One Word at a Time

'I have something to say, but I'm not sure how to bring it up.' We all looked over, giving our attention to the organizer of our little gathering. 'I feel like maybe this is time to close up shop. To make this our final year. We've all commented on how participation is waning, there are only a few people who are volunteering to help, and, after  last year, it just feels right to me.' Eyes scanned the table, landing on each of us. 'This is my first year being on this committee, so I don't feel like I really have a say in the matter, so I'll defer to you all and what you think.' A few heads nodded in appreciation of the deferment. ' I also joined, just not as late, and I don't have as much of an emotional connection to this as the rest of you do. So I'll support moving forward if people aren't ready to say goodbye. Or I'll support saying goodbye if people are ready to do that.' One small smile, fol...

I woke up to the cats playing tag on the floor next to me. I reached over to press the button to find out what time they decided I needed to be awake tonight. The clock read 2:33. That's pretty usual for them, especially after the time change. And the fact that they're cats and sleep all day! Following my usual routine, I got up to use the bathroom. As I climbed back into bed, I didn't feel the usual sleepiness that signaled that I would be back in Dreamland again soon. Instead, a current of energy coursed through my veins. It also could have been the sugar from the sleeve of Thin Mints I ate after dinner (don't judge). Either way, I was now awake. After I had mentally walked through every room in my house, labeling and pricing items within each for a future tag sale that I hadn't known I was having until 2:3 8 that morning, I began thinking about June. See, June is going to be a tough month. For me, for my husband, and for our two cats. We will be spending...

Some mornings,  you roll out of bed,  eager to start your day check the school's website  to see if there is any weather related news (there is, you're getting out early!) post your Slice,  pour a cup of coffee,  change out the laundry And just before you go  to jump in the shower,  you walk into the bedroom And something is in front of you, something so surprising that you can't ignore So you stop what you're doing take it all in and reach for your camera, because Brother and sister,  calm and feisty,  social and introvert,  solid and stripes, yin and yang are sharing a moment together,  without coaxing or encouragement So with a smile you click away, capturing a sweet moment

{a letter to daylight savings time} ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dear Daylight Saving, You know as well as I do that our afternoons and evenings together this week have been glorious. I don't have to tell you that. It's in the songs I'm humming under my breath, the moments I stop and bask in your light, the windows rolled down in my car as our voices blend together in a sweet harmony. While we're together, time seems to be a concept that ceases to exist. Our afternoons stretch into evenings with bursts of color. But before I know it, our time together is over with one final, glorious burst of color. I delay, I convince myself just a few more minutes with you won't mean that much the next day. Soon enough those streaks of color have faded, and darkness seeps in. But it is a light kind of darkness, if that makes sense to you, a darkness that is never too far from light, the kind that tricks you into thinking that it won't get any darker. And I begin to worry that...

Those of you who have been following me this year know that 2018 has been rough for me. Since 2018 started, I have been dealing with death, traumatic injury, personal illness, and job stress. The last month or so has felt neverending. But I've been searching for meaning amongst the pain and stress (see here ). I think perhaps I found two pieces . . . One thing that we are currently dealing with is getting ready for our house to be put on the market. As I was working on one room just getting it "show" ready, two signs appeared that spoke to me. I was trying to organize my jewelry, as often I take it off in the bathroom at night before bed and then it never makes it back to its home in my vanity. As I was pulling apart tangled necklaces, I found a necklace that I haven't seen in years. What was curious was not that I found the necklace, but what the necklace symbolized. Here is the back: One of the things that I've struggled with most this year ...

All I had to do was . . .      move some furniture           put the laundry away      actually make the bed for once           wipe down the glass top      completely rearrange and reorganize all my jewelry           gather materials from every room in the house      find two AA batteries for the bamboo fountain           gather more materials from every room in the house      rearrange the pictures underneath and, of course, reminisce           convince my husband that this wouldn't distract him while he is falling asleep      rearrange the shoes in my closet so that I could have my own little writing space in our bedroom!       My writing space which doubles as my vanity which doubles as the only open ...

Our days are often made up of many different slices. Recently, I read Michelle's post titled " Today, I ", where she wrote about small slices from across her day, each of which could turn into a larger slice. I was inspired to write a post like that, but wasn't sure when the day would come. Well, today's the day! Fourteen Slices from my Day Actually woke up to my alarm without hitting snooze, which I haven't done allllll week long - this felt very refreshing, and I hope it's the start of a routine. Walked into the kitchen this morning to find a portion of the floor covered in small black ants - EW! EEK! I texted my husband to let him know. Heard the noise signaling a text on my phone, and hoped my mom would wait a few minutes - but she was saying she was running late and I had a few more minutes to get ready Tried to stop at the bank, but we stopped at not one, not two, but THREE bank locations that Google Maps told us were open but were, indeed, c...