handwritten on December 27, 2021
Dear Grandpa,
I'm wrapped up in a blanket listening to the ticks and tocks
of the grandfather clock
gazing at the tree with the candy cane ornaments
I even opened the snowman near the closet door
and guess what..
after all these years, there is still candy inside
like a little pouch of pocketed memories
time rushes by but
every time I enter Meadow Lane some of life
is able to stand very still
like a silent snowfall where drifts of snow
melt away time and worries and all is
still
and we can just
be
the same way we were able to be throughout childhood and into our teen years and college
and adult years and beyond
the laughter and the memories, decorations and the sound of the music box...
handwritten on November 27, 2021
Have you taken the time
to really talk to someone
about their story
over food?
Have you watched the ingredients
they put inside the skillet
and how every ingredient is a reminder
of something that happened in the past
something tried
something remembered
something not worth remembering
do you understand that those who have experienced more life
are older and wiser?
they don't need an audience to see their recipe
besides just a single individual
who is willing to learn
and listen
they aren't taking pictures
or displaying messages
or receiving emojis
what is humbling is standing
and talking and realizing
just how much we (as a younger generation) don't know
about the ingredients of a...
handwritten on November 24, 2021
Purpose
can come loudly
or in silence
Purpose for me has come
in waves of truths at different times
but today was that reminder I needed
that the family I'm blessed with every year
within my classroom
is not accidental
this year has come with a vivid reminder that
every individual has emotions
and those emotions are important
some parts don't automatically sing together in harmony
but harmony can be made
in the most unlikely
places and times
in small moments
as a reminder of the truth
that nothing purposeful comes without struggle
and struggle does not indicate lack of
harmony
but it does require a new angle
a renewed understanding that
perhaps is something we have
lost along the way ...
handwritten on November 13, 2021
My husband and I
had a really deep reflection hour last night
just talking about life
and the past nine years together
Nine years goes by so very fast
and when you look back and realize just
how much has happened
how different we are now than when we first met
and how many triumphs and roadblocks
failures and successes we have had together
and separately
it's astonishing..
life goes by so quickly
and I think it's so important to have those moments where you stop and just
remember
the years before and how they have all contributed to
who you are now
as a living being
I don't think gratitude can happen
without reflection
and I don't think we reflect nearly
enough
because all of us...
no...
handwritten on October 24, 2021
Have you ever thought about the little things
that have allowed you to arrive at the bigger moments?
Like when was that time you can remember where you did something or went out of your way to talk to someone
and then those small steps built into trust and then a friendship
or when you watched something create something tiny
and watched them make that step to arrive in a new place
which then created an unexpected pivot of ideas
and yet another unexpected continuation of something you had never really thought about
in that way in that time
Our souls grow from the small steps
the times where we moved fear to the back of our minds
and decided to travel outside the status quo
Essentially every...
