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