If I Could Do My Home Over

The father of the Arts & Crafts Movement, William Morris, had a golden rule about living in and decorating a home:

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." Through the course of my various homes, that's what I've attempted.  Living close to Frank Lloyd Wright's, Falling Water and visiting it rekindled my interest and love of this very influential movement.

If I had to do it all again, I'd search for the perfect bungalow.  One with great bones.

A home with a welcoming front porch and painted to blend with its natural surroundings.

A sweet space that makes you want to stop and stay awhile.

And an interior full of honey colored wood with bright pops of paint.

With a fire place or two large and commanding.  One that can warm you from head to toe.

I'd have a Craftsman home that tickles the senses with lots of built-in useful spaces inviting you to rest and renew.

With great attention to detail where no surface is considered to mundane for artistic touches.

And where all parts of a home are useful and ingeniously fashioned. No space is wasted.

A home with tiny spaces that charm and sooth.  A home with an inglenook or two...

And my windows are interesting and allow the home to be flooded with natural light. Light that touches the oak and turns it to honey.

And my bungalow would have stained glass accents; art for the common man and not just the wealthy.

A home where textiles delight with the fanciful colors rich and drawn from nature.

A Craftsman home where a kitchen invites one to create and share.

And, while I might not want the bathroom to go back to the early 1900s, there is something charming about the rustic simplicity of it all.

If I had to do it all again, I'd live in a Craftsman Home with arts & crafts of artisans close at hand to remind me that Human Beings are so very creative and where you'd feel safe and loved when you sat here with me.

I'd live in a home where you feel special and unique and where it seems possible to have days of ordinary miracles all around you.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Always Has An Open Door

July 12 Another One

So any way you look at it, today is July 12 and that means I've seen this date dawn exactly 60 times.  60!  And that means that I went from 1 to 60 in a blink of an eye.

If you're younger than I am, you probably won't believe that it goes that quickly, but well, you'll find out.  Really.  It's just a question of time. For some reason, this birthday has really made me think.  60; it sounds so significant.  So old!  When I'm driving along and people look over at me, they're seeing an older woman, maybe even an old woman driving that car.  When I'm in the check out line at the grocery, it's an old woman who is chatting them up.  And on a good day, maybe they don't view me as old; maybe they appreciate me as wise and worldly.  I'm hoping that I'm thought of as that more than old, but hey, I've learned I can't control the thoughts of others.

60 years means I know that I need to be grateful because any day above the grass line is a day full of potential.  And I also realize the truth in the expression, "Do not grieve growing old; it's a privilege denied to many." So, I'm going to really dig down until I figure out what this turning to the start of my Sixth Decade actually means to me, why it seems so large and well, odd.  How can I actually be 60 when in my mind where I live and it's sunny all the time, I'm 28 years old?!

Life has changed so much in so many ways, not the least of it how we acknowledge birthdays.  This year, I received only five cards.  They're lined up on my mantle so I can see the bright colors and feel warm and happy.  Five doesn't sound like many, which it really isn't compared to previous years.  However, I got close to 100 wishes of various sorts and flavors on my Facebook page and my phone and in texts and email.  It's been an absolute blast reading and answering all of them.  Spending time with all of those who want me to remember what I mean to them.  It's a beautiful thing.  Truly.

This past year has been a difficult one in so many ways.  The loss of Rory & Fiona, those beloved Scotties of mine, still shakes me and can leave me sad unexpectedly.  Out of nowhere, they'll show up in my thoughts and I'm not yet at the place where those visits simply bring memories and not the jarrring hole their leaving has left behind. We had months of worrying about Evan during his third tour in the Middle East, but the gift this birthday is he's home state-side once again.

People have moved away, or have moved to Their Next Place.  I miss them, thinking of them often. Yet, I know this birthday means another year where I'm waiting to see who comes into my life to bring new and different experiences.

I have to recognize that if  I hadn't turned 60, I wouldn't be here to wonder about what good things are coming my way; what new people I'm going to meet; what experiences I'll have, so I suppose I'd better just celebrate this day as quite an accomplishment.  And that's what I'm going to do.

Hey, July 12...I've seen you 60 times!  And once again, thank the God & Goddess I have shared my day with my beloved, Michael.  We had meals out and conversation.  We sat in the companionable quiet when words eluded us as we spun our thoughts.  We took a nap listening to the rain drum on the windows. And, I am blessed.



So happy birthday to us July 12.  This is what 60 looks like on me.  And, I'm still a work in progress.

Namaste Till Next Time,
Holly aka She who is older than she once was but not as old as she'll one day be...

Ghostly Visits

There are many issues to confirm that I'm growing older.  One came in the mail the other day.  Tucked inside with the renewal form for my driver's license was a very 'helpful' pamphlet entitled, "Tips for The Mature Driver."  Kill me now.

Another also replays many nights; I hate it.  This inability to collapse into sleep without tossing and turning.  The worst is-- I fall asleep very quickly only to have my eyes flap open like a window shade snaps up without warning.

Last night was one of those.  It seemed it would go peacefully, seemed being the operative world.  I ran through the Distance Reiki list of all those animals and Humans who have requested Reiki to assist with their needs.  It's how I start and end my days.  At night, doing this work makes me relax and drift off.  Morpheus is waiting with arms extended, but some nights he plays me false and just as I enter his embrace, he closes his arms and evaporates.  Men...

But last night, tossing in bed as I watched the clock creep to 2AM, it felt different and a bit unsettling,  because I was visited by another circumstance that proves I've been alive for awhile now.  Last night I was visited by a chorus of faces that I have loved and who have died.  Unbidden they came.  Some I had not actively thought of in a long time; others are those few who I never not think on.

At first, I found all of them gathered in my consciousness more than a bit disconcerting.  I fretted about why they were all there of a sudden.  Did it mean something?  Was there a purpose?  What are you trying to tell me?!

Not my Dad, nor my Aunt Kat, nor any of my immediate family were there.  Instead, these were all dear friends.  People who had played a pivotal role, either in terms of my growth as a Real Human Being, or had died at points in my life to help me understand what it means to suffer loss.  Died and helped me experience what it means to lose someone I cared about and what life feels like after.

I slowly began to relax, realizing that they simply wished to visit to confirm that death doesn't change the truth of things.  Connections are still there.  Attachment still remains.  I sent Reiki blessings to each of them and thanked them for coming.  I confirmed that they are always with me and what a joy it is to see them again. They returned the same sentiments.

And, with spiritual hugs completed, I fell asleep. 

This morning, I still ponder why I would have had a party with Ghosts from my past...no answers yet.  I wonder how the brain works that it would conjure them unbidden like that.  Can a brain actually do that?  Or, is it that love is bigger than our brains and it can manifest all on its own, in images that we can recognize and understand?  No answers for these questions...

But, in the light of day, I'm able to realize that it is a blessing to have been reminded of all those who I have lived long enough to have loved and lost.  I suppose along with confirmation that I am aging, I am also slowly becoming a Real Human Being.  There is always a silver lining.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Loves Them, Still

Silent Sermon Sunday

I'll Have Another

This is the horse who has, against the odds,

Won the Kentucky Derby, 

Took the Preakness,

And is now heading to The Belmont Stakes.

If he wins, he will be the first Triple Crown Winner

Since 1978.

He was purchased for a mere 35T,

Because most didn't see his qualities, he was completely over-looked.

But one man recognized them.
One person saw.

It only takes one person to recognize potential.

This week, may someone reconfirm your gifts and qualities

So that you can continue to run your race,

And show the world your outstanding abilities. 

Namaste' Till Next Time,

Holly aka She Who Recognizes Your Potential

Silent Sermon Sunday

May your dreams unfurl this week.

Namaste' Till Next Time,

Holly

Image courtesy of my garden!