October 31--One Weed, Mostly Flowers

A weed is no more than a flower in disguise.  --James Russell Lowell

    As a lifelong gardener, I am at least slightly challenged by that one! But I get it. It all depends on how you look at things. 

    Yesterday's drive through "my old stomping grounds"... Big Valley is beautiful--mountains on both sides, perfectly-maintained farms, old houses and lovely gardens. I drove to Alan Seeger Natural Area and trekked the "Alan Seeger Loop." This is the equivalent of "died and gone to heaven" for me. I was tickled at the end to find this new sign: 

Now we know!

    Then it was moving on to check out, for sure, whether or not the home I grew up in was still there. On the second pass by, I stopped and knocked on the door of a completely different house on the property, hoping the new owners might know what happened to my childhood home. No answer. But at least now I know for sure that a huge landmark of my life is gone. 

    I met up with my BFF from middle school, and we had a great time catching up over lunch in State College. Then it was off to Ohio to visit my brother, niece and family. Lots more driving, lots more joy!

    Happy Halloween!

        Leta

At Alan Seeger

October 30--I See LOVE!

There is so much in the world for us all if we only have the eyes to see it. 
--L. M. Montgomery

    Let's be literal for a moment. When I was 20 months old, I had eye surgery to correct a crossed left eye. Fortunately my parents figured out that the reason I was having difficulty in school was because I couldn't see the board, seated as I was at the back of the room. So I have been wearing glasses for distance nearly my whole life. But even at age 67, I can see things up close without glasses. That's a huge blessing!

    The wedding and celebration was awesome fun!! Lots of dancing, cheering, great food and drink--quite the celebration! I feel extraordinarily blessed to be present for all of it!

    Today I drive through "my old stomping grounds," the area where I grew up. I get to go to Alan Seeger Natural Area in central PA--as far as I'm concerned, it is the most beautiful spot on the planet. I drink in the beauty of this area--the mountains, streams, fall colors, fresh air, bazillions of trees (I'd guess that one PA mountain has more trees than the entire state of Kansas). My "eyes to see" shall be filled to overflowing!

        Leta

October 29--Woohoo!! Good and Gooder!

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more.  --Oprah Winfrey

    I like the reminder to be thankful IN everything, because I have a hard time being thankful FOR everything. At this moment, I am very thankful for safe travels and arriving safely at the wedding venue, Bear Creek Resort in southeastern PA. There is still much color left in the PA mountains. It is beautiful! I love the feeling I have in my heart driving the winding back roads of my home state. 

    I feel like my life has proven Ms. Winfrey's quote, and even greater expansion of the idea is always possible, because Source is infinite. Potentials are infinite.  ANY attitude we live by will bring us more of the same. It applies to negativity and cynicism just the same. I would suggest that gratitude feels better and is the preferred way to go. 

    I'm so thankful for my new grandson!! I'll take more! 😉😉

        Leta

Bear Creek (Ski) Resort, the view from our balcony.
Note the wedding site at the bottom of the photo.

October 28--Why Not?

A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.  --Allen Klein

    I'm in a Comfort Inn near Wheeling, West Virginia. Yesterday's 600-mile drive was fairly uneventful. I'm disappointed in that most of the brilliant fall color of this area is on the ground. Not many leaves left on the trees. But the weather is lovely, and I am grateful for that. 

    When I tell folks about taking off on a trip such as this one, the first response I usually get is "By yourself?!?!" I do sometimes reflect that my long driving trips are a little nuts, but a) family events are important to me; b) I can't accomplish what I want by flying; c) we bought a new vehicle to make these trips safer and more comfortable and most importantly, d) why not!?!!--I am perfectly capable, and up to 600 miles is doable because I've done it often going to/from Colorado to see our kids. 

    Here's a recommendation for an excellent 6-hour audiobook: Handling Your Fire...Passion, Burnout, Routines and Resilience by Rob Bell. I'm in the midst of figuring out what I want to do in life (after tax work), and this gave me some very different perspective on where I'm at and where I want to head. 

    Actually, I'm headed to southeastern PA today, only ~300 miles. Easy day with family fun at the end!

        Leta

Ted Bear, my copilot.

October 27--MY favorite colors

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.  --Marcus Aurelius

    Today my perspective travels along I-70 between Wentzville, Missouri and Wheeling, West Virginia. It's a long, nearly 600 mile trip. I had a lovely visit with my in-laws.

    This quote is a reminder to me to not take everything so seriously. My perspective colors everything in my favorite colors. Knowing your favorite colors are likely different from mine, and just as valid, I remember to be more curious than critical. I am reminded that the world does not revolve around me. 

        Leta   

Note the moon.
Around Lake Dowdy, Colorado
My opinion: beautiful!

October 26--Sunshine

The greater part of life is sunshine.  --Thomas Jefferson

    Hopefully sunshine will bless my travels as today I head east toward PA for a family wedding and other assorted adventures. 

    Here is some light from Kryon to ponder. Kryon is a loving entity from the other side who speaks through Lee Carroll. Learn more here.

Pleasing God

The perceptions of humanity are that you must somehow please God with your goodness. I want to tell you, angels, you’ve already pleased God because you’re here!

You’ve already pleased God! You don’t have to think about being fearful or worry about what you might do to displease God because of some kind of a super reward and punishment system on the other side of the veil. There isn’t one.

It’s hard enough while you’re here, isn’t it? If you ever knew how much you were loved, you would never think for a moment there’d be punishment on the other side of the veil, even for the darkest among you.

Yet your major religions are all based around this feature. A billion of you feel that you arrived "dirty," already broken and carrying the burden of humanity’s darkest deeds.

Then, if you join and perform certain rituals and beliefs, you can overcome this horrible fate. In the process, those who never find out about how it works go to Hell! Does this make any spiritual sense to you?

It’s time to understand how Human this concept is.

There's some sunshine for you!

        Leta

 

Another amazing Kansas sunrise

October 25--Flowering

There are always flowers for those who want to see them.  --Henri Matisse

    Yesterday when I was walking Barney in the neighborhood, I noticed a crack in the middle of a sidewalk section where there were blades of grass peeking through. We should all have the perseverance of the seeds that sprout through cracks in the most dismal of conditions! And yes, some of those "weeds" even produce flowers. 

    If you are a parent or grandparent, you have probably been gifted with a "flower" bouquet presented by little hands and a big smile of love. Praise life that little ones will always find flowers no matter how barren their surroundings may seem!

    For many decades as a gardener, I've noted in the description of some plants: "flowers insignificant." For example, one generally plants hostas for the foliage, and the flowers are not that impressive. However! Flowering to me indicates plant health, so whether the flowers are lovely or not really doesn't matter. Plants are meant to flower. 

    So are humans!

        Leta