My most memorable Christmas

My father was a builder of homes, and often after a job he would bring me, my brother and my sisters to the job site and let us rummage through the left overs from the project. We collected small tiles and trim and brought them home to create little houses of our own. Of course we had more that we would ever use, but it was fun building little towns in the sand in the back yard.

After my father had just completed one of his jobs located near the horse racing track, and we finished our scavenger hunt for items for our little town, Dad drove the back way home, over the railroad tracks near a run-down area where migrant workers lived. Conditions were less than tolerable by any measure. My dad drove very slowly just to point out how fortunate we were and how many others in the community had very little. We had nice house, nice clothes, new shoes every year for school and of course many toys from birthdays and Christmas. We had never seen such impoverished circumstances. It was cold outside and there were small children running around without shoes or jackets, and mothers holding their babies wrapped in the hems of their skirts. They sat in the sun light on the weathered porches, often with missing boards just to capture some warmth from the sun.

When we returned home Dad told us that there were two options for Christmas that year. One was he would ask Santa to bring us all brand new bikes or we could help make Christmas special for someone else's family. We asked him" how do we do this?" .
 Dad said he and Mom would set up the garage as a workshop for us to restore and wrap the toys. We were so excited, we told our friends and they wanted to help too. We were on a mission and collected toys, clothes, and household items for all ages for at least five families. Mom helped us put fresh paint on old toys, Dad made doll furniture from the scrapes of wood we brought home from his jobs. We bundled up packages of blankets and bedding, and organize the clothes according to sizes. Dad set up the tables, in the garage, one to work on and one for finished and wrapped items. A few days before Christmas someone donated some turkeys and the fixings for five families. Mom and Dad stayed up cooking and preparing everything.

Christmas eve we loaded my father's two vans with gifts and Christmas dinners, that Mom had carefully placed into large coolers. We all waited until we knew the families would be asleep. Mom loaded the children and a few of the neighbors into our car and Dad and another neighbor drove the vans to the neighborhood by the race tracks.. We very quietly distributed all our gifts, then slipped out of the area as quietly as we arrived.

The next morning we jumped out of bed and ran to our parents room and insisted we drive over to see if anyone found the gifts yet. We jumped into the car still wearing our pj's and waited until Mom and Dad came out. As we came near the area of our Christmas deliveries, we could see the children sitting on the steps in their new clothes and shoes playing with the toys we had fixed up. Occasionally we spotted one of the mothers with a blanket wrapped around a baby and a father tinkering with one of the tools my father left. Dad said he did not want to linger there for fear we would be discovered. But as we drove away that morning we could see out the back window of our car, smiling faces playing with the toys we brought them. I'm not sure who was filled with more joy, those who received the gifts, or those of us who gave them. We talked about the vision we had just witnessed all the way home, never giving any thought to Christmas presents for us.

We got out of the car still filled with the mornings excitement, and headed into the house. As we opened the front door, there in the living room stood the most beautifully lite Christmas tree, that Mom and Dad had put up and decorated completely while we were asleep and under our Christmas tree were five brand new bikes.

I  never forgot that Chistmas... nor the blessings of Giving my Mom and Dad shared with us.

                                         The Latest Production of

                                            Screen play by GOD

Last year was a very dry year here in the mountains of Virginia...but this year God smiled on these hills. We had plenty of rain and temperatures that were a perfect match for the conditions needed to start the Fall Show...!

First on stage were the small Sumac bushes of fire-engine reds...then the Maples entered stage left with their robes of pumpkin orange and goldenrod... followed by the entire cast of various shades of Yellow...Gold...Red...Oranges!

Now everyone take yours seats..sit back and enjoy the Last Show for Fall 2008
 

I am excited at the Endless Possibilities of GOOD that are here before us...the Possibilities of Filling our Beings with Light and Love and being a beacon of Goodness to all those that we encounter...

I am excited about learning something new everyday...and not fearing the exploration or the inspiration that leads to new adventures...Embracing Life

I am excited about finishing the first book I ever attempted to write...

I am excited about all the Magic...the Wonder...the Joy..the Love I have discovered in my dear Precious Friends...

I am excited about the unconditional Love that is flourishing here at Gaia....

May your Days be Filled with Loving Kindness 
Metta to All Beings

The older I get ...the more I realize how important my home is...it's not just a place... but a state of being... it's my sanctuary....my retreat ...!
It is where I meditate...where I create ...where I read...where I write...where I share time with family and friends...where I commune with Nature...where I watch the changing of the seasons roll across the mountains, out my living room window...where I curl up under a quilt in the cool of the evening with my dog Sophie and feel the night air on my face, coming in my open window... where I Dream of Endless Possibilities for Peace and Love for All Beings...where I give thanks to God for all the Blessing in my Life.....!!

A Tribute to a Great Lady...My Friend Lilly

My Friend Lilly had a passion for Living...! She had an inexhaustible love of life inspiring all those who knew her. Though her body was over 90 years old, her spirit soared with youthful energy... She had a zeal for folk dancing...enthusiasm for the arts ...loved creating music with her drum while sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, laughing and singing at the top of her voice... and her devotion to God was evident in every aspect of her life... she was a very active part of the church ( Unitarian Universalist Church).

She received her Doctorate in early childhood education while raising her young daughters...She thrived on the expansion of knowledge and embraced it all... I remember stopping by to visit and saw a stack of book piled high next to the chair I said, "what a clever idea for a side table"OH NO!...Those were the books she was reading...all at the same time!!

She never felt overwhelmed by the mounds of projects that filled her house...always laughing.. darting like a flash of lightening from one to another...fully focused on what ever she was into at the moment...Oh! To have just a fraction of the energy this incredible woman had....!!!

Her home and her heart were always available to all her friends!   When I returned to get my degree in Occupational Therapy, my commute was an hour each way and during the winter it was difficult...so she prepared a room in her home, which was less than a mile from school..,and welcomed me with open arms... I could go on and on about the gracious things this wonderful being has done...unconditionally...for so many!!

The night before she passed she told her family:

Yes! Yes! My Precious Friend...I will reach out and embrace it all for you..

Let your spirit Soar, Sweet Lilly!

I Love You !!

Am I a Recluse??

Recently someone said to me "Diane, you spend too much time at home alone'"You are becoming a Recluse!"

Recluse according to the dictionary ... " a person who lives in seclusion or apart from society...shut off or apart from the world; living in seclusion ..."

Ok let me get this straight ....I don't go to many social events...I spend time most of my time ( when I'm not working) sitting in the back yard on my patio enjoying Nature..or on my computer...am I shut off or apart from the world sitting at home alone...

OH NO!!.....I may be alone, but never lonely...

While I am sitting by myself on the patio..I am sharing time with the multitude of birds flying in and out of the bird feeders, buzzing so close to me... sometimes they even stopping to perch on the chair next to me to visit...chipmunks and squirrels racing along the top of the fence...jumping on the table beside me to gather the nuts and berries I have set out for them...
I watch in wonder as plants burst with color after a soft rain..caressing the newly opened blooms...... I marvel at the clouds dancing ... creating murals of endless visionary sculptures...Maybe dozing off to the sounds of the trees whispering to each other as the gentle breezes brush against my face...Seeing the Oneness of it all !!!...
hardly secluded....

While I sit at my computer...with dear friends from all over the world...we are sharing our deepest feelings...events of joy... of sorrow...of laughter... of visions...of dreams...of tears...of Love...of wishes and possibilities for Universal Peace...Not shut off from the world, but One with the world...

Often, I have to pull myself away...from sheer exhaustion...my entire being overflowing with heart felt Love and Compassion shared with so many friends...not wanting to leave them ..even to rest my body and mind...not wanting to miss one minute of our sharing...living each moment through their stories...immersed in expressions of Loving Kindness...sharing ((Hugs))... Mountains of Love... Oceans of Peace...Stars filled with Endless Possibilities and Moonbeams of Blessings every day... 
 RECLUSE??

I woke up early, as usual, and took my steaming cup of coffee out on the patio to welcome the day. It was still dark, and I could feel the cool mist on my face. There was a hint of fall arriving in the air...cool enough for me to put on a light sweater. There is some thing very special about the early morning that resonates with me...a calm and quiet not yet disturbed by the hustle of the day. Most people were still asleep which gave me a sense of having the purity of the morning all to myself.

The mist was so refreshing and I wanted to bask in it a little longer so I took my cup of coffee and open my wooden gate and headed down my driveway, but something out of the corner of my eye caused me to freeze. Under my giant weeping cherry tree stood a doe, and beneath her curled up in the fresh mown grass, close to the trunk of the tree... her two fawns, still sleeping.   I stood there eye to eye with the doe...I dare not move a muscle to undo this misty morning vision. The steam from my coffee swirled and arose to my nostrils tempting me to take a sip, but I stood steadfast. Occasionally the doe flipped her white tail and bent down close to her fawns to nibble on the grass, but never taking her gaze away from me. Then she  gently nudged her little ones, and ever so slowly they came to there feet. The three of them grazed under the protection of the weeping cherry for a short time longer..then slowly disappeared into the morning mist.

I don't know about you, but when I am privileged to be a part of a special event like that, it makes my heart SMILE with wonder and appreciation !!

Some times I get up in the middle of the night, fix a cup of tea, stroll outside and curl up in a chair on my patio... and sitting in the silence of the night, I ponder the magic of nature. I wonder about the oceans and their ebbs and flows... the moon how it rises then sets in the night sky, casting dark silver shadows across the landscapes, then slowly drops off the horizon just before the sun pops up to illuminate and smile on the new day...how a pending storm feels ominous, but in it's wake it washes away the  impurities , while it caresses and nourishes the earth.

I too have ebbs and flows...and pending storms within, filling me with fear, anger, disappointment, loneliness, and uncertainty ...casting dark shadows across the landscape of my soul... and just as I feel I can endure no more... I start to weep...my tears stream down my face, washing away my sorrow, my doubts, my pain...a gentle peace cradles me and thoughts of blessings illuminate my soul...a smile begins to crack against my dry tears ...and thoughts of Love caress and nourish me once more...sitting in the silence of the night, pondering the magic of nature...the magic of our Oneness!!!