Thanks

I haven't blogged in a while, haven't even been on the computer at all except for work.  Just feel the need this evening to write something to tell you how much I appreciate your support, kindness, and friendship.  It means so much.  

Haven't felt like smiling, still been trying, you my dear friends are a bright spot in this dark road I've been on.  You make me realize that there will be a light, there will be light again.  All the words of kindness, the support, the silly stories, you make me feel love.  For this I am so grateful.

Now I just need to heed the words I always write and

Keep smiling!

:)

Happy Birthday Brenda!!

Happy Birthday Brenda!  I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Poet Diane Ackerman

The great affair, 

the love affair with life, 

is to live as variously as possible, 

to groom one's curiosity 

like a high-spirited thoroughbred, 

climb aboard, and gallop over the thick, 

sun-struck hills every day.

Where there is no risk, 

the emotional terrain is flat and unyielding, 

and, despite all its dimensions, 

valleys, pinnacles, and detours, 

life will seem to have none 

of its magnificent geography, 

only a length.

It began in mystery, 

and it will end in mystery, 

but what a savage and beautiful country

 lies in between.

~ Diane Ackerman ~

("found poetry" from A Natural History of the Senses)

Precisely the least, the softest, lightest,

a lizard's rustling, a breath, a flash,

a moment--

a little makes the way of the best happiness.

-Frederich Nietzsche

The Secrets of Simplicity!

Mary Carlomagno is the owner of Order, which specializes in clutter control, urban apartment solutions, office spaces, and shopping addictions. She is the author of the books "Give it Up!  My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less" and "Secrets of Simplicity".  She has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Real Simple and interviewed on Martha Stewart Living among others.  

I chose "simplicity" as my intention word for the year.  I don't think you'll be disappointed if you pick up this book to help you in your journey toward leading a simpler life!  

From the back of the book "Secrets of Simplicity": 

"By picking up this journal, you've taken the first step toward transforming your life into one of ease and serenity. Guided by organization expert Mary Carlomagno's thoughtful advice, you'll learn to release unwanted clutter and take control of your time and money. The simple, practical steps she offers will help you achieve a newfound clarity and peace of mind, freeing you up to focus on your priorities and fulfill your true passions. Ample space is provided for you to record your many discoveries and successes as you embark on this journey to a more satisfying life." 

This book was very thought provoking.  There are 7 chapters titled: 1. Release, 2. Simplify, 3. Treasure, 4. Focus, 5. Invest, 6. Discover, 7. Thrive, and at the end of each chapter there is a conclusion which recaps the points given and was very helpful.   I learned a lot about simplicity from this book and have decided to purchase my own copy so that I can continue to work on the questions and thoughts which are included in each chapter.  The best thought about simplicity that I will remember is:  "CLARITY IN ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE CREATES SIMPLICITY." 

The chapter titled "Invest" begins by asking you to write down your "Rescue Fantasy".  A "Rescue fantasy" is what the author uses to describe the thoughts we may have about magical solutions to our money problems such as winning the lottery, a family inheritance, writing the million-dollar screenplay, etc.  Then the author takes it one step further by asking you to write down what you would do with a 'million dollars'.  Would you stay where you are living?  Would you work, or would you quit your job?  Would you donate to a charity, start a foundation, adopt a child, just what would you do if money were no object?  Did you uncover hidden desires?  Did you notice any trends or commonalities among these desires?  Are you starting to discover what's really important to you?  After you have listed your dreams, it is time to take stock of your assets.  Make a list of the things you have that money just can't buy.  

The author continued by sharing the following story:  

"A modern Native American story tells of a rich father who took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing him how poor people can be.  They spent a day and a night on the farm of a very poor family.  When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"  "Very good, Dad!," the boy answered.  "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.  "Yeah!" said the boy.  "And what did you learn?"  "I saw that we have one dog at home, and they have four," the boy replied.  "We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end.  We have imported lamps in the garden; they have the stars.  Our patio reaches to the front yard; they have a whole horizon."  When the little boy was finished, his father was speechless.  His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are!"

Isn't that a great way to put things in perspective and give us food for thought?  

This book also contained so many great quotes. Some that I particularly liked: 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." 

-Lao-Tzu 

"He who must travel happily must travel light." 

-Antoine De Saint-Exupery 

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, 

perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."   

-Henry David Thoreau 

"As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, 

you should keep it."             

-Mahatma Ghandhi 

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it..." 

-George Moore

"A weekday edition of the New York Times contains more information than the average person was likely to come across in a lifetime in seventeenth-century England."   

-Richard Saul Wurman

"Inside the Great Mystery that is,

we don't really own anything.

What is this competition we feel

then, before we go, one at a time,

through the same gate?   

-Rumi

"I exist as I am, that is enough, 

If no other in the world be aware

I sit content,

And if each and all be aware

I sit content."   

-Walt Whitman

and my favorite:

"Look at me--I am poor and naked,

but I am the chief of the nation.

We do not want riches, but we do

want to train our children right.

Riches would do us no good.

We could not take them with us

to the other world.  We do not want

riches.  We want peace and love." 

-Red Cloud

Click on the title of this post to be routed to the page on Oprah.com which features Mary Carlomagno's interview.  

Winter Garden Review

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars *THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!* I was hooked with the prologue of this book which begins in 1972 with 12 year old Meredith and her 9 year old sister Nina planning a play that Meredith wrote based on the fairy tales their mother always told them about a “reckless peasant girl who dared to fall in love with a prince”. Their mother was emotionally cold to her daughters, “any warmth she had was directed at her husband”. Therefore, the girls were always searching for a way to get closer to her. Meredith thought she finally figured it out with the play; that it may even become a family tradition, that her mother would be thrilled, and the play would finally bridge the gap between mother and daughters. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Suddenly, just as Jeff, Meredith's friend, began to act out his part in the play as the prince and hands Meredith, the peasant girl, a pair of silk roses a loud crash sounds. It is their mother Anya who has broken a glass and cut herself and loudly demands an end to the play. After reading the prologue, I wrote, “The girls were so very excited about the play and then Anya just ruined it, squashed it, made them feel so bad! I don't believe that this book will hold any redemption for Anya on the way I feel about her already! I don't care what she lived through!!” Well, little did I know! Just keep reading!

The first chapter was more about Meredith, the second chapter about Nina. I was happy to see that Meredith did indeed marry her 'friend' Jeff, but it saddened me that there seemed to be trouble in the marriage and they had drifted apart.
Nina's life sounds crazy! To travel the world taking pictures of war and terribly tragic events doesn't sound like fun at all. It seems Danny, Nina’s long-time boyfriend, is ready to take their relationship to the next level but Nina can't commit that much of herself. I was also sad that their father became ill and ultimately passes away after making Meredith promise to take care of their mother and making Nina promise to make their mother tell them the end of the fairy tale. Nina left shortly after the funeral and Meredith worked herself too hard both in the orchard business and taking care of their mother.

Page 115 - It seems that Nina is selfish and I feel sorry for Meredith. Meredith is the one who has always been there for her parents, living in a house right down the road and helping her father run the orchard while Nina has been jetting around the world to different locations as a photographer. Chapter 7 ended with a phone call from Meredith to Nina. Meredith was going to tell her sister that she needed to come home; that she needed help! This didn’t happen.

Chapter 8 to Chapter 11 – Anya is just beginning to tell her daughters the 'fairy tale' after abandoning the story for years, since the incident with the play. Jeff has moved out of the house because Meredith is too distant and wouldn’t even answer him after he asked her if she still loved him.

Page 266 – While going through her father’s papers, Meredith discovered a letter from a Russian professor to her mother. The professor was writing about the German siege of Leningrad, which was otherwise known as the “Great Terror”. The girls are trying to find the professor to get to the bottom of their mother’s true identity. They find out that the professor is in an Alaskan nursing home after suffering from a stroke. They are taking their mother on an Alaskan cruise; something their father always meant to do. Both Meredith and Nina seem to be at a crossroads in their lives compounded by the death of their father who they both loved so much and were so committed to especially given the aloofness and hostility of their mother. Meredith is searching for what SHE wants from life and Nina can’t commit to her boyfriend even after he asks her to marry him.

I became so engrossed in this story that sometimes it was hard to remember it was just that, a story!

I have to admit, I was hesitant to read the last part of this book. I just knew that the rest of Anya’s story was going to be heartbreaking. Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t have even started reading this book if I had known there were going to be so many graphic details about the war. I have trouble reading about World War II and it’s probably because my dad was in this war and I saw how it affected him.

While the ending is painful and the completion of the ‘fairy tale’ is heartbreaking, it also portrays love in all of its forms. Words taken from the cover, this book is “evocative, lyrically written, and ultimately uplifting, it will haunt the reader long after the last page is turned.” I couldn’t agree more! Rarely does the ending of a book leave me feeling so satisfied and I have to say that this book has one of the best endings I have ever read. Note: Yes, now I feel sympathetic toward Anya. The reasons why she acted so cold to her daughters were quite clear by the end of the book.

A great read that I highly recommend! View all my reviews >>

More pictures of Abby and Bentley!

Bentley came over again last night to play with Abigail!  Just had to post more pictures of them; they're so cute to watch!  As Kelly Jo said, we should take lessons from them, about loving each other even though we're different!  Isn't that so true!  This world would be a much better place if we could all just remember to Love each other despite our differences in race, religion, sexual orientation, what country we are from, etc!   I am going to use this picture as my "Frame It" picture!  The bush seems to frame Mr. Monkey perfectly.  Well, perhaps 'perfect' is exaggerating a bit, but this is all I could come up with for this one!!  

Abby and her friend Bentley!

Abby had a friend over Tuesday evening! 

His name is Bentley and he's a Great Dane!

They were so cute together; 

Abby the little Pekingese and Bentley the gentle giant!

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

If you haven't read this book yet, go and get it!! It is great! My review is on the side of this blog.