December 3--Start with a Laugh

The greatest lie ever told about love is that it sets you free.  --Zadie Smith

    That's a good one! 

    When I am home, I start most every day with a good laugh. As I am relaxing in bed doing my spiritual practice and blog writing, my sweet husband brings me an excellent cup of coffee. He is usually accompanied by our pup Barney, who hops up on the bed, gets right in my face and checks out my morning breath. Every day! It's so comical! Then he lies down beside me and has an extra morning snooze. How can a day be bad that starts out that way!?!?!?

    I began working at West Heights UMC in the fall of 1999. I bought a Norfolk pine, potted it up, and decorated it like a Christmas tree. The lights stayed on. I brought it home when I left the job in 2006. Fast forward... yesterday I finally replaced the failing pine with a new one, lights and all. That first pine served me well for 25 years. One of my Christmas-time creativity projects is completed. 

    Aiming for the next right thing,

        Leta

The new planting...

December 2--Creativity Required

Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters.  --John Green and David Levithan

    I am a living. breathing, walking example of this quote. I am aware that fear is a much bigger character defect in me than I like. I also know that the potential negative consequences of what I might say, love or go to are simply not worth it. My life is working nicely if I don't get in my own way!

    I have gone nearly a month without seeing any news other than sports. The world and my life have continued to move on. Maybe it's because I've been on vacation, but I'm feeling less angry and bummed. In order to stay upbeat through December, I need to focus on the "next right thing to do." This is a common 12-step phrase encouraging me to stay out of baggage from the past and worries about the future. With my recent purchases of fabric and painting canvases, I have given myself plenty of creative options for this month. 

    Creativity is my best defense against negativity.

        Leta

My niece's Christmas decorations, and I helped!

December 1--It Didn't Work

One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful. 
--Sigmund Freud

    December's theme in "Daily Love" is SACRIFICE. 

    I have the Life Is Good shirt pictured here:

    Note what it says. I wore it specifically on my remaining (400 mile) drive home, hoping to avoid any snowy driving. It failed miserably. My normal six-hour drive (yes, I speed) took well over eight hours, and I had five hours on I70 in Missouri that were in heavy snowfall and slick, often icy roads. I thought I might need surgery to remove my shoulders from my ears as my neck and upper back were so tense. But, since I am writing this, you can see that I made it home in one piece, incredibly grateful. 

    And now it is December, the month containing Christmas. This is the third year that I don't get to spend the holiday with my kids and grandkids, so we will see if I am better able to cope with the month this year. I did not do well the past two Decembers, and I'm bummed that I'm not going to Jamaica this year with my friends to distract me. 

    One day at a time,

        Leta

November 30--Ready for HOME!

But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them forever.  --Jane Austen

    I think it is quite cool that there is always something new to learn about someone. Looking at my brother at the end of his days, one would never suspect that he had graduated from West Point and was once a kick-ass-and-take-names U.S. Army Ranger.

    So far, so good on my clear-weather drive-home plan. I went through several batches of light snow flurries, but never any snow sticking on the roads. The 600 miles took me about 10.5 hours. I'm so grateful to have the bigger part of the journey behind me. 

    Keep up the good work, my mighty (overworked) angels!

        Leta

My destination today!!!

November 29--Love Overflowing

If you can learn from hard knocks, you can also learn from soft touches. 
--Carolyn Kenmore

    My niece and I started the Thanksgiving holiday by "hard knocking" each other into a chilly 2-mile walk, leaving us with the "soft touch" of self-righteousness to eat whatever we wanted. I'm pleased to say that although there was plenty of food to OD on, I managed to eat moderately. My intake was kept at bay due to heavy-duty game playing, including a couple card games and of course, Rummikub. 

    It was a very blessed holiday because I spent it with a niece, two nephews, a niece-in-law, and three great-nephews. These are all descendants of my brother Arlie who passed in April. My niece bought the "whole nine yards" Thanksgiving meal from Bob Evans Restaurant, making the entire production so yummy and so much easier for her. 

    I was treated to a holiday video-chat with my son and the older grandson, who is becoming quite the talker. I turned in around 11pm, looking ahead to my 600 mile drive today, back to my in-laws' home in Wentzville, Missouri. 

    My guardian angels rock!!!

        Leta

More fun from "Wild Winter Lights,"
Cleveland Zoo

November 28--Millions of Them!

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.  --Oscar Wilde

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

    I have decided for the time being to use my morning prayer time to simply say "Thank You!" I typically run through a bunch of lovely visions I have for my loved ones and me. Spirit knows all that, and I figure must get bored with the daily repetition. A simple "Thank You!" feels good. 

    Yesterday I did my final lap swim of this visit, 11 days in a row, over seven miles total. Then I helped my niece with holiday prep, which wore us out, thus necessitating naps 😉😉 The big event of the day--niece Debi drove son Bryce and I to the Cleveland Zoo for "Wild Winter Lights." Being the light-and-color-freak that I am, it was heaven. The couple-mile trek around the Zoo was decorated with millions of lights, and even had a big field of light trees and displays set to music. It was chilly but dry and calm, so it was a super night to roam. We even saw two tigers. 

    Celebrate! Celebrate!

        Leta

November 27--They Add Up

How we spend days is, of course, how we spend our lives.  --Annie Dillard

    I'm going to be really good at eternity because I love to nap so much! 

    I suspect that most of us feel like our days are not that exciting. We hang out with loved ones, work, go to school, enjoy hobbies and activities, eat, sleep, shop, keep appointments, maintain a home, etc. It seems to me that the key to this, and to "how we spend days," is all about attitude. We can do our "stuff" with a good attitude or a bad one, and we are continually choosing. I've pulled myself out of many a funk with the question, "If this was my last day alive, would I want to be living it in this crappy mood?!?!" 

    My niece has the plaque shown below hanging in one of her rooms. I'd say it is a good way to apply Ms. Dillard's quote. 

    Prepping for Thanksgiving Day and family coming to town,

        Leta