September 12--The Disease of Fear and Violence

Most of the time, all you have is the moment, and the imperfect love of the people around you.  --Anne Lamott

    Still awaiting the grandbaby!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    These are the words of Shane Claiborne: 

Violence is contagious. Violence begets violence.… Pick up the sword and die by the sword. You kill us and we’ll kill you. There is a contagion of violence in the world; it’s spreading like a disease.

    It is quite clear to me that a vote for Trump is a vote for spreading the disease of violence. He has demonstrated it in every appearance, ranging from mocking a disabled person to promising to go after anyone who is disloyal to him. His whole message is based in fear and violence. 

    Is this what you want for your future and your children's future?

    It is incomprehensible to me that ANY woman could vote for Trump. His misogynistic behavior is quite evident, and he and his old white male cronies have no interest in women having any rights. 

    Any vote for Trump, "in my book," is an act of treason to the U.S. and the Constitution and everything that has already made America great. This would be either a willful traitor (I'm rich and I want to stay rich; Trump will support that) or an ignorant traitor (somehow convinced to believe his lies, proving the failure of our public education system). Willful or ignorant traitor? I can't come up with a choice of which is worse. 

    Haven't we had enough violence? Let's go for love, no matter how imperfect.

        Leta

Let's make our country for ALL!

September 11--Waiting...

There is not love of life without despair about life.  --Albert Camus

    Well, life begins and life ends. I restate Brian McLaren's definition of grief: grief is love persisting when what we love is passing away. Another way to look at the Camus quote is in this spiritual wisdom: everything has a lifespan. Nothing stays the same, and generally we don't care for that, but oh, well--there is the despair. 

    Right now I am wildly swinging between love and despair. The new grandbaby is due any day now, LOVE OF LIFE. Not knowing what's happening moment-to-moment (they are in Colorado) has me in a concurrent state of anxious despair. We don't know if the baby is a boy or girl, so there's extra excitement over the surprise. September 11 was my mother's birthday, so it would be cool for her great grandbaby to arrive today. 

    Stay tuned!!

        Leta

Barney is really good at waiting...

September 10--Love Evolves

When you love someone you do not love them, all the time, in the exact same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is a lie to pretend to. 
--Anne Morrow Lindbergh

    Let's start out with "you do not love them all the time." Note that I removed a comma. 😉😉 The folks I love the most--yep, I do not love them all the time. Or maybe I always love them but sometimes I don't like them. 

    Let's put the comma back in. (By the way, there is a great book for grammar/punctuation nerds titled "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss. Note that the comma after "Eats" is quite meaningful.) The quote above makes me think of the "5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. To summarize, we love by 1) quality time, 2) words of affection, 3) acts of service, 4) physical touch, and 5) gifts. Any good relationship is probably an ongoing, changing combination of those five actions. I can look at my marriage and see that those have changed over time. I would say that now our primary "language" with each other is #3. It works for us.

    When you love someone, being able to adapt to change is a very important skill!

        Leta

At Botanica in Wichita

September 9--Wonders!

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.  --Carl Sagan

    Consider our Universe--apparently infinite in every way, thereby giving us unlimited exploration and learning opportunities. And right where you are, your own body, is the same--an unending learning opportunity. Certainly science has discovered much about our universe and the human body, but there is still much more that we don't know. 

    I realize that Carl Sagan was the really-big-picture-Universe guy. But I have opened up a new world for myself with the simple idea of painting clay pots, combining my love of painting and plants. I googled "painted clay pots" and an incredible array of ideas scrolled before me. I even ordered some holographic glitter paints (which excite me to no end--I LOVE sparkles!!). Stay tuned for pot #2. (Pot #1 photo is on Sept 2 post.)

    There are always new worlds to explore if we remain open.

        Leta

Sparkles!!! 😀😀

September 8--Grieving Our Natural World

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.  --Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation of September 5 is titled "Fall in Love With A Place." The idea is to have somewhere in nature where one becomes intimately aware of all its nuances, gifts, and challenges so that one is willing to work to sustain it. My "place" is Alan Seeger Natural Area in central PA. Another is my backyard garden, and I do put in quite a bit more effort there. 

    Brian McLaren offers these words relative to our grief regarding our abuse of nature:

Through the years, I’ve been involved in a lot of different areas of activism and so often what sustains us and motivates us in our activism work is anger. That’s legitimate because wherever we see injustice, we ought to be angry. But anger … can toxify our motivations if anger is all that’s driving us. That’s why I think it helps often for us to trace our anger back to grief... and then to trace our grief to love. It’s because we love something that we feel grief when it’s threatened. In fact, one of my favorite definitions of grief is that grief is love persisting when what we love is passing away. What you love, you try to save, and that’s why so many of us see the natural world around us with such tenderness, with such grief, sometimes with such anger, because what we love is passing away.

    I love McLaren's definition of grief. I have experienced considerable grief over the past couple of years, and I think that's true for the rest of humanity also. 

        Leta

A mossy decaying tree stump
in Alan Seeger Natural Area, PA

September 7--Bless Our Trees

Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.  --Moliere

    When we moved into our home in 1985, all the trees in the neighborhood were spindly little saplings. I could barely wait to get trees planted in our yard. That happened in 1990. Back then I did not dream that we would be in the same home nearly 40 years later, but here we are and the trees that remain are big. I went from a sunny yard with a thriving vegetable garden to a shady one with ornamental plants only. Disease, age and/or storm damage have forced the removal of several of ours and our neighbors trees, and I'm back to growing some vegetables. Many folks in the neighborhood planted silver maples because they grow fast. Those are the ones that are also failing the soonest. 

    I grew up in central PA surrounded by literally millions of trees. I was a "tree-hugger" before that was even a term. And yes, the slow growers thrive for the longest time.  

    A tree's shade is priceless in our hot Kansas summers. 

        Leta

My "tree heaven"--
Alan Seeger Natural Area in PA

September 6--Is Pain Useful?

Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.  --Ovid

    Being human, I would prefer to avoid pain. Times in life accompanied by great pain generally don't seem useful in the moment. Alas, humans, including me, tend to change only when the pain reaches a certain level. As I ponder this quote, I can see where pain has been extremely useful to me. 

    Back in 1996, I had a bout of horrid back pain. Instead of having surgery, I elected bed-rest for nearly six weeks, and it did heal. That was no small challenge for a working husband and two young children. Patience was the primary "medicine." That pain was very useful--I vowed to get in shape and stay in shape so that it would not happen again. I have kept that promise to myself. 

    Pain on every level led me into 12-Step recovery. The pain of losing loved ones has led me to understanding and compassion relative to grief. The verbal abuse I experienced growing up was the major instigator of my spiritual journey. 

    I'm not ready to say "bring it on!" to pain, but yes, it has been a useful messenger.

        Leta

September 5--Expectations

Whatever it is you're seeking won't come in the form you're expecting. 
--Haruki Murakami

    I've worked hard the past few years to give up any sort of expectations, because they have led me frequently in the past into disappointments large and small. It is, however, impossible for me to give up expectations, at least so far. I try to remember to add "this or something better" to my anticipated results. 

    I confess that this topic has reduced me to tears, taking me briefly back down the "rabbit hole" of disappointment and depression I have recently climbed out of. I guess a good soul-rinsing was in order--not what I was expecting this morning, but healing nonetheless. 

    This is a good reminder to keep moving, breathe and go with the flow.

        Leta

September 4--Go Outside!

Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience--or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.  --Jane Austen

    "Hope" sits better in my psyche than "patience." I am hopeful, but thoughts of patience make me realize how impatient I usually am. 

    I had the most wonderful experience on Labor Day morning. I took my yoga mat and MELT roller out on our deck and practiced. It was a lovely, cool, sunny morning with just a light breeze. There was birdsong and insect chatter. Distant traffic noise was picking up. The garden is lovely, especially our wildly exuberant volunteer sunflowers (see below). I even enjoyed my artwork as five of my barn quilts are hanging on our back yard shed. Practicing on the deck is a treat I shall repeat with our lovely fall weather coming on. 

    Consider your options--maybe a change is in good order today!

        Leta

Too full of flowers to stay upright!

September 3--Settling?

It's a funny thing about life. If you refuse to settle for anything less than the best, that's what it will give you.  --W. Somerset Maugham

    It's a funny thing about life--the idea of settling came to me last week as something I might consider. I even did some journaling about it. I think the practice of settling is different for each individual. Here's one example, for a very wealthy person: "I want my own castle, but I'll settle for a mansion." 

    I'm more in the range of "I want diamonds, but I'll settle for cubic zirconia." I also have within me a drive to and for simplicity--less stuff and fewer complications in life. I'm not sure how simplicity and settling get intertwined. There are some circumstances in my life that are not ideal, over which I have little or no control. Therefore I simply have to settle into those, accept (even though I don't care for them), and move on with life. 

    Gratitude seems to be a good antidote for settling. Most of the time I can stay focused on my in-hand blessings rather than my unmet fantasies. 

    There's more to ponder here, I see. 

        Leta

September 2--Stillness Opens Us

We do not need to go out and find love; rather, we need to be still and let love discover us.  --John O'Donohue

    Only in stillness can we connect deeply with the love within us, our natural, organic state. 

    Painting is one of the ways that I can use stillness. I have no expectations of my artwork residing in a gallery someday. I am very content to piddle around with paints and please myself. I love the open spiritual feeling I get when I sit down at my craft table to add paint to a project. My current project is experimenting with painting clay pots, combining my love of painting and plants. Below is my first creation--note my love of straight lines 😉😉 The plant is a Rattlesnake Plant, calathea lancifolia. I noticed that this plant's leaves reach upward toward the stars at nighttime and relax back open in the daylight. 

    Happy Labor Day! This is an excellent day to enjoy stillness.

        Leta

September 1--Patience, NOW!

That is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep.  --Willa Cather

    The theme in "Daily Love" for September is patience.  Are you kidding me?!?!?! I have another grandbaby on the way mid-month. I stayed calm through August but there's no stopping me now--I can hardly wait for the call!! Even the parents don't know if the new little one is a boy or a girl. I love surprises!

    Jittery excitement aside, I enter September with some trepidation. I love autumn and cooler temperatures. Gardening becomes pleasurable again. Simulated patient work is resuming. Yet I've had 95% of my rough spots in life in September, so I'm always a little wary. I am determined, focusing on my intentions, to make this a good month. And how could it be otherwise with a new grandbaby arriving!?!? And I'm starting the month with pool fun and game-playing with friends. 

    With patience, September shall flow with ease and grace.

        Leta

?????? 😂😂

August 31--The End of Friendship (Just Kidding)

How we need another soul to cling to.  --Sylvia Plath

    I met a relatively-new friend at my favorite coffee shop yesterday morning for breakfast and a gab session. We had both been away from home over a several week stretch, and it was great to be together again. We are both in our 60s, and we have friends. We don't need more friends. But who is going to turn down someone with whom one "clicks"? We really enjoy each other both on and off the pickleball court. 

    If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that napping is my favorite hobby. I saw this random post somewhere amongst my scrolling on the internet: 

I’m staying in my pajamas today because I'm dressing for the job I want, and I want to be a Princess who sleeps for a hundred years.

Could there be a better reason to stay in one's pajamas?!!?! Does it logically follow that if one does not want a job, one should run around naked?!?!

    Life can appear messy and ugly. Let's laugh more, especially with friends!

        Leta

August 30--The Mystery of Friendship

We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over. 
--Ray Bradbury

    Whatever it is that attracts one person to another is one of the great mysteries of life. You can rattle off such things as shared interests or common beliefs, but it is more than that. I've met a lot of folks via pickleball play, and there's just one wherein we seemed to "hit it off" right away, so we have chosen to hang out and get to know each other off the court. 

    Mary Davis, author of "Every Day Spirit," invites us to be a friend of all, because we are all made of the same stuff:

Delight. Happiness. Shining. Rays.

Compassion. Wisdom. Radiance. Grace.

Joy. Hope. Strength. Love.

These are the things we are made of.

Songs. Harmony. Peace. One.

Silence. Power. Will. Sun.

Joy. Hope. Strength. Love. 

These are the things we are made of.

Eagle wings. Angel flight.

Soaring. Dancing. Dark. Light.

Joy. Hope. God. Love.

These are the things we are made of.

Light. Stars. Skies. Moons. 

Galaxies. Planets. Earth. Ruins.

Joy. Hope. Infinite love. 

These are the things we are made of.

Water. Dust. Fire. Flame. 

Wind. Rock. Clouds. Rain.

Joy. Hope. Faith. Love.

These are the things we are made of.

Roots. Branches. Blooms. Blades.

Mountains. Rivers. Forests. Lakes. 

Joy. Hope. God. Love. 

These are the things we are made of.

We are all one. Yep. 

        Leta

August 29--Lovable!

If you would be loved, be lovable.  --Ovid 

    The photo accompanying the quote is of a panda bear cub relaxing in the crook of a tree. Awwww, so lovable!

    Today, pie is lovable. A dear friend and I are going on a day trip. I'm quite excited, because we used to do this often and the pandemic interrupted everything. It's a time for us to have dedicated time to catch up and enjoy the love we have shared for many years. But back to pie... every one of our day trips must include pie. Our plan today is to have the famous sliders at the Cozy Inn in Salina, then mosey on over to Hutch for pie at the Dutch Kitchen Restaurant. After all that, naps will be necessary! 😉😉

    Going along with Ovid's quote, I offer these words from Mary Davis:

"Every time we send positive light to someone, through prayer, visualization or a loving thought, we co-create with the divine. Today, change the world with the power of your positive thoughts."

    Go for it!

        Leta

August 28--Friends and Loneliness

There is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion, an interpretation, of one's self, the very meaning of one's soul.  --Edith Wharton

    There are several folks in my life who fit this quote, and therefore, I am extremely blessed. I feel as though we have been associated somehow in previous lifetimes and synchronicity brought us together again, so that we connect instantly with a significant comfort level. 

    The topic of our 12-Step meeting on Monday night was loneliness, and not using our substance of choice to cope with that. I shared that loneliness has been a difficult emotion for me to identify. I think I have continually told myself that because I live with someone, I can't be lonely. But that is not true. I'm grateful that I have the ability to handle loneliness without eating over it. 

    Life is a continual learning process,

        Leta

August 27--New Worlds

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.  --Anais Nin

    This leads me first to the practice of sponsorship in the 12-Step programs. Consistent program work with a sponsor is most definitely a life-changing experience that births a new world of recovery. Some of my dearest friends in this lifetime came to me via my addiction. 

    I think next of the friend who invited me to stay at her home while I attended yoga teacher training over a decade ago. That offer made it easy logistically to attend the training. A new world was certainly born for me through that experience, though I will say that the labor was VERY long and difficult. 😉😉

    I remember in my first "real" job the friend who invited me to play on the company golf team. I said I had never played, and she said, "You're athletic, you'll be fine." (I remember that because, trust me, that was the first time in my life that anyone called me athletic!) I rented clubs to try it, played a dreadful first round, loved it, and bought clubs the next day. Golfing has turned out to be a huge bonding activity with my sons and me. It has birthed new worlds for them, too. 

    I appreciate the person who so kindly took me under her wing when I walked onto a pickleball court for the first time, a complete newbie with a paddle in hand and the willingness to learn. A fun new world opened for me as I now play several times a week. 

    Lastly, a giant new world, literally the whole planet, opened up for me when my traveling bud, Lanie, said "Yes, let's go!" to the first trip proposal many years ago. We've covered a lot of territory on Mother Earth, and there's plenty more to see. 

    Opening one's heart and mind can be quite rewarding!

        Leta

More orchid beauty from
Longwood Gardens

August 26--Express Yourself!

A good laugh heals a lot of hurts.  --Madeleine L'Engle

    I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt with a bear pictured on it along with these words of wisdom, "A human in a sleeping bag is like a soft taco." 😉😉 Here are a few funny bumper stickers I found online:

• I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned. 
• Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it.
• I was hoping for a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed. 
• No. Please. Don't treat me any differently than you would the Queen.

    Several years ago, I proposed to a couple of writer friends that we get together via Zoom and share our writings. One lives in Florida, the other has recently moved from Kansas City to Wichita. We get together on a sporadic basis, all with busy lives and families, but dedicated to writing. Yesterday one of them sent me this Henri Nouwen meditation describing why one writes:

Writing is a process in which we discover what lives in us. The writing itself reveals to us what is alive in us. The deepest satisfaction of writing is precisely that it opens up new spaces within us of which we were not aware before we started to write. To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know. Thus, writing requires a real act of trust. We have to say to ourselves: “I do not yet know what I carry in my heart, but I trust that it will emerge as I write.” Writing is like giving away the few loaves and fishes one has, trusting that they will multiply in the giving. Once we dare to “give away” on paper the few thoughts that come to us, we start discovering how much is hidden underneath these thoughts and gradually come in touch with our own riches.

    There are plenty of days when I don't feel like writing. Something in me compels me to do it. I would say that at least half the time, I have no idea what to write about when I open my Chromebook in the morning. Yet something comes through, as Mr. Nouwen so nicely articulates. I would also say that, for me, his description applies to painting. I have started another painting project--stay tuned. 

    Have a good laugh today!

        Leta

😀😉😏

August 25--We CAN Do Better

Love and friendship. They are what make us who we are, and what can change us, if we let them.  --Emily Giffin

    Are y'all not tired of the fear-mongering, threats and revenge? Of lies? Of making fun of those with disabilities? Of violence, greed and corruption? All these are being used to supposedly "make America great again." It was never any of these things that ever made America great. 

    Let us lean into love and friendship with all humans and creatures on our magnificent Mother Earth. It is only via a higher consciousness that we can create a saner world for future generations. 

        Leta

August 24--Let's Play!

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. 
--Kahlil Gibran

    Let there be game-playing! For my own pleasure and laughter, I'm talking about Rummikub and pickleball. One has to be able to laugh at pickleball. At least a couple times a game, I'll take a swing at the ball, hit it, and have no idea where it went. Sometimes my acts of self-defense are comical. Then there are the personalities of the other players--it's all in good fun. The more "serious" players go to those other courts... maybe they are having fun but I don't notice much laughter. 

    One of my favorite activities when visiting my niece is for us to meet friends at a brewpub for pizza and beers and then play Rummikub for several hours. It's a win-win for the pub and us, and laughter, name-calling and silliness are a part of the game. 

    Life is a game--fill it with friends, laughter and pleasure!

        Leta

August 23--What If

Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over. 
--Gloria Naylor

    I'm offering these "what if's" from Mike Dooley's "Notes from the Universe" of August 21:

What if loneliness was simply a feeling of impatience, telepathically sent to you by friends you've yet to meet, urging you to go out more, do more, and get involved, so that life's serendipities could bring you together... Would you still feel alone?

What if illness was just the signal a healthy body sent to urge clarification of your thoughts, feelings, and dreams... Would you still, at times, think of yours as unwell?

What if feelings of uncertainty and confusion were only reminders that you have options, that there's no hurry, and that everything is as it should be... Would you still feel disadvantaged?

What if so-called mistakes and failures only ever happened when your life was about to get better than it's ever been before... Would you still call them mistakes and failures?

And what if poverty and lack were simply demonstrations of your manifesting prowess, as "difficult" to acquire as wealth and abundance... Would they still cause you to feel powerless?

    There is a close family situation wherein a mother (not me) has had to be silent and let go as one of her son's enters into a transaction which could be great or could end up with a lot of ugly pieces to pick up. "A time for silence" can be a very challenging thing, but as older adults, we know that the youngsters simply have to learn by going through situations on their own. 

    Forging ahead, one day at a time,

        Leta

One of the Core Values on the
"Notes from the Universe" website

August 22--Too Sweet

There's all kinds of love in the world, and not all of it looks like the stuff in greeting cards.  --Jennifer Weiner

    Who sends greeting cards these days!??!!? Obviously we still do, as Hallmark et al are still making them. I get a special chuckle out of the greeting-card experience. I have been married to my husband for 38 years, and EVERY greeting card from my mother-in-law (birthdays, Christmas, anniversary) refers to me as "daughter-in-law." No generic card for me! I assume this has been the case with her other d-i-ls, too. 

    The card-makers don't put a lot of tough love into cards. I haven't seen one that says, "Isn't it about time you got your shit together?!?!?!" There is a store on College Avenue in Fort Collins that has the best funny cards. I sent one to a friend that said on the front, "We've been through a lot together," and on the inside: "And most of it was your fault!" And another: "Exercise makes you look better in a swimsuit," and on the inside: "So does alcohol. Your choice!" 

    Life is more often messy rather than the sappy stuff of the traditional greeting card. I like it that way!!

        Leta

August 21--Maybe?!!?

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.  --Aristotle

    Actually, I think in the infinite grand scheme of things, this may be the case. Our souls are not limited to our bodies, not some separate entities floating around somewhere. We are all part of the Big Soul. Have you had the experience wherein you meet someone new and become instant friends, as though you have known each other forever? I'd bet that's what Aristotle was claiming. Who knows!??! Anyway, I like the idea. 

    I'm settling back into non-traveling life. My projects-make-me-happy husband did amazing things while I was away. He bought a pressure washer and cleaned everything--porch, window frames, deck, siding, garden fountain. No cobweb or speck of dirt was safe. He chopped up and disposed of a bunch of tree limbs that came down in recent storms. He fixed toilets. He vacuumed. He kept things alive in the garden despite the gross heat and humidity. What a guy--I'm still discovering things he did.

    Life is good!

        Leta

August 20--Your Heart Knows You

As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.  --Steve Jobs

    Comically, I use this sentiment often when I shop, not one of my more beloved activities. If a customer service person asks to help me, I'll often say, "I'm just looking, I'll know it when I find it." 

    I saw a sun-catcher recently that said, "Follow your heart. It knows where to go." 

    Here is a poem blessing mind, body and soul from "Every Day Spirit" by Mary Davis:

 

May the light shine upon you

To illuminate your way

May you stand on a mountaintop

And see a brighter day

May all the separate pieces 

Of your world become one whole

May spirit hold you safe in love

Mind, body and soul

May you flow like the river 

As we kneel upon your shore

May you bend like the tallest tree

In the winter storm

May you fly on wings of freedom

In peace forevermore

May spirit hold you safe in love

Mind, body and soul

May you always love with everything

And know everything is love

May you never cry for what can't be

In your hand is just enough

May you shine the light that shines on you 

And teach us what you know

May spirit hold you safe in love

Mind, body and soul

    Have an excellent, love-filled Tuesday!

        Leta

The darker green plant on the right is a 
Rattlesnake plant--I brought 
one home from Longwood Gardens

August 19--Spread Loving Thoughts

If, instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give. 
--George MacDonald

    I call often upon my crew of angels, inviting them to support such things as safe travel and falling asleep. I have several friends with challenges of some sort, and I like to hold them lovingly in my heart, knowing there is Something that loves them even more than I do. That Something might be angels or the Almighty Whatever, doesn't matter what we call it. The more love we can move around, either by thought or action, the better for all!

        Leta

More beauty from Longwood Gardens

August 18--Shoved Into the Wild

A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.  --John O'Donohue

    I'm going with the idea that in my lifetime, my dysfunctional family of origin was a significant "friend" to me. Growing up in that particular environment most definitely encouraged me to "get the hell out of there," which led to inviting wild possibilities in my life. My dad refused to fly ("You don't die till your number is up, and I don't want to be up there when the pilot's number is up."), so my mother took me on international trips, thus implanting my love of travel. My family was riddled with addiction, which eventually led me to the life-changing 12-Step programs. Recovery from addiction has enabled me to do all sorts of amazing things such as yoga teacher training, spiritual coaching, and the wildest possibility of all--parenting. 

    As I have so often repeated: a bad example can be a good thing. 

        Leta

More beauty from Longwood Gardens

August 17--Coming Through for You

Friends show their love in times of trouble.  --Euripides

    That is when it is needed the most! 

    At my brother's memorial service in April, his EX son-in-law showed up, much to nearly everyone's dismay. My niece and I did not find out until weeks later that EX was begging to come over to my niece's house to hang with the family afterward, and was even talking of "reconciling." Dear friends made it extremely clear to EX that he was not welcome in any way. I believe these were not calm conversations, and our dear friends kept things away from us at a very troublesome time. 

    Today, let a friend know how much you appreciate her or him. 

        Leta

Orchid at Longwood Gardens

August 16--TGIF

Be with those who help your being.  --Rumi

    I was with a group of friends last night who have been getting together monthly for over 20 years. Some folks have been invited to join us and subsequently left because, I assume, we did not help their being. I heard last night that a couple of women rarely come because the bulk of us are not politically conservative enough for them. 

    Pickleball players help my being. I think I'll go hang with them today. 

        Leta

Today is my grandson's big day!

August 15--600 Done, 400 To Go

Stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary.  --Amos Bronson Alcott

    I have enjoyed my heading-home stay with my in-laws. One of the in-laws' grandsons bought them a digital photo frame and had loaded a few photos on it. I was able to download the app to my phone and add photos of their great-grandson in Colorado. I'll be able to do this from home also, thus eliminating the need to get photos printed for them. 

    My 600-mile drive yesterday was smooth, dry, sunny and uneventful, just the way I like it. I just heard rumblings of thunder, so today's drive may not be so dry. Nevertheless, I am ready to get home. 

    Westward again!
        Leta

The Japanese Garden at Longwood Gardens

August 14--Heading Home

Rare as is true love, true friendship is rarer.  --Jean de la Fontaine

    And staying a Cubs fan long-term is even rarer. Alas, the Guardians beat the Cubs 2-1 last night. The Cubs have, by far, lost the most one-run games in major league baseball this year. Yet I still love them.

    Today I start the long journey home. Today's mile total will be around 600. It is nice to get the bigger part of the drive done on the first day. That makes 400 on the second day seem easy. I'm looking forward to another visit with my in-laws, plus their early bedtime works great for me after the long drive. 

    Westward!

        Leta

Progressive Field, the view from our seats 😃

August 13--Long Distance Friendships

The arms of friendship are long enough to reach from the one end of the world to the other.  --Michel de Montaigne

    I'm so grateful for this wisdom. I have friends and family in many distant places. We may not talk regularly or often, but when we connect, it's like little time has passed. Love sustains the relationships over time and space. 

    Yesterday I swam laps for the seventh day in a row. I went on a shopping adventure just to explore more of this area. I was invited by one of D's friends to play pickleball, which I wouldn't think of turning down. It was a beautiful day with just enough wind to make PB very interesting. Afterwards I indulged my other hobby of napping. 

    It is becoming a tradition with D and I to have a nice "closing" dinner, so last night we went to Cafe Toscano, an Italian restaurant in Aurora. It was crazy busy and noisy, but the food was superb and the portions gigantic. I will likely have two more meals from my leftovers. We played a few "closing" rounds of Rummikub wherein D once again "kicked my butt."

    Why "closing" on Monday when I don't leave until Wednesday? Tonight we go to the Cubs-Guardians game!!! Baseball heaven!!!

        Leta

GO, CUBS!!!

August 12--Missing Arlie

No friendship is an accident.  --O. Henry

    Today would have been my brother Arlie's 85th birthday. Being in Ohio with his daughter has definitely cranked up the "missing him" dial. 

    My niece has an outstanding group of close friends who have seen each other through pretty much the traditional wedding vows: richer/poorer, sickness/health, better/worse. They have been friends since high school, I believe. When I visit here, they welcome me into the gang like I've been with them forever. D and I met up with two of them yesterday afternoon at a Cuyahoga Falls brew pub. We sat outside on a lovely summer day and had beers and pizza and played a few rounds of Rummikub. Another item was checked off our fun list. 

    Alas, reality is setting in. My niece has teacher training sessions the next couple of days to prepare for the upcoming school year. I'll be prepping for my trip home starting Wednesday. Life moves on.

    Life is good!

        Leta

Another photo from Longwood Gardens

August 11--The Comfort of Like Minds

What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it. 
--C. S. Lewis

    I certainly see this with family. I am closest to those who share the same truth, and feel rather distant from those who don't. There are subjects where we simply don't dare to tread, as nothing good will come of it. We have the infamous, oft-repeated line of my mother-in-law to her husband: "We don't need to talk about that now, Dick." 

    While I did a lap swim and a 2-mile walk yesterday, I would consider it a lazy day. I spent most of the day and evening watching sports. The USA won Olympic gold in women's soccer ("Way to go, Mallory Swanson!") and in men's basketball, the Chiefs had their first preseason game (loss), and the Cubs beat the White Sox. It was "sports heaven" for me. 

    I can pretty much count on swimming and Rummikub to make for a good today.

        Leta

Random web photo, too cute!!!

August 10--Amazing Artistry

Love is the true means by which the world is enjoyed: our love to others, and others' love to us.  --Thomas Traherne

Grant me strength when I feel small.

Grant me faith when I lose sight.

Grant me hope when all seems lost. 

Grant me grace in morning's light. 

--Mary Davis, "Every Day Spirit"

    Big day yesterday! I started off the day with a swim for the 4th day in a row. D drove us to Dover, Ohio, to the Warther Museum and Cutlery Store. I had been there a long time ago when my sons were much younger, and D had not been there. Our first stop was the Button House displaying Freida Warther's amazing artistry in buttons:

Button collecting and art is a THING. They even have conventions.

    Next we took the guided tour through the Museum to see Ernest Warther's carvings. His passion was steam engines and he carved a lot of them, using mostly ebony and ivory. He worked in a steel mill and carved as a hobby. Though he had only a second grade education, he was an engineering and mathematical genius. All of his carvings are to scale. Each train has thousands of TINY pieces. The train cars even have people inside. And he carved chains, too. Here is an example:

Those springs are carved out of ivory and are about 1/2" long. All the lettering, even on the base, is inlaid ivory. 

    The Warther Cutlery business began because Ernest Warther elected to use his steel mill experience to make his own carving knives. Here is a set--the one on the far right is about 1" long.

    

    We have been using Warther kitchen knives in our family for decades. In my opinion, they are the finest knives on the planet. And, they sharpen them for free--I send them back every year to be sharpened. 

    One might think that was enough fun for one day, but NO! The evening was a potluck supper followed by silly fun karaoke in the beautiful basement music studio of one of D's friends. This is definitely a case of "enthusiasm making up for lack of skill," but we had a blast. 

    It's a cool sunny day here, so expect a walk is in my future. 

        Leta

August 9--Enjoyable Nonsense

'Tis the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and to have her nonsense respected.  --Charles Lamb

    The "nonsense" of yesterday was indulging my love for Culver's. I treated D, her oldest son and myself to a fine lunch there, which, of course, included my Culver's favorite--a salted caramel malt. I highly recommend it!

    After naptime, D and I headed out for a 2-mile walk, returning to the house just before the sky opened up. I don't know if it was hurricane fallout or just the usual storms passing through, but it poured--to the point of flash flood warnings. The creek behind D's condo overflowed its banks. 

    Below is an outstanding cartoon by Brian Gordon describing both parenting and the current state of politics. Enjoy!

        Leta

August 8--Live!

Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance. 
--David Nicholls

    That pretty well sums up this vacation! I'm so blessed to have had many chances.

    I started yesterday with another lap swim. I am so grateful for the healing of my left shoulder that gave me so much aggravation last fall and winter. I did a couple chores around the house, then D and I went out for pedicures. I now have sparkly blue toenails and happy feet. She indulged my required trip to Handel's Ice Cream for a "girl lunch." I can't remember ever visiting this area without a stop at Handel's. Then, of course, we enjoyed the highlight of any day... naptime!! D made a lovely supper and we were joined by her oldest son. We ate out on the deck enjoying a pleasant sunny evening. Then (surprise!) we broke our evening Rummikub habit and instead went to see the movie, "Inside Out 2." It's great. The additions of Anxiety and Embarrassment made the show. 

    More fun to come!

        Leta

At Alan Seeger Natural Area, central PA

August 7--Woohoo! In the Pool Again!

The things that we love tell us what we are.  --St. Thomas Aquinas

I let go of the life I am living and open myself to experience the Life living me. 
--Josh Reeves

    I love baseball. I love travel and experiences rather than stuff. I love laughter. I love to move my body. I love my family and friends (duh!). I love nature and our magnificent Mother Earth. I love numbers. Alas, I'm not sure what all that says about me. 

    Yesterday I purchased a week pass at the Summa Health Club and enjoyed a lap swim for the first time in two weeks. It was heavenly. I also did grocery shopping and took a lovely nap. We had a tornado warning in the late afternoon, but it ended up being only moderate wind and some rain at my niece's home.  Whew! 

    D and I made a long list of things we want to do in the time before I head back home. Yesterday's accomplishment on the list was "nap." Today we shall conquer the pedicures and another nap. 😉😉

    Lovin' the Life living me!

        Leta

August 6--"Won't You Please, Please Help Me" 🎵🎵

You are never strong enough that you don't need help.  --Cesar Chavez

    Amen to that! I still have a screaming, cranky four-year-old inside me yelling, "I do it myself!" One of my bigger challenges in life has been learning to ask for help. Most folks are ultra-willing to help, so that a request for help benefits both parties. 

    Wow. Yesterday's journey made my heart sing. I could literally feel the joy. We drove from cousin P's house through the magnificent PA mountains, valleys, forests and farms to Alan Seeger Natural Area. I led my niece around the one-mile trail through towering hemlocks and canopies of rhododendron. I wish I could bottle the fresh forest air! Then we drove to St. Stephen's Lutheran Church cemetery to see my brother's recently-placed gravestone. Strolling through the cemetery made me realize that most of the folks I knew in the area have passed. 

    We took in the spectacular view from the top of the State College mountain. We stopped at Meyer's Dairy, one of the places on my personal "Notable Ice Cream" list, and had a "girl lunch" of malts. Then we headed west and arrived at D's house around 3:30. Naps ensued, then unpacking. We did a Thai-food carryout and enjoyed it while (yes, of course, you guessed it) we played Rummikub. 

    So good to be "home,"

        Leta

So many loving memories with those two!

August 5--NATURE!!!

If we would build on a sure foundation in friendship, we must love friends for their sake rather than for our own.  --Charlotte Bronte

    Yesterday we were treated to a personal guided tour of Longwood Gardens by K, the daughter to cousin P, who works there. It was awesome. Being a fellow gardener, I had loads of questions and enjoyed every minute of it. We saw the dancing fountains set to music, which looks like water fireworks. We saw loads of flowers, a magnificent kitchen garden, a woodland area, and many fountains and waterfalls. They are currently building a new conservatory which opens later this year. I have some great photos which I will be sharing over the next few days. 

    Today we head back to Ohio, with stops at Alan Seeger Natural Area (my favorite spot on the planet, in central PA) and St. Stephen's Lutheran Church cemetery to see my brother's gravestone. That is also where my parents and many relatives are buried. 

    "Charmed life" on steroids!

        Leta

August 4--More Safe Travels

Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.  --Elie Wiesel

    B & E made it safely back to Scottsdale. D and I arrived at cousin P's Maryland home just after 1:00 pm. We had a lovely time lazing in their beautiful pool, surrounded by tall trees. (I note "tall" trees because trees grow much taller back east than they do in Kansas.) Then we relaxed on the covered deck through a spectacular thunder storm. A delicious fajita dinner capped off the day. There was loads of catching up and reminiscing. This group certainly enjoys the blessing of life-long friendships!

    Today, a guided tour Longwood Gardens--expect some great photos in the next few days!

        Leta

A challenging selfie!!

August 3--Choose Traveling Buds Wisely

Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.  --Ernest Hemingway

    I'm going to be successful at this today, for sure. We leave the beach headed for the Philadelphia Airport, where we drop off B and E to fly home to Arizona. Then D and I go on to visit one of her cousins for a couple days. I am certainly traveling with those I love. 

    I think back to last fall's trip to England and Wales. There was one solo traveler in the group who was, "right out of the gate," loud, negative and obnoxious. She was generally avoided because she simply would not stop complaining. It was a good reminder of Hemingway's quote. 

    Our last day on the beach was perfect--sunny, comfy breeze, refreshing water. We finished off with supper at the Crabcake Factory where I had a most excellent meal of crab mac 'n' cheese. 

    Onward to more fun,

        Leta

One of many cool sea-themed
sculptures in Ocean City

August 2--How Silly Can You Be?

Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.  --Ralph Waldo Emerson

    There is a lot of that going on here. How can you help being silly playing miniature golf or Rummikub, or leaping in big waves? I believe the amount of silliness one can express is in direct proportion to one's self-acceptance. Likewise, this is true for honesty and kindness. 

    The large blended family (with seven adult children with some spouses and kids) that owns the condo where we are staying invited us over to their giant home on the inner waterway last night. The condition for our pizza supper was that the four of us do a three-pizza taste test and vote for our favorite. Surprisingly, three of the four of us picked the same favorite, which made us big heroes and earned us additional pizza and salad. It was all silly, honest and kind!

    The humidity here has hit epic proportions, and without a breeze, I feel like I'm back in Kansas. I certainly do appreciate the chilly ocean water for cooling off. 

    Our last day on the beach...

        Leta

August 1--Friendship

To love is to recognize yourself in another.  --Eckhart Tolle

    7/12ths of the year is completed. (I must express my "numbers nerd" personality.) The theme for August is friendship. A special treat of this week is time with great-nephew B and getting to know his wife of one-year, E. They live in Scottsdale, Arizona, so extended time for us to be together isn't very likely. B & E dated for several years before marrying, and it is clear that they are best friends. 

    Yesterday the four of us went on a mini golf adventure. As we took off driving to find a putt-putt course, I did the little kid thing: "I want one with dinosaurs!!!!" Comically, the first one we encountered was Old Pro Golf, with loads of dinosaurs and even a steaming volcano. How could we pass by!?!?! It was a fun and challenging course. I managed to win second place. 

    We spent a couple hours on the beach. B and E went on an adventure to the boardwalk, and D and I walked to a local favorite restaurant and had supper.

    Another day in paradise,

        Leta

July 31--Love and Beauty

The more love you give away, the more love you will have.  --John O'Donohue

    One of my morning readings encouraged consciously moving through the day looking for beauty. Every day so far at the beach we have seen dolphins swimming by--brief glimpses of beauty. Ocean waves are beautiful, as are the squeals of excited small children experiencing the ocean for the first time. All one needs to do to see beauty is pay attention. 

    We had a typical beach day yesterday, hanging out and sunning and reading. Leftovers fed us well at lunch and supper, and we finished off the day with a few more rounds of Rummikub. It is utter joy to me to have no alarm to wake me and no reason to hurry for any reason. 

    Ready for more love and beauty!

        Leta

Beauty in Ocean City, MD

July 30--Breathe!

A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love. 
--Friedrich Max Muller

    Beach time for me is very meditative. The warmth of the sunshine, the breeze, and the sound of crashing waves easily lull me into my inner world. Yesterday in "Every Day Spirit" by Mary Davis, I found this lovely practice:

• Deep inhale, exhale with "My mind is calm."
• Deep inhale, exhale with "My body is healthy."
• Deep inhale, exhale with "My soul is joyful."

I like to add one more line such as:

• Deep inhale, exhale with "I am whole."
• Deep inhale, exhale with "All is well."

    This is an excellent quick centering practice as well as a good meditation focus. 

    Yesterday's beach time was perfect. Not too hot, breezy, sunny--it was easy to hang in the sunshine. It is over 100 degrees at home in Kansas this week, so I am extra-happy to be here. The evening included a lovely seafood supper at FishTales and purchasing the annual fix at Dodo, the edible cookie dough store. Then D and I taught B & E how to play Rummikub, and we now have two more folks hooked. 😉😉

    Calm, healthy, joyful!

        Leta

On yesterday's walk

July 29--Fireworks!

Love breeds love.  --Yoko Ono

    I'm really enjoying the time with B, E, and D. (See yesterday's post.) E is the "new factor" here for me, having married into the family just over a year ago. It is great fun getting to know her. B and E taught me the Codewords game last evening, and D and I kicked butt. 

    I did a two-mile walk along the shoreline yesterday morning. Walking on sand on a slope makes for a good workout on the joints, especially the feet. We lazed on the beach reading and enjoying the waves crashing. Last year on a windy day, our beach umbrella blew over and rolled into some nearby folks, so D is very worried about that, wind or no wind. So she has treated us to the service that sets up a heavy duty umbrella and chairs. It is a relief for all of us to not have D worried about that. Plus it's less stuff to drag out there. The water temperature is "chilly." It feels good on the feet when walking, but I haven't gone completely in yet. We saw a school of dolphins pass by, probably a dozen of them romping together. 

    I made tamale pie for supper which we enjoyed on the balcony overlooking the ocean. A distant cousin of D's invited us to their boat for a ride out in the inner waterway to see fireworks. That was awesome! 

    Love is multiplying!!!

        Leta

A weekly summer Sunday night event