A stream from the
Light of life -
God
Flows through
All,
Sacred roots
Run deep are
Nourished with love

Thank you Christina for inviting us to participate in The Simple Things! You are such an inspiration!

I stumbled across these wise words by Maya Angelou the other day and her phrase spoke to my heart: "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." This phrase makes me very thankful for the simple act of writing. I love to write, from writing poetry, to short stories, long stories, and everything in between.

So let me start the list of simple things that make my heart sing and my soul dance by adding writing at the very top of the list, along with:

long walks in nature
my kitten Mocha
reading
Autumn and all of her colorful spelendor
beautiful sun shine
blue skies of Autumn
crunchy leaves
rain, the sound of rain
thunderstorms
hazelnut lattes
soy decaf peppermint mochas
Borders bookstore
vegetable soup
pumpkin lattes
pumpkin soup
curling up in blankets reading a good book
classical music
dancing to pop music
teaching children
laughter of children
friends
family
laughing so hard that I snort
watching a good movie
music of any kind
this beautiful world and the people that we share the world with
prayer
peace
lavendar
peppermint
pretty stationary and pens
new journals
reading old journals
cherishing memories of college
sitting in the gazebo reading a good book on a sunny day or on a rainy day, both types of weather are good to be in the gazebo in
first snow of the year - if we get any in Georgia at all
looking at clouds float by
looking at the night sky full of twinkling stars

This list could be much longer, I will think of other things to add within the next few days and want to add more. I can't wait to read what everyone else has written.

This is the last Pink Thoughts, thank you Christina for creating such a positive idea to get awareness out, and to help support others.
A few days ago this was the quote on my calendar, "Silently time passes. The only life I have submits to its power." Hatsui Shizue This made me really think and it is so true, we have one life and it should be lived to the fullest. Many times people don't seem fully awake to themselves and living the life that takes their breath away until they are given a time limiting prognosis. We must continue to work together for everyone that is effected and will ever be effected by cancer. WIth joint efforts and renewed and continued positive thinking there will be a cure.

I absolutely love this time of the year. The crispness of Fall, the beautiful colors that pop and come alive with color. With Autumn we see nature's true colors. It fills me with hope. With the feeling of hope I am overwhelmed with pink thoughts to show support of cancer prevention and research, as more and more people become survivors of cancer.

Today I woke up and was exhilarated with life. I think of all the wonderful aspects of my life that I have been so blessed to have experienced and will continue to experience. Life is an adventure. The season of Autumn reminds me of the adventure of life and takes my breath away with it's beauty. With the vibrant colors on the trees, to the brilliant azure blue sky, and the bite to the chilly mornings I am reminded that life is beautiful and meant to be lived fully. I am also reminded of the courage of so many people who are living with breast cancer and all forms of cancer. With these people there is a beauty in their fight to find cures and for life. As I woke up this morning with my windows open to let in the chill of Autumn's breeze, snuggled in my blankets I heard a train whistle in the distance. One box car does not make a train's noise, one engine does not make a train's roar, but with all the box cars and the engine the train roars down the track. I am reminded of all the people who daily gather together to blaze down the track to find cures for breast cancer and the courageous roar of people living with the disease. Let's all roar!

Train roars
Echoing across
Still quiet Autumn,
Dawn breaking
Into nature's noise,
Train whistle creates
Man made chaos.

The train poem has nothing to do with cancer but I created it when I first woke up this morning and wanted to share that too.

I am thinking pink thoughts today. My dear friend Christina, at Soul Aperture, http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/2009/09/wont-you-join-me-please.html is hosting wonderful pink thoughts for breast cancer awareness month. We all know so many people affected by cancer. We know many people who are survivors of it also. Those survivors give us hope. I often wonder what separates those living remission cancer free after having it and those who have with cancer, which then eventually take their lives. I have met this wonderful writer in the blog world, her name is Susie Hemingway and she is over at A Power Within blog: http://susiehemingway.blogspot.com/. Her husband is living with cancer now and she celebrates the love that they share with one another and it is so very beautiful. With people like Christina and Susie who have positive thoughts and the added power of love there will be a cure. So I will continue to pray everyday for a cure and that everyone may live in peace, light, and love.

Sun shines crisp
On scattered rose petals,
Brittle leaves, and dew
That rests on the early
Morning Earth
There is love for the
Freshness of another day.

On this rainy Saturday I have taken time to do the things I love. I have had a slow day, where I take the time to enjoy myself completely. As I was working on writing a story, listening to Natasha Beddingfield music, in the quite moments listening to the rain on the windows, and leaves, my kitten, Mocha, playing at my feet, and napping on my bed, I was so joyful. Today was filled with happiness, that nourished and fed my soul and creativity. Bliss!

Scattered red petals
Stain green grass which
Is slowly fading to brown
Pungent spicy smell
Of freshly cut grass
Tickles my nose
Clouds move across
The sky like ocean
Waves
Every blade of grass
Standing at attention
Swaying in the breeze
Fiery brilliance
Radiance of
Autumn to come.

I catch a glimpse
Of myself in the mirror
As I pass, seeing
My flushed face,
Hair tucked behind
My ear, silver
Glimmer of earring
On a pale ear, surrounded
By dark damp curls
After a hard workout
Look, feeling an appreciation
Of self to the
Core of my being.

There is a sleeping bear
Hibernating, lying in it's
Lair inside each of us.
It is time to awaken
The bear of creativity
To emerge from shadown
Into light, letting all
Ablaze in the fire
Of the amazing soul
Belonging to self and
All humanity.

During an afternoon walk,
I spent the last few minutes
Gathering leaves from the
Wooded path, already
Painted by Autumn's
Vibrant hand,
The rain scented wind
Laced with a slight
Chill, Fall is around
The corner waiting to
Make her grand entrance
With bold, wild colors.

It has been a whirl wind week with getting back into the classroom, meeting my new students, therefore, this weekend I took some time for myself. This time has given me breathing space to come back tomorrow recharged for the challenges and wonderful happy times that lay ahead of me this week.

Friday evening I went for my daily walk at the park. I made a commitment to myself to walk for my health, daily; almost two months ago I began to walk at the park, making it something to get through. I wasn't used to the hills I had to trudge or other terrain. Now I am walking up to 35 minutes daily and find that it is a respite from daily endeavors, an activity I look forward to and not just something I get through. I walk at a pretty quick pace but at the same time engage all my senses to my surroundings. I find that I come into an acute awareness of the environment at that time. The walks I take allows for time in a busy day to find quiet solitude.

During this time I clear my mind. The endless thoughts circling in my mind cease. I first concentrate on my breath, footsteps, feeling the ground beneath my feet. Once it is only the breath and foot fall, then I expand to feel the breeze on my face, blowing my hair, the sound of traffic, birds flying overhead or sitting in a tree singing it's beautiful melody, children on the playground playing, hearing their laughter, squeals of delight, or the tired fussy child who wants to go home, the little league football teams playing and practicing, the loud cheers of parents, coaches yelling encouragement, or demanding the children play better, to get it together. I also hear water splashing from the indoor pool, shrieks from swimmers, the smell of chlorine, laced, mixed, and mingled with the smell of pine trees, flowers, the small rose garden, the scent of different people as they pass me on the trail. Also I tune into the fading sunlight as it penetrates the canopy of trees that I am under, light dancing on the path. Simultaneously I am aware of what is going on with me, my body, and inside of me. I know when I must push myself, picking up speed, the feel of my heart pumping nourishing blood through my body, the tingle and burn I feel in my legs, from ankle to thigh. Every one of my senses accosted while I am in tune to the whole of it. During and after my walks I am blissed out.

When I'm finished, I drive back to my house, go to the gazebo with my journal to write. Combining the quiet solitude of the walk and time in the gazebo, all the while surrounded by beautiful nature, thoughts pour out of me. During those times I have listened to the voice within myself.

In the quiet, a phrase keeps coming to me: Living Whole Heart and Soul. At first I was just given the thought of Living Whole. I began to think about what living whole means. What does living whole mean to me, in my life? Living Whole in my mind has now evolved to Living Whole Heart and Soul. Right now in my life I know living whole heart and soul means engaging in things that nourish me from the inside and outside. Quiet time daily seems to effect even the most smallest aspects of my life. I feel as if something is missing if I have not had quiet time during the day. It is elusive at first then I think well I haven't spent time really listening to the silence today, whether that turns into daily prayer, meditation, or just sitting with the silence. Daily exercise of my body engages and helps my whole being. I know that abiding by an organic, vegetarian way of life also nourishes me. I have moved closer to veganism and a raw diet that is low in sodium, carbs, and cholesterol. I feel as if I have more energy and vitality when eating this way. Daily prayer, meditation, and visualization also enriches my way of life. I read daily also. Along with this, writing in any form, occasionally painting and drawing, lets my creative side speak. To balance all the solitary activities I also find time to socialize with family and friends. I also know that growing up an only child makes it easier for me to relish in solitary quiet time and that some social situations make me withdraw, overwhelm me, and wish for smaller groups of people. Laughter is my daily dose of medicine.

This idea: Living Whole Heart and Soul has anchored in me, resonates within me in a deep place. This idea is taking flight and feeding my creative ideas that are flowing.

The vacation to the beach was fun. I had a good time there. I am in constant awe of Mother Nature and the beauty that surrounds us daily. Nature is a gift given to us from God, a vision of miracles that only He could create.

While on vacation there was a balance of resting on the beach in the sunlight reading, writing, and walking, along with going out to see history that surrounds the area of St. Augustine. I went to the Spanish Market that is filled with restaurants, art galleries, boutiques, folk art shops. It was fantastic there. I went to a couple of cathedrals there which were breath taking beautiful. I also wrote a few poems while at the beach:

My hair combed
By the wind, scented
With salt of the sea

___________________________

Sand bar full of
Shells, thrown up from
Seas' inside, born to the
Sun from darkness to light
Like the lotus
Leaves the mud and muck
To emerge into sunlight
Watching day born from night
___________________________


Ocean
Wild
A mind of it's own
Free thinker
Reacts on every whim
___________________________

It was refreshing to walk on the beach, sand beneath and between my toes, the cold water lapping at my feet, the sun warming my body.

Christina at Soul Aperture http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/ is hosting the simple things that make us happy on July 8th. I am posting early. Thank you Christina for your constant inspiration, it means the world to me.

All the simple things that bring joy, add to a monumental thing called life. I love that life is made up of all the simple things that bring pleasure and joy. I am loving the extra time that I am getting to spend reading in the gazebo. The gazebo is surrounded by flowers in full bloom, trees, bird feeders with a large amount of birds and squirrels visiting. I love to be in nature, watching the sunset with all of my senses engaged to the world around me. I love every evening sitting in nature reading, contemplating, and sharing some time with a stray cat that I have been feeding for several weeks now. She is a black and white tuxedo cat and she will sit in the grass in the fading sun while I read, she naps, stretches lazily, naps again, but at the same time she seems to be keenly aware of everything going on around her. I am abundantly thankful for the precious, fun life I have been given.

This morning my alarm clock was the sun tickling my face softly with it's warm rays as I slowly woke up, smiling. I love waking up naturally like this. I lay in bed watching the tree limbs laden with green leaves sway in the breeze making sunlight dance across the ceiling and walls. Then after I was fully awake I had some cereal with soy milk, a half cup of blueberries, and a banana. I ate this while writing in my journal and listening to the WAH! cd. I feel a balance in my life that I want to sustain not just while I am off from work, but maintain this in the long term. This balance, cohesion, and synchronicity comes from my core, the core of my being - I can feel it that strongly. I feel anchored and grounded yet I feel a vibrant flow coursing through me. I love this feeling. This balance is not temporary, I am not limiting myself, this will be a lasting aspect of my life. I am abundantly thankful.

Yesterday I thought endlessly of my elderly cousin who is now in her mid 80s. She talks about the past, her past, a lot, almost living there and it makes me sad. I can't define the sadness, if it is for her because she is stuck there, or if thinking that one day that could be me sitting there talking about the glory days of the past, my past, when I'm well into my 80 years of life. Anyway, I had to purge these thoughts out in this poem.

She gazes at her
Gnarled past sitting
On the table; quick glances
Is all she can take, steal;
She used to think of it
As a ribbon, stretched out, smooth,
Thrown carelessly onto
A surface, curves and
Elegant folds, twists
After decades now she
Sees rough knots curled
Onto one another
Zigzag roads end abruptly
Only to eventually begin again
Then just in another direction
Others long, drawn out
Then giving way to a different path
Knobby contorted choices made,
Decisions led back to its source
Herself.

Thank you Christina, at Soul Aperture, http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/ for your wonderful idea of posting what makes us happy and grateful. There are so many things that make me happy and grateful. As I was writing and thinking about this topic I noticed that most of the things that make me happy are non material items. I love that and want to make sure that I live my life more from my heart and soul, rather than a materialistic aspect. I look forward to reading every one's ideas.
I am happy and grateful for:

this glorious life I have been given to live

God

parents

friends - L, R, M, C, J, G, J, R

memories of my cat, Maya, who passed a few months back

writing poetry

writing short stories

reading

praying

authenticity

honesty/truth

meditating

art

talks on the phone with friends late into the night (haven't done this in a long time, but still love it)

laughing and laughter

listening to music - I'm really loving Natasha Beddingfield, Wah!, Norah Jones, some other Sanskrit cds, Cold Play, the list could go on and on about the music that makes me happy

teaching 5 year old children

children

laughter of children and their carefree spirits and ideas

laughing

soy peppermint mochas and hazelnut lattes

reading on a rainy day

reading in the sunshine

everyday in nature

sitting in the gazebo watching the sunset

hearing bird's song

watching birds fly, soaring free in the blue sky

feeling the breeze on my face

feeling the sun warm my face

sitting in a window when it is a winter day with the sun warming me

hot chocolate

walking barefoot in the grass

feeling the dew on my bare feet

sand on bare feet

the beach

painting

painting a canvas full of vibrant colors

dancing

chai tea

in bookstores, finding a comfy seat, a good book, and good latte

autumn/fall

Sunday afternoons

soup

Rumi poems

the mountains

staying up late

sleeping late

curling up with a good book or my journal in a blanket on a rainy, cool day

walking in nature

Mexican food, any food that is hot, salty, and spicy

peaches, pears, clementines

going to parks and walking the wooded trails, being in nature

sitting in my gazebo at dusk in the summer with candles going, their scent mixing with the scent of nature is yummy

learning new things daily

open to new possibilities and experiences that expand horizons

traveling on the path, the journey of my life, embracing all that comes my way

smiling

sunlight glittering off the green leaves of spring and summer

antique browsing and antique shopping, knowing each object has a history - interesting and intriguing

delving into getting to know myself daily, this is an ongoing process that never ceases

popcorn, chips, and salsa

animals

architecture

old houses

gardens and botanical gardens

the scent Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works

Japanese maple trees, especially in the fall

flowers: especially lilies - bright fiery orange lilies, lotus, jonquils, buttercups, daisies, sunflowers, and jasmine

the scent of lavender

Vincent Van Gogh's paintings

Italian Renaissance art and architecture

apricot jam

the smell of rain

smell of burning leaves in the autumn

stationary, pens, pencils, crayons, that new smell of them all

hearing children read for the first time, stringing slowly that first sentence, connecting it then realizing they have read, so rewarding

manicures and pedicures

horses

optimistic people

jazz music of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, the flapper era - I think that is a time when a lot of people found their creative nature and let those talents shine - a very carefree bohemian time in history

From making this list of the things that make me happy, I find it is the simple things that do bring me happiness and joy. Once we know our true nature, what makes our heart's sing with happiness and joy, our true self, our true heart and soul, what lies in us that surpasses, our body, mind, emotions, feelings, in finding the essence of who we are, this will allow us to have lasting happiness and ultimate joy.

Love, peace, joy, light, happiness, and truth to all!

Out of the cosmic
Womb of God
Is birthed
Light and love,
Peace and compassion -
From God, creator
Of all things

In the womb of
Creativity
We soar
Out of the
Light of
God's cosmic
Creation,
His body of
Word and knowledge