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i know these first two photos are a fine example of my true lack of photography skills... but they make me smile. look at all that hair! |
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spring keeps playing this game with us... arriving early, leaving...returning for a day here and there... she convinced little plants and critters it was safe to come out and play... and then she took off yet again. |
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we woke to this two mornings ago... lovely. |
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i have nothing more to say. |
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i'm having one of those days. 18 million thoughts in my head and i can barely form a sentence. |
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i spent the morning outside. a bit chilly, but the sun is bright. there is lots of cleaning up to do. normally i start into it and get in the zone... but it didn't happen today. |
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not in the right mood from the start i suppose... oh and then i see... deer have been munching on my hostas and tulips already... |
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plan b... grab camera, be optimistic and focus. i cleared my head and found some little hints of spring. live in the moment. eat spinach. be grateful for every little living thing... and that big ball of fire in the sky. xox |
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it's snowing a little this morning and it's chilly. cheerfully bright tulips on the mantle help with all that. |
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...and just so you know, these photos have absolutely nothing to do with today's post. |
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yesterday oprah was in toronto and she had two live online life classes. (one aired on own last night and another will be later) the first was about gratitude and the second was about forgiveness. these are a couple of things that i try hard to have present in my life. (and remind the girls of often) i thought i knew enough about these two rules, but i was wrong. a lot of what was said was kind of blah, blah, blah... and i was thinking about shutting it down. i'm glad i didn't. a few things really made me think... |
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-some people give love by the gallon, others by the pint. those who love by the pint don't know any differently. that's the best they can do. we need to forgive them for that. find others who love by the gallon and they will fill the gap. -people generally love in 4 ways 1. only give love if it gets them attention 2. loves but expects something for it 3. loves but with some boundaries 4. loves completely unconditionally (rare, like mother theresa, dali lama kind of love) something we can strive for of course. i understand this already... i just liked hearing someone else say it... it validated my belief system. one more thing... -if someone is judging you because you do not fill their expectations...it is none of your business. it's their problem, not yours. let go of the guilt and forgive yourself. in the past i've tried not to take things personally, but now i'll quickly let it go... and forgive them too. have a happy tuesday. xox |
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if you know me or you've read my blog now and then... you should know one thing for sure... i love. anyone who thinks differently either doesn't know the real me or they've crossed a line. i have often given second and third chances... but with life experience i have learned this... when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. i am teaching my girls this and more. do your best, forgive, be yourself, be beautiful on the inside, think before you speak, be kind, be grateful, love. xox |
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today was lovely. sunny and bright. spent lots of time outside. just starting to feel like myself again... my new jury friends have been feeling the same way. we all put so much into it, everything we had. the sunshine was a welcomed source of comfort and energy. |
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late afternoon i started to set up our easter table. draped it with one of my newest vintage sheets and added some peeps and duckies. |
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we had ham with pineapple, sweet potatoes and green beans. lemon meringue pie from the grocery store. nothing fancy. just my little family. just what i needed. simple food... in a cozy room full of unconditional love. happy easter xox |
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I am very aware that I am not allowed to talk about certain details of the criminal case I took part in. Luckily though I can share a bit of my experience... just for the record. Jury selection day was intense. Then there's a delayed realization that you are "Juror #9". And before it has time to fully sink in, you are sitting before a "victim" and hearing every little detail of some unbelievably horrible and traumatic event. This is not easy stuff to digest... it is far from the sweet little life that most of us live. It is easy to feel empathetic and immediately want to put the criminal away... but then others add to the evidence, and you hear another side... and after 6 days of testimony 12 people, from all different life experiences are forced to spend whatever time it takes to reach a unanimous decision. It took us 17 hours... 2 nights away from home. No contact with the outside world. No phone. No computer. No radio. No newspaper. No tv. Guarded every minute. It is unsettling to say the least, but I would do it again. We were a great team. The amount of respect shown for each other was such a gift. I have made new friends... bonded over an experience that you wouldn't understand unless you've gone through it. We had to trust each other and ask for help to understand things that none of us could imagine to be true. We had to be patient and calm. In the end I believe that the system worked for us. A man was given a fair trial, we found him not guilty and he looked right at me and said thank you. I hope he understands that we put the time in... we worked tediously through the process, bit by bit, until we all understood that he was innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. I'm so glad to be home. xox |
