Everything has its Season

I was reading from a book my friend Chris had given me called "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. The entry was September 28 "A Time for Everything".
It starts out:
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1

The author comes back with: "Yes, but they are not the same time. You cannot raise happy, secure, emotionally well-adjusted children, revel in a fabulous marriage and work a 60 hour week. You want to, I know. So do I. But we can't. It is physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually impossible. We have tired. We have failed."

She continues: “We can not circumvent the laws of Heaven and Earth just because it would be convenient. Just because it would fit nicely into our plans. We have tried. We have failed."

"When we cannot do it all at the same time, we are meant to do only some of it. In order to find out what the 'some' is to be, we need to ask: What is it I truly want right now? What is it I truly need? How do I get it? How much does it cost in life's currency?" (This is where I am at in my own life.)

"This might be the season for you to wipe a runny nose. That doesn't mean the season of running your own business won't occur. This might be the season of ......."

"You probably can have it all, just not at the same time. You might have to make certain compromises when your children are small. But your children are going to be small for a very short period of time... It will go by in a blink of an eye and you will only be 40, 50, or 60 with another 15 or 25 years ahead of you. A quarter of a century to do what you want to do, the way you want to do it."

"Blessed is the woman who know her own limits."
Namaste.

Transending by Kelly Corigan

I love this and believe it is so true. I first saw it on my friend Julie's blog and play it every once in a while when I need a good cry and to be reminded of how special girlfriends are. Please watch this and let me know by writing a comment. Have a beautiful day and thank God for friends!!!!
Namaste.

Will You Help Me Change the World?

"Will you help me change the world?" was the opening question from Don Miguel Ruiz the author of the "Four Agreements" as he and his son Mikey began their lecture at Geva Theater here in Rochester, NY yesterday. I am very grateful that I was present for such a beautiful and inspiring talk.

We each have our own story in which we are the main character and the rest of the people in our lives are secondary characters. When we own our own story and embrace who we authentically are and stop pretending to be what we are not, that action will help us live in peace. It is effortless to be who we truly are and it is a lot of energy to be who we are not. Just imagine if you will for a moment, all the energy we could invest into doing for others if we just let go of pretending to be what we are not. Think of all we could accomplish.

The word is very powerful. It can be the tool to create great beauty or the tool to create great despair. If we could embrace one agreement let it be this - be impeccable with your word. The word starts in our heads; it is how we talk to ourselves. If we start showing greater kindness here just think how that will translate when we start to speak to others. Being kind with our words towards ourselves first shows great respect. When we respect ourselves it shows and others will follow suit and respect us back.

The other agreements are: Do not take anything personally; Do not assume anything; Always do you best!

When we take things personally we are allowing a power shift to occure. Instead of believing ourselves we are letting someone's point view become our own. The example used yesterday by Mikey was this; You are walking down the street when a stranger points at you and shouts, 'You're stupid!' Well if you know that you are not stupid you can let it go. However you if take it personally all of the sudden you start to question yourself and you start asking 'Do I look stupid?' and the stranger's words now have power over you. But, going back to the first agreement if we speak kindly to ourselves, someone else’s words will have no power over us.

When we assume we are the story tellers at that moment. What we are assuming is not based on fact rather it is based on what we preseeve as the truth. We take action on assumption - be mindful of this because it could lead to great and unnecessary drama in our lives. When we do not assume, we judge less and get more out of life. Remember judgment is not excepting ourselves and others the way we are.

Doing our best puts all these agreements into action. Know yourself well, be kind with your words, understand your intent and have faith. This will help us know what our best is at a giving moment, and know that our best will change from moment to moment. Use focus and attention, they are the bridges from one mind to another.

And finally in the words of Einstein, "Imagination is better than knowledge because it has no limitations!"

You are a child playing adult - always remember the child in each of us!

My prayer is that I will help change the world for the better! I hope this information based on the "Four Agreements" by Don Miiguel Ruiz has started you to think differently. Please read this book - it is life changing!
Namaste!

A Serendipity Weekend!

Serendipity: The faculty of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. This definition basically explains my weekend. What a wonderful, humbling and surprising weekend it was.

The Memorial Art Gallery’s annual Clothesline Arts Festival was this past weekend. I am blissfully exhausted from it and thrilled I was a participating artist in this wonderful event.



Quick timeline:
Friday my husband and I brought the displays etc… that I would be using for the weekend and dropped everything off at my tent/booth.

Saturday my friend Kim helped me decorate and open up the booth. My mother-in-law came to help me in the afternoon. Saturday rained and it was slow. I was a bit discouraged with the sales of that day but the company I kept was beautiful and the conversations warm and wonderful. The day brightened towards the end and little did I know things were in the works for a serendipitous day on Sunday. That was when I met Alison an artist who’s paintings are beautiful and familiar but I could place my finger on it. That evening when I got home I looked through my stack of business cards from artists I have collected over the years. Sure enough I found her card from 12 years ago! Well the next morning I showed her and how we laughed. One things lead to another and we traded our artwork and both walked away with a huge smiles on our faces knowing we were kindred spirits! How fun!

Sunday my son Nick came early (7am) to help me set up and open. The weather was perfect. When the coffee cart came around they even had our favorite muffins to boot! Nick and I set the tent up a little differently that morning and had a blast doing it. That was when the magic started. My dad popped in to say hi and wish me good luck and then people started coming in droves! It was awesome. I encountered many smiles and stories as ladies read my “Treasured Lockets” as they were picking out just the right piece for a dear friend. It made me feel so wonderful that my art was affecting so many in such a positive way. My friend Cindy came to help and the luck continued. My friends popped in and out all day and each one touched my heart with their words of encouragement and friendly smiles – I am blessed! The cherry on top was when Mike and Timmy came to pick up Nick and how they loved the booth and all the action inside. Timmy asked if next year he could help and I am thrilled!!!!!

As I write this posting, my coffee is hot, the weather is chilly and bright and I still have a huge smile on my face!
Namaste.

Creating and Remembering

I have been creating a new body of work to be unveiled at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery’s Annual “Clothesline Arts Festival” next weekend September 12-13.

This year preserving, reusing and remembering what is important in life is the main theme of my collection for autumn. I have been expanding my “Treasured Locket” line to include glass hearts and cut up jelly jars. I have been combining antique and vintage papers to create one of a kind miniature collages that are then sandwiched between the new shapes of glass and soldering them. To finish the pieces I have added vintage ribbon from France dated 1920’s to 1940’s, military laundry pins from the 1940’s, sticks, gems, pearls, my handmade PMC charms and Indian nickels, depending on the design.

In most of my pieces you will find a heart, a house and a pearl. The heart and house will be found in every collage that is in my “Treasured Lockets” to symbolize love, family, friendship and home. The pearl that is added to most pieces stands for love, honesty and protection.

My hope is if you are in Rochester next weekend that you will stop by my booth #429 and say hi!

Meanwhile make it an amazing week and smile often!
Namaste.

Lazy Days of Summer

Lazy Days of Summer – I am still waiting for them to hit. Life has been very busy around here. I thought that once baseball season came to a close at the beginning of August our “Lazy Days of Summer” would start, but no such deal. Timmy had basketball camp with his cousin Gabriel and Nick got himself into a pick-up basketball league at the same time. Once that was all over I thought here come our “Lazy Days of Summer” but again no such deal. I am still the glorified taxi driver – and I might add they don’t tip very well!!!! Ha! Ha!

The past couple of weeks we went to the “Purple Monkey” in Weedsport for antiquing, Mackenzie-Childs just because, on the Colonel Belle a boat on the canal for my husband’s 25th high school reunion and spent time at the urgent care unit for Timmy to get his foot x-rayed after dropping an oversized skate board on it. Thank God he didn’t break his foot but the little guy will be loosing a bunch of toenails in the near future.

In addition to all this we had friends from Chile over, I am restarting my training of the September Triathlon (I had a walking pneumonia), teaching lots of yoga as usual and working diligently on my artwork for my September show.

Well that has been life up ‘til now, I will keep you posted on other fun things going on. Have a wonderful day and remember, “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God!”
Namaste.

Tell yourself "I Can!"

Being positive takes effort. It is a choice to be sure. Great things can come out of it. How do we start? We can start by saying "I can!" It is as simple as that, now the work must begin!

I have a laundry list of things I want to accomplish. It ranges from doing more artwork, to cleaning the house, to organizing the basement, to getting into better shape, etc... Where to start?

Now that is a good question. I am practicing taking one minute or hour at a time and get through that with something positive to show at the end of it. It is like being in a yoga pose and when it gets really intense and you want to get out of it just sticking with it and breathing through it and the next thing you know you did it. What a great feeling that is!

I am going to do some art work now and I'll let you know how it goes! Remember these two words, "I can!" and watch your world change!
Namaste.

This is a new film that I am looking forward to that I first viewed on a friends blog. Please see below post "Alice in Paris" to link to her beautiful blog. Meanwhile enjoy the film clip.
Namaste.


Oops this is not working. Please see Alice in Paris' blog! It is a great movie clip!

Alice in Paris loves Art and Tea: steamy#links#links

Alice in Paris loves Art and Tea: steamy#links#links

Something New

When was the last time I tried something new?
It was about 3 weeks ago on my way to the YMCA at 5:15am!

What was it?
I brought my camera with me and captured the sunrise over the vineyard that I am blessed enough to pass every morning on my way.

How did it make me feel?
Witnessing and recording this sunrise made me feel connected to this amazing universe and blessed that I could see such beauty doing ordinary things like going to train and teach yoga.

Would I do it again?
Absolutely - I think it would be amazing to capture the sunrise at the same location during the different seasons.

What did I learn?
I learned that there is beauty in everything we do - we just need to be present to appreciate it!

What will be next?
I would like to create a large collage on canvas. I am always creating tiny ones for jewelry but I think it is time to do it on a large scale!

What is next for all of you?
Namaste.