Silent Sermon Sunday

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Holly

All Treats- No Tricks!

"Perhaps on Thursday," suggested Melissa, "We should put on our pointy hats and finest gear and go to lunch!"  A Samhain lunch with my girl?  I'm in!  So that's what we did.  And, can I tell you?  We brought so many smiles out of people and the conversations?!  Oh, yeah, we had tons of people talking to us. Starting with our waiter who got a real kick out of us and then started asking questions about the pagan community in the Pittsburgh area and all things Hallo'een.  And he concluded with, "I'm just a hippie! But you two are cool; have a great day and Happy Halloween!"

All through our leisurely stroll through Home Goods and then Target, we got so many compliments about our hats and we felt that we had done a very good deed by bringing some momentary joy to others as well as really tickling ourselves!

Meanwhile on the other side of the state, Sebastian the Crab, aka Ava, and the Butterfly Princess, aka Livy, were all ready for their evening of dancing and running with all the goblins and creatures who infiltrated their neighborhood and ran door to door yelling and squealing with delight! Laura says, "Yeah, this is a pretty cool neighborhood to go trick or treating!" Sadly, we had rain and wind which put a damper on the evening here in the Laurel Highlands, but still, I was ready with the candy and some conversation. People, please tell your little monsters that they're supposed to cry, "Trick or Treat!!!," when the door is opened to them. I thought it was just me, but lately I hear a lot of people saying, "These kids don't even know to say it anymore!" I mean seriously, if they don't say it, it's just basically begging for candy! C'mon, work to keep the traditions alive!!!

So, despite the weather, this Crone had the most wonderful and blessed start to the New Year and a great start to November which is the month when we all try to count our blessings and give thanks.  So I'll start today on this Feast of All Souls and Saints by saying how thankful I am for all the wonderful Mothers, Maidens and Crones in my life.  Thank you for making me rich with all the gifts your bring to my life!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka The Good Witch of The Laurel Highlands

Silent Sermon Sunday

Ava & Olivia

My fashion forward girls want to remind you

This week,

Stay on the sunny side of the street!

Namaste' Till Next Time,

Holly aka Great Aunt Holly

Girl Power!

It's been awhile since I've posted about my sweet girls.  And this recent pic sent by Laura is a great time to stop and take a moment to ponder how things are going.

Olivia is no longer a baby...and at four she's well on her way to being a young lady.  The colorful character standing in front is our Ava! 

What strikes me about this snap, isn't the cuteness of the girls so much as it seems you can see a relationship has developed between these two individuals.  It's the magic of the bonding that I find so interesting.  These two have become sisters in spirit as well as by genetics.

How does that magic happen?  Through daily interaction.  Through guidance by the individuals around them.  But mostly by the threads of connection we all share when we agree to come to this earth and share a lifetime with each other.

What I also like about this pic is the sense of fun and attachment to each other the girls exhibit.  But mostly what I like is the chance to share them with you and hope they bring a smile to your face as they did to mine.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Livy & Ava's Great Aunt Hol

Ava, My Ava

Well, this could be the tale of a prison break by the looks of all the sturdy bars, but honestly, what prisoner ever smiled at the warden with such love?  Nope.  Not a prison break.

That's just our Ava being another month more wonderful...another month of more gummy smiles.  And another month of reminding all of us who loved and adored Laura at that age how much genes will tell.

Because while she is truly her own unique Self, our Ava has given us the gift of bringing memories back to life as she looks so very much like her mother did at this age.

And, Littlest Girl, your Great Aunt Holly thanks you so very much for this gift!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Great

Ava Awwws

It occurs to me that Ava could be falling victim to Second Child Syndrome.  You know what I mean...the first child gets all the attention and the cooing and awing and then the second one comes along and we're too busy to take the time to coo.

I realize that this blog may also be part of that unfair happening; I know I was much more liberal with sharing Livy with all of you and I haven't been the same with Ava.  Now that I realize the error of my ways, well, I won't have it!  Little Ava is especially darling to my eyes because it's astounding how much she looks like my beloved Laura at this age.  Truly, it's like having baby Lar-Lar once again.

As you can tell, Ava will and does eat anything.  Even her birthday sign. 

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Holly x2

90 Whole Days And Counting

Well, here is Ava and her three month picture. Laura wrote, "Ava is now three months and I asked Livy to help me by holding the sign. Needless to say she was quite excited by that and wouldn't stop waving it around!"

I couldn't help but laugh when I look at Ava's expression. Is it just me or do you, also, hear her pleading, "Someone please, please help me!"

When I look back on Livy's series of monthly birthday pictures that I've shared on the blog, I get an immediate feeling of serenity and calm. Love in quiet motion captured in a quick click of a camera.

Somehow, now, when looking at photos of Livy & Ava together, I get the distinct impression that things at the Gonzalez house have changed and life as we knew it, will never be the same. Let the wild rumpus begin!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Holly x2

The Many Faces of Love

Ava looks a bit bemused by this picture business....and well, she may not take to having a camera flashed at her as much as Miss Livy seemed to take to it. However, we will have our monthly pictures for her first year! Laura is good like that, making sure from the very beginning that both of her girls feel loved in equal measure.

As to whether the girls feel that will be on them, not for Laura and Eric's efforts to do the right thing. It took me a long time to understand that how loved one feels is not always an exterior thing. Meaning, no matter how much or little love one feels from another is very often a product of what we allow; what we recognize; what we will accept; what we choose to feel. We have to be emotionally healthy enough to recognize love in all of its multiple forms.

Admittedly, it's easier to sense love when you are around loving, kind, caring individuals. The sort who are obvious with their affection. But, the more emotionally mature one is, the more one is able to identify love in action, as well as love in words and romantic ideals. Like, all these years later, I know that Nanny, The World's Meanest Woman, loved me and her family. But, she showed that love in the way she kept us warm and clean and well fed. It was not in her to talk about love or even saying, "I love you." Her life in the Old Country was too hard and dire to have learned the gentle, flowery parts of love.

If you want to know what I'm talking about, this ability to be open and ready for love, think about some that you know-- No matter how much you do for them, or say to them, or attempt to let them know they are loved, it's never, never, ever enough. After awhile you get worn out in your efforts to make them feel loved and part of the important parts of your life. Finally, you get to the point where you just can't give anymore. You won't give anymore. You just can't.

People like that have internal work to do...you can't love them into lovability. You can't love them enough to ever make them understand. You can't make them feel love. You can't explain to them that there is a vast difference between being lovable and being needy.

It's not until we learn to fall and be in love with ourselves that we can be open and receive love from external sources. And for most of us, that takes years of struggling until we finally get it. If all other forms of love vanished, would you still understand love because of what you give yourself? I hope so.

I'd like to think I've worked hard to understand that it's my willingness to be open to love that has made me feel more loved. I've stopped expecting that love will come in a form that I can easily comprehend or digest. All forms of true love are worthy and welcome. Because love is, after all, love. There will never be enough of it. Who am I to turn it down if it's not the color I like best?

Also, I've learned that you can't chase love or demand it. You can't go to a dry well to find water; likewise, you can't expect love from individuals and situations that aren't right for you, aren't meant for you. You have to have the courage to move on to the places and people who are supposed to be in your life. And you must be willing to learn the art of loving yourself so that it remains the one constant in a life which is constantly changing.

Feeling all the forms of love requires that you accept an individual just as they are in your life. You must give them the latitude to love you in their way. Be grateful for it as it comes and continue to expect more love in life.

And, following Nanny's example of Love In Action, I made Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. The whole kit 'n caboodle. Yep, right down to the cranberries. While Evan is here and Melissa could be here, too, the whole Frock Family sat down and was grateful to be together and share a meal of thanksgiving. It's more about a state of mind than a date on the calender, don't you think?

I have to go now. Rory just walked in and stood up on my chair. He only does this occasionally and it means he wants to sit on my lap and give me Scottie smooshies. Who am I to turn down puppy love?! My wish for you is that you feel Love today. And, if no one is around to make it easy for you to sense that love exists, please, whisper, "I truly Love YOU," to yourself and really, really mean it.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Loved

Silent Sermon Sunday

Blessings on you wee Ava, you are a miracle.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Holly

I Ask You...

...when was the last time you saw something this adorable? I love this new picture. What? You want to see more? Okay, but just a wee bit...

...because as you can see, Ava is extending her beauty sleep.

Hope you find some adorability, (I don't know if it's a word, but if it isn't it should be,) in your day today!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Holly

To Love This Date

Michael and I were in Hanover with his father this past weekend. Dad turned 82 years old. He agrees that's no small feat considering that we were deathly afraid we were going to lose him to cancer two years ago.

The cancer and the subsequent treatments took a toll on him, but he still enjoys his life. Michael's brother, Tony, was there from Hong Kong and his brother John came in for a visit from Virginia. Phone calls from the rest of the kids scattered around the country were received and news shared. We took Dad to dinner and really enjoyed a swell night of laughter and sharing stories.

Today, is a bitter sweet day for me. Today would be The King's birthday. Some years the day comes around and I am really melancholy about not being able to share it with Daddy. Some years, I simply smile and wish him Happy, happy day to you! This year the day started a wee bit sad for me.

But, how fast the world can change in a few short hours. Because, no matter how many years I now have when August 15th reminds me of a significant lose in my life, it will now fill me with joy as I celebrate another lion in my life.

For, just a short time ago, at 2:47 in the afternoon,

we welcomed Ava Gabreille Gonzalez into our family. Mom and Dad and Livy are fine and little Ava? Well, she's not so little arriving safely weighing in at 9 lb., 8 oz. and 21 1/4 inches long!

My father would be so thrilled! He'd love that Ava shares his special day with him.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Holly x 2!