One of Our Days

Thank you kind husband for having a rock solid compassionate heart, and for being my best friend. May the years ahead be as joyful as the years behind. It is almost like we have been together forever, and that is a comforting thought.

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First 50 Years

My first 50 years saw me accomplish the most important job I could ever imagine. Raising sons and being their Momma!

Grateful does not even begin to describe how my heart feels.

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Family Means

Family means always forgiving. Family means taking the time to understand where each other is coming from if a disagreement comes to light. 

Family means you work hard at staying in touch, at fostering a healthy bond, and never giving up on each other. 

Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

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Along the Way

Along the way, there are ponds of reflection, a road filled with shimmering memories, dreams of wispy tales, bridges that link my future and my past, and visions of golden treasures that stretch out in front of me.

What do you see along the way in your travels?

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Because Some Times...

... life requires pancakes!

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Favorite Fall Tree

Favorite fall tree

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Thorns

Being human means that some days we do not enjoy the skin we are in and everything around us bristles our nerves, and seems to be filled with thorns.

May each of us be granted the gift of knowing that this is okay. This is normal.

May we be granted the gift of time, and the knowledge that a little bit of time can heal all things that bristle with thorns.

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We are What We Think

Below from L'art de la Simplicité: How to Live More with Less by Dominique Loreau

"We are what we think. A life lived without cultivating awareness of who we truly are leads to self-deterioration and destruction. Our lives are what we make of them, in our own minds. Energy waves are essential to our makeup, and we have the power to alter the processes by which they work, to find meaning in our everyday lives, and open the doors wide to the possibilities within us.

"This can only occur, however, when we become properly aware of our actions and our thoughts. Each thought is a cause; the mindset that results is its effect. We must take charge of our thoughts, Concentrate your mind on the conviction that only good things will come, and be careful to 'watch' your thoughts, so that you may direct them to the things that are right, excellent and reasonable.

"Your inner thoughts are reflected in every aspect of your appearance and conduct. Think of your mind as a garden. You can choose the seeds you sow. Your subconscious is a tapestry of the ideas you sow all day long... It is vitally important, then, to pay close attention to your thoughts. Energy flows from your thoughts: they are the origins of your attitude to life. You are responsible for your own existence. The world you create around you is its reflection.

"You will only grow strong if you know how to lead a peaceful, balanced existence."

L'art de la Simplicité: How to Live More with Less by Dominique Loreau

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Beauty of Autumn

The beauty of autumn is death. The autumn leaves that have given their purposeful life breathing breath into the green of summer are now expiring. They yellow and let loose of their branch. Their chattering farewell fills the air with the sound of peaceful harmony.

May you rest in peace sweet leaves of summer. May the forest floor embrace the nutrients that you add to the soil. You are now part of the land that you have watched from on high these long months of summer.

Rest well leaves of summer.

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High Five Friday for Mr. Moose

High five Friday for Mr. Bull Moose. It is always exciting to see wildlife out the windows during the workday. These glimpses of nature somehow make my day at the salt mines a little less dehydrating.

May your day be filled with blessings, and remember to share the love with those you love.

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Keep Climbing

I truly believe that good things do happen to people who depart their comfort zone, take risks, and seek new paths.

We are living large these days, and are WAY out of our normal comfort zone. Cheers to not treading water but to swimming forward.

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39 Days

In the past 39 days I have learned that suppers seldom cook themselves and if you do not have a planned menu you suffer the consequences of bad meal choices.
                     
Popcorn and wine are forever banned  as a meal option.                        

I have also come to realize that when you forget to turn on the bathroom fan before you shower (which appearently is a thing I do) and no one else is here to help you out, the smoke detector in the bedroom will alarm. Every time. E.V.E.R.Y. T.I.M.E.

Five times and counting.
                                         
May the next 39 days towards our future pass by with a little more grace.

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Courage

There is a peculiar aspect about courage; it can abandon you when it is least expected. Leaving you high and dry with a parched feeling in the back of your throat.

At that moment, you find yourself in a bewildered state, wondering how you came to be standing in your current location. Courage-less. Befuddled. Filled with faint-heartedness.

You ask yourself how did I become so uncool.

There is a peculiar aspect about courage; it can be mustered instantaneously at a moment’s notice. Carrying you through the day on the wings of a highflying bird.

You reassure yourself, you've got this, as you flip the collar of your shirt to the upright position.

Welcome back courage.

My wish for you is a day filled with courage, enjoying the sights from up high.

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High Five Friday for Hikes

Portage Lake

High five Friday for hikes on the Byron Glacier Trail with two wonderful people we now have the pleasure of calling family. We are all thankful our kids were married this summer, and we look forward to the years of joy ahead of us.

Are these two just the cutest or what?!

Have a fantastic Friday my friends.

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I Wonder...

An Iñupiat elder, who learned English later in his life, once said to me “I am not prejudice against anyone; until I get to know them, then maybe I won’t like them.”

I wonder if we were all blind, and if we were all deaf, would there still be people in this world that we did not like?

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Grateful for...

Seashell magnets made by someone you love.

Shadows that fall in perfect order.

Friends with birds who enjoy having their photo taken.

The sight of beautiful color and texture.

New growth.

Swinging on a purple porch swing.

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