handwritten on July 21, 2019
You know. I've always pondered over what makes a home a home. The obvious answer is the people. The more obvious answer is the feeling you get when you step inside a new home-one that is not your own and then perhaps that image of home actually becomes sharper. When you think about this question in the context of your own home, sometime our thoughts of this question become muddled with our own thoughts of what home should be. And then we aren't really paying very close attention to the home of another.
We visited a dear friend today who was hosting a house-warming party and even before stepping inside you could just tell the sense of home this individual felt. For everyone, the vibe of...
handwritten on July 20, 2019
We've all heard. Life is like a rollercoaster. There are drops and spins and unanticipated turns. There are forks in the roads and hidden jerks. There are times when your hair flies in the correct directions. Other times, you are going so fast you are blinded by the sun and the stars or by the hands you are putting in front of your eyes because you don't want to see the next fall.
My husband and I headed to Kennywood where we determined we have not been for probably about 8 to 10 years. Back to our marching band days, it certainly brought back memories of those sweaty wool uniforms and the chaperones in gold hanging out by the pavilion, the funnel cake and the rides for days and standing...
handwritten on July 19, 2019
Every time I look out my window into our tiny square grassy space outside of our apartment, I always check on the flowers and our outdoor mini bonsai. Generally, I tend to kill plants faster than you can even say plant, but I do think that just peeking out and giving them some extra tender loving care has kept them alive far longer than before. Sometimes I think it isn't necessarily the food or the water that keeps them going (thought that helps) but just the attention and the reminder that they are there-their leaves blowing in the wind basking under our golden sun. There is no greater whimsy than watching growth unfold before your eyes.
And the more that I think about growing and plants,...
handwritten on July 18, 2019
I just finished A Long Walk to Water-which is unbelievable for those who have not read it. It really had me thinking about the purity of water but also the simplicity of it which is probably the reason many of us take it for granted (an abundance of clean water.)
With the heat index higher this week towards the end of the week, we set up a little water station outside with a cooler and dixie cups, and I found myself on water patrol. Ironically, I had an interesting conversation with one of the little ones about water.
Student: "We can have as much water as we want?"
Me: "Of course! It's right from the water fountain. It's free."
Student: "Water is free? Why? Because everyone has it...
handwritten on July 15, 2019
If you look at the title of this post, you may remember this song. For whatever reason, I can specifically remember running around in my elementary gymnasium and listening to this song playing from the "boom-box." I used to get such a huge rush when the gym teacher played this song. I quite literally thought that I could run faster, smile bigger, be better. I think it was the first moment actually where I realized the power of music in one's soul. You may have felt it before, but sometimes when you connect to a song or you hear someone else play a song that speaks to you, it quite literally runs through your body and you feel like it almost accelerates your heartbeat. If you have had this...
