Sunday, October 21, 2007

Alphabet Soup - Leter "F"

I wrote about this one previously over HERE.

Alphabet Soup - The letter "E"

Moving right along through the alphabet I come to the letter "E".

First and formost for this letter for me would have to be Eternal Marriage.

Because I am active LDS I believe in the concept of being married for "time and all eternity" rather than "till death do us part." Being sealed in the Temple by one who holds authority to perform such does NOT give us any guarentees - but rather opens the door to sacred potential of continuing together througout forever, if we make the right choices along the way. That is incredibly comforting to me.

EARS give me the capacity to hear music, the laughter of children, the sound of rain falling in the trees. Hearing is a wonderful sense that blesses me in so many ways. I know I take it for granted too much.

ENDIVE - who doesn't love a good salad?? Seriously, I am tremendously grateful to live in a time and place where I can go to my local market and get all kinds of fresh veggies year round. Just a couple generations ago that was unheard of - our pioneer forfathers ate what they grew, found or killed and not much else. I love the produce department!

Other e-blessings are described in my earlie post HERE, as that was written when I first discovered alphabet soup.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Alphabet Soup - My Letter "D" Blessings

On delightful dog days I dreamily dangle my toes into dangerous waters.
Determined to decipher my destiny I demand dungeons of duty desist from their decadent drills of doom in my brain and damn them to dark corners - liberating my thoughts and will to dance new steps of delicious delirium in freedom.

Yeah, D is a fun letter to play with.

For blessings...

DOG - my trusty basset hound, Morgan dog brings sweet friendship.

DREAMS - not the night time kind - for me those range from weird to creepy. But I have many dreams of things I hope to do one day; some become specific goals with an action plan for reaching them. Some remain fantasy of how I'd like things to be but will probably never follow up on. Nonetheless, I enjoy dreaming. Whether it is conjuring up images of walking on the great wall of China, learning to paint, getting serious about social activism or running away with the circus...it's fun to dream!


Dandelion Memories
- I have this incredibly powerful image in my mind of my first born son sitting in a field of dandelions, giggling and grinning with complete enthusiasm and glee; I had no camera at the time, but took a picture with my heart. That moment is carved in my soul with such sweetness and wonder. He was about two at the time - so it was 30 years ago. He is all grown up now, doing his best to face life's challenges. I honor the man he has become. But in my heart, he is still my dandelion baby.

Daffodils - I just love their cheerful faces announcing spring has finally arrived. I have several different varieties planted around my yard.

Dining Table - Last night we had three other couples come to dinner. We laughed together about inane aspects of life, pondered some over weightier matters, and thoroughly enjoyed one another's company. I love having a sturdy oak table with many leaves that I can put in to change the size from little to big in just a shake so I can accommodate gatherings of this sort. Many a meal has been savored at this table. I've also used it for game nights with friends, sorting out glass, wrapping gifts, and all sorts of things. It's the heart of our home in many ways.

Decorations - Right now that dining table mentioned above is decorated with baby pumpkins and a garland of fake autumn leaves. It feels festive to commemorate the coming of autumn with these things. At all the major holidays I will put out a few treasures collected over the years - my Easter Egg tree, a leprechaun wreath, and of course go out full tilt with lights and garland and bows galore come Christmas. It's fun to mark the seasons and special days with decorations, some of which I've had handed down to me from my mother and grandmother.

Dancing - I am not much of a dancer. I simply don't have the grace. But I am married to a man who doesn't seem to mind that I flunked waltz when we took a ballroom dance class a couple years ago. He dances with me anyway...holding me close and spinning me through the room with tenderness in his eyes. Whether it is is in union with my beloved or simply times when I boogie to blasting music by myself while cleaning house - I firmly believe in the adage that says "Dance Like No One is Watching." It feels good to just let my body move and celebrate life!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Alphabet Soup - My Letter "C" Blessings

While the obvious answer for "C" would be Christ, for my spiritual blessing for this letter I choose to focus on COVENANTS. Covenants are two way promises - and those I make with God are the most sacred agreements of my life. I have baptismal covenants. I have temple covenants. I hold these to be holy and they strengthen and direct my live in more ways than I can name.

Computer is key blessing for me. Because I teach online classes for it is part of my livelihood. Beyond that, it is my way to stay connected with a myriad of friends and family scattered over the earth. It is a tool for finding information. It provides entertainment. It keeps me organized. I would be lost without it.

College is a huge part of my life. Getting an education had a lot to do with making it possible for me to turn my life around from the mess that it was to the stable and satisfying path I'm on today. Beyond that, I have taught college classes for the last dozen years. I've worked in many different capacities over the years, but when I am teaching it truly feels as if the planets have all lined up and the angels are singing in the heavens...I'm in the ZONE. I love it! I'm sure I'll still do lots of other things as years come and go, but college life will always hold a special magic for me.

Crayons - I love to color with my grand kids - or anyone else for that matter.

Cinnamon - whether in pumpkin pies or sprinkled with sugar on toast, I love the taste and the smell of this yummy spice. Scent is a powerful sensory experience for me and I adore walking into the house when it is filled with good smells!

Capillaries - just to remind myself to be grateful for the small unseen things in my life that give me strength. It is easy to recognize the big, shiny, impressive blessings that call attention to themselves. But I know there are a million and one tiny and unseen factors that make my life so sweet. Capillaries to do their job of spreading my blood all throughout my body in tiny little pockets to be sure oxygen and nutrients get to every spot. So thank you to capillaries and all the rest of the wonderful C words in my life!