removed me from a dark, toxic situation & moved me into new adventures I would not otherwise have cultivated. It led me to the love of my life. The question coming to mind "Why didn't we meet sooner?"............we didn't meet sooner because 'sooner' was not the time in the process for us to meet.

Dejected.......losing a job......they might call it down-sizing. Whatever the label it can take a bite out of your dignity, your confidence; reduce your morale dangerously close to zero. From that shallow grave though comes opportunities to make changes, move, grow and learn new skills, make new discoveries, become engaged & tread on new soil. Without having lost the job none of these ventures would have developed.

It is said that when one door closes another opens. I believe there is a time for all things........when it is time that door will close and the other will open as surely as the caterpillar will turn into a butterfly.

My Home....My Sanctuary

Home is more than a house. Descriptions enclosed and entwined, home is a warm, loving, familiar and safe place; welcomes me, wraps me, holds me and shelters me; is shared with other loving person/s.

Warm means friendly and inviting with surroundings that say 'I like you being here, please relax, sit as long as you wish, let the stresses of the day tumble from your back'.

Loving means there is nothing 'in the air' that will evoke negative feelings which exclude but rather an atmosphere of being included, cared for, wanted and needed.

Familiar means that I can move about in the dark (or with my eyes closed) and get where I want without stubbing my toe or tripping over a shoe. I can find my shirt hanging in the closet without having to search or wonder where it might be. It means if I decide on a whim I want to have popcorn I can go directly to where it is in the cupboard. It means that if I tell my company they can find extra towels in the closet on the second shelf, that's where they will find them. It means I am accustomed to my surroundings, I know them intimately and I can find my favorite coffee mug whenever I want it (even though it may not be exactly where I thought I left it).

Safe means I can enter, close and latch the door on the world and feel protected from everything on the other side of that door; safe from any and all the monsters that might be out there and want a piece of me or wish to steal precious time from me.

My home welcomes me with open arms; places no expectations on me. It wraps me in a blanket of warm fuzzies; lets me rest my head & holds me tenderly; shelters me until I have strength to venture forward again.

Mostly, my home is a home because I share it with someone very special; someone who loves me; someone who I love very much

My home is my castle..........my sanctuary and so should yours be.

Restful Peaceful Moments of Your Very Own

Amidst the hustle and bustle of living with life's demands, sometimes beyond my control, I need a place of my very own; a place where I can go to empty my mind of all the unwanted weeds. I can find that place in a quiet corner of my home or maybe outside under a tree among the falling leaves. There I can sit alone, calm my 'frazzled' nerves and allow myself to make the connection needed to solve what needs to be solved.

There are times when my mind is so busy and the thoughts so entwined, it becomes impossible to entertain even one rational idea. Those are the times I feel overwhelmed, fall into panic mode and think there is no way, no how, no solution. What I most often fail to remember is that I need to go to 'my place', empty my mind and wait to see what my 'nothing' tells me.

My nothing gives me most all the advice I need, I just need to give it the chance. What does your nothing tell you?

Whew............!!

Well it seems some days have passed by since I last wrote; now I sit in front of this blank screen (and it closely resembles my mind). So many days have gone, so many things have happened & I know not where to begin (but begin/begun I have, it seems).

What a summer........but we got moved and are finally 'mostly' settled in our new place. Now it's fall.......soon-to-be winter........my word!

July was a busy crazy time with prospective buyers for the house intruding in our lives for most of the month. Finally a sale and we were left at peace! Well, peace to make our own craziness..........sorting, packing etc.

August was more of the same. Aaron returned from the summer in Sherwood Park. It was nice to have him back; I missed him. (Unfortunately, I believe he will be transferring to U of A next year so I won't have the pleasure of his presence close by & I shall surely miss him.)

Shelby and Nicki visited in August. I was glad to have them; we enjoyed their visit. We did a day in Victoria which was very nice; glad we were able to take them to see a few things on the island.

September.......barely moved and a quick trip to Edmonton to visit family who came out from London, ON. It was so nice to see them again after many years. Hopefully we can do it again before too long. I didn't get to visit friends while I was home though (well except for a day with Joan which was most delightful). A nice birthday celebration gave me time with my family from AB & that was great.

October brought an end to my job assignment with the Care Home in Aldergrove. I had considered employment with the company but that didn't work out which I can see now was definitely for the best. It was one more experience for me to add to my 'life's little book of learning' to be tucked away & drawn upon as needed. If it happens that I must spend my last days in one of those places so be it, but I so hope that never comes to pass.

Hmm, I got started again......!.....:).....there is light!

The Real Voyage of Discovery

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes"
- Marcel Proust

Shall we search for a new and better landscape.....?

Shall we take a different look at the present landscape.....?

What is the real voyage of discovery?

We can certainly make many new and wonderful discoveries by seeking new landscapes. It depends though upon what kind of discoveries we seek, and whether we may just need a new pair of eyes.

I have many times thought I was totally fed up with looking at the same old place, day in and day out.......and perhaps I needed a change. Maybe I needed a change but just maybe, had I looked at the situation with different eyes (or through someone elce's eyes, maybe a small child) I would have made some interesting discoveries. Albert Einstein said "There are always two ways to live; one is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as if everything is". If we look at our landscape as it is but choose to look differently, or even close our eyes and choose to feel it, we may discover wondrous things. We all know that some of life's most precious things cannot be touched or even seen; but are felt. If someone we love is in the room with us, they need not touch us; we need not see them; we can feel their presence and their love.

I believe though there are landscapes from which we need to depart; to remain for the voyage of discovery could actually prove detrimental; even dangerous for us. In this case we have to seek new lands or be destroyed while we stay.

My conclusion then must be, that the real voyage of discovery depends on the circumstance.

What's on Your To-Do List?

What is on your To-Do list today? Go to work, walk the dog, make cookies for the bridge club, write Aunt Martha, clean the windows, wash the floor, get groceries, get a car wash, pick up the mess in the laundry room, do the laundry, rake the leaves, return library book, vacuum..........blah blah blah and on and on it goes. I don't know about your To-Do list but mine sometimes looks almost as crazy as this list (If I have one at all). Sometimes my To-Do list is not on paper but rather a tape playing and looping around my brain all day long with each loop reminding me there is something still needs doing. On occasion the loops play so quickly and things become so overwhelming, I do nothing and fall down exhausted at the end of the day because I have expended so much energy wondering how I am going to get everything done and have indeed accomplished nothing or very little!

Sound familiar?

Well..........(not suggesting you become a lazy sod or a total couch potato) I think we all need to examine our To-Do lists very carefully because most of the time (whether written or taped) our lists are unrealistic. Life is too complicated and moving too quickly to be adding further obligations for ourselves (especially those we can't fulfill).

We could have a MASTER To-Do list from which we choose our daily tasks (maybe choosing one or two things each day depending on the size of the task) those couple things now becoming our Daily To-Do list. That would be less overwhelming and more easy to accomplish.

Also important is to have AT LEAST one item on your To-Do list that is fun and just for you ie: take a long hot bubble bath.......walk in the park.......work on your scrapbooking project.......sit in the sun.........watch the birds (something you enjoy doing and will bring a smile to your face).

..........Remember a precious moment missed is a moment gone so capture every single moment dear to your heart........let not one escape. The less important things (although they need doing) remain and can be done another day. The dirty laundry will not get up and walk away, the car needing a wash will be there to wash another day, the windows will be in no greater need tomorrow than they are today.........I think you get my drift.

What's on you To-Do list?

The Pieces Will All Fall Into Place

Sometimes we don't know what we are missing because we are content to stay in our comfortable little square. Sometimes we are forced out of our comfortable little square, then we find out what we have been missing. Sometimes Shelby, sometimes.........

I know you have ventured out on your own and it's a bit scarey but I also know you are a very strong young woman and will be able to handle anything life can place in your hands. One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, ask lots of questions of those who love and care for you, listen closely to what is said, weigh everything, make your choice...........and it will be the right one for you at the time. It's just that simple.

Sometimes we make what we think (or in hindsight what seems) is the wrong choice.....truth is there is no wrong choice; just a choice. Every experience serves a purpose, we can learn something from it and that is why we made that particular choice.

So.......fear not.......put on you beautiful smile and trudge onward and upward. The world is out there waiting for you. The pieces will all fall into place; I promise!