Some of my favorite things

clean sheets

great deals on new clothes

delicious leftovers

quiet evenings with Tim

a ladies' potluck

good books

planning a party

my kitties

music that moves me

Sunday evening

I am moved by the depth hidden within my friends. 

I suppose we all walk through life thinking we are extraordinary in one way or another. And truth be told - we are all extraordinary. But I am not the only poet I know. I am not the only..... And where I excel and another struggles, the opposite is also true - I struggle, you excel. I love the connection of differences, the wondrous fitting together of that this creates. Let us live our lives allowing one another to mesh, to mold, to puzzle. 

What am I trying to say? Of that, I'm not exactly clear. I do know that I am moved by my many friends' blogs, by what they share, the pictures they take, the songs they write, the stories they tell. I am touched by the human-ness within all of them. The beauty, the joy, the suffering - all that has led us each to this point. One's childhood was filled with pain and sorrow. Another had the childhood of a gentle novel. This woman is just now discovering her power as an adult. And this one is finding that she can indeed afford to be vulnerable. I am strong; I am weak. You are strong; you are weak. We are all the same. We are all so very different. 

I am moved by the depth hidden within my friends.

Lovely

Ah, sweet success!  I had a slumber party at my house for a friend's birthday!  It was jolly fun!  My hubby is out of town, so it was perfect timing.  We ate dinner (delicious if I say so myself), drank Italian sodas, played games, ate decadent dessert, and watched a movie.  All wonderful fun!  It was great spending time with these women.  It felt so good to have no time limit, no restrictions on what we did, just hanging out, laughing, enjoying one another.  

I highly recommend a slumber party to any of you middle aged women out there.  It will take years off your spirit!

Feeling full

Well, it's time for bed and I've had a full day!  I feel satisfied, sated.  I did a lot today and feel good about everything I did.  I did housework, paid bills, read from a good book, did Bible study with 2 friends, substituted at the library, caught up on some correspondence, had a lovely dinner out, helped my sister babysit, calmed a screaming baby (twice), had a nice chat with my hubby, heard from a long-lost friend, and now I'm ready for bed.  

Don't some days just feel better than others?  Is this a lesson I can take into tomorrow?  Did today feel better than a day where I mostly watch TV?  What about a day when I follow the sun from room to room reading a wonderful book?  How about a day spent in the mountains hiking?  I think the only day that doesn't give me this kind of feeling is the TV day.  Yes, that's a lesson I can try to hold onto.  It's not necessarily that I got so much done today.  It's more that I just did a lot.  I spent time with people, was productive in my home, had some fun, and spent some lovely time with myself. 

I'll try to remember this from day to day...and see what tomorrow brings.