Sunny Sunday

Just spent the most delicious day at our friends house. 

I took a cake.  Ta-daaa - a gift of cake for September (although I did eat a little lot myself)

There's nothing like a lazy Sunday afternoon with friends, food, wine - oops we broke the detox for a special occasion!! - and chat. 

-

I Believe

Full Moon, Double Rainbow and a Goodbye

Yesterday was an emotional and tiring day spent with family at my paternal Grandmothers funeral.


Much of my day was wrapped up in memories and emotions, some still tangled up with the past, some more open and free.


I was prompted to revisit childhood relationships, my religious, social and spiritual beliefs. My mind explored my past and my present. My family. 


I discovered a beautiful woven web of history and character, a masterpiece of creation by myself and all of those who have impacted on my life.


Yesterday we all gathered together as family and friends for a special lady who had touched all of our lives. We all held her in our hearts for what she meant to us. We were united in our loss.


I was glad to pay my respects to a Grandmother who was a kind, generous, and loving woman. An inspiration for us all to follow.


On our drive home we saw the most beautiful double rainbow and of course, our lovely Full moon.


What beautiful symbols of God's creation and love .....


I was reminded of the children's song
.
"when you see a rainbow, remember God is love, when you see a rainbow remember God is love"

I am also reminded me of two more of my dreams and wishes, to search for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, and to choose my own funeral songs. Come on Sarah, chop chop!

Book 2/40, Stargirl

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli

"people are afraid of people who are different. That's what prisons and mental hospitals are for."

A beautiful book about non-conformity, peer pressure, bravery and being true to yourself. This was the story of Stargirl, a unique and colourful free spirit who has great confidence in her self and her own ability to make others happy. I found myself smiling at Stargirl’s random acts of kindness. She would play the ukelele and sing Happy Birthday to everyone she knew. She would leave gifts on people’s door steps, give surprise gifts of candy to her classmates on Halloween. She would drop coins on the pavement for people to find.  Stargirl was happy(?) to be an individual, a non-conformist. 

We all have someone who changes our lives in a way that we cant even start to describe, and the author has captured this perfectly in Stargirl. 

This isn't, however, a sickly sweet story of do-gooding but a comment on how we all feel we must conform.

It made me sad, but not in the way I think I was being shown to feel.  

Some may say that I have missed the point and that I should want to be more like Stargirl, for my children to be more like Stargirl, for our community to have more Stargirls dancing and singing to each other. I don’t. 

The story seemed to be addressing the old question : be unique and happy with yourself, or conform and make everyone else happy.

I want for myself, and for my children, to be happy and feel the joy of making others happy. Whether that involves individuality, conformity or blending in to a crowd I don’t think is important. 


For me the thoughts that I took away after reading were more about being loving and caring towards others, sharing kindness and ideals, being gentle and understanding, accepting yourself and others for what they are.   

“The theme of uniformity is an ongoing one”

I questioned Stargirl as an individual character. She was unique in a conforming, structured way. She sang Happy Birthday to people whether they wanted her to or not. At times I found myself uncomfortable in her presence. This didn’t seem to be a girl who was happy in her own skin, with her own ideas. I couldn’t help but feel that Stargirl has had difficulty in ‘fitting in’ in the past, and has taken measures to protect her self from the insecurity she felt. Her individuality seems to me to be her armour of protection. 

I longed to give Stargirl a hug and allow her to feel comfortable enough to let her guard down for just a short while, to stop conforming to non-comformity. 

There was a beautiful point in the book where Stargirl took Leo, her beau to her Enchanted Place and introduced him to meditation. It was beautifully written and captured a tangible sense of friendship and acceptance. This was where I felt closest to Stargirl and glimpsed the girl inside her colourful shell of protection. 

My daughter (12) read the book too and claimed that it was quite unlike anything she had ever read before. An inspiration! What better review than that, from a girl within the target audience? 

We will both be reading the next book, Love Stargirl and comparing notes and using the book as a bounce board for further discussions.


Thanks Ceri!

Starting School

The School Run

Today was the first day of school for the youngest of our brood. We're entering a whole new era for our family and it is an exciting time for all of us. We took the usual First Day of School photos before leaving the house and his elder siblings made promises of looking after him in the playground. They took their promise seriously as when he came home at lunchtime and I asked what his favourite part his day had been, he replied that it was playing with his sisters. 

He had a great time and was excited about bringing reading books home in his bag. We read them together this afternoon while we snuggled on the sofa and talked. I can now hear one of his sisters reading them again to him in his bedroom. 

As they grow older I am sure that they all as siblings will share more things in common, yet  possibly have more grievances to bear. But they'll be there for each other.

Tonight, that makes me smile. 

"It takes a village to raise a child..."

I have been finding the idea my baby going to school very heart wrenching for many reasons. I have read many poems which summed up my emotions, speaking of how quickly they grow, the bittersweet feelings it evokes, and the teary nostalgic vision of the past and for the future. Many of them have made me cry as I felt the tugs on my heart strings. 

I then found this poem which inspired me and made me feel positive. All of my children have started the new term with a new teacher. These teachers are going to help us as parents to guide them through the coming year. I hope that they all build a good relationship with their new teachers and that they will feel motivated and inspired in their lives by their teachers, friends and family. 

It reminds me now of the old African proverb....


I will feel comforted by this as my children grow up and in to the world. 

Unity
I dreamed I stood in a studio

And watched two sculptors there,

The clay they used was a young child’s mind

And they fashioned it with care. 

One was a teacher:

the tools she used were books and music and art;

One was a parent

With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.

And when at last their work was done,

They were proud of what they had wrought.

For the things they had worked into the child

Could never be sold or bought!

And each agreed she would have failed

if she had worked alone.

For behind the parent stood the school, 

and behind the teacher stood the home!

By Cleo V. Swarat  

Storytelling challenge

Gemma Hannah is a magical storyteller who has set an Online Storytelling Challenge.

"Taking part is easy. Just listen to my telling of "Anansi and the Box of Stories', film yourself retelling it in your own words, then upload. At the end of the project I will edit together all the contributions to make one beautiful global story."

You can watch Gemma telling her story,  download the MP3 or download the written story on www.storyweb.co

This is a huge challenge to me and will help me to work towards two of my dreams

61, to improving my storytelling skills, and

70, feel comfortable infront of a camera.

Yikes!

Anyone care to join me?

August Full Moon 2010

What a wonderful evening we had celebrating the Full Moon of August with a party of friends at Lulworth Cove.

The moon was full and round and despite the cold we had a blast. 

Special prayers and wishes were made for our special people who couldn't be with us and we knew that wherever they were they were doing the same. 

I'm looking forward to the coming month and approaching all that happens with positivity and joy. 

Next Full Moon is September 23rd 2010  - the date of my paternal Grandmothers funeral. 

I will have a few thoughts and say some quiet prayers and wishes for the past, the present and the future for myself, my family, my extended family and all those I love, and have loved 

xxxx

Friends, past and present - thank you!

       

It was my 14th wedding anniversary yesterday. Wow how times flies! My husband and I had a lovely celebration with a meal at a favourite haunt of ours and remembered old times. How fortunate we are! We remain good friends as well as partners and I love him for his friendship and love. 

Life is ever changing and I have had many friends come in and out of my life. Almost all remain in my heart with precious memories and experiences, even those I no longer see or would care to. They have all been special to me and I am grateful to them for their friendship. Some will always remain in my life while others will drift away, but they have all been special to me for the time they were there. 

Prompted lately in to thinking more about myself and my own needs and desires,  I have come to the conclusion that I need to prioritise my own happiness and satisfaction. It has dawned on me, through conversations, and alone, that my choice of friendships have the ability to make or break me, to shape my life for the better or worse. 

I am beginning to understand why I have loved and lost friends who meant a lot to me, and continued to be in relationships which have stifled and suppressed me. I want and need to be happy and will continue to fill my life with people who help me to achieve this. 

Friends are very important to me and I will try my hardest to ensure that I make every effort to keep our relationships healthy and well if it is a friendship that makes me happy. These people are important to me and my life. They make me laugh and sing, feel joy and comfort. They are precious!

I have also unfortunately come to very the sad conclusion that sometimes there are friendships which don't make me happy. I have wasted too much time worrying and fretting, feeling hurt and upset by these friends. It's not a decision taken lightly. I have given these friendships every effort and it's not been a good way to spend my emotions. These friends, in the present, and in the future I will release. I will remember them for the good times we have shared, not the negativity that our friendship has become caught in. I thank them all for the happiness in our past. 

I look forward to meeting new friends, reacquainting myself with old, and making new memories and stories with them all. 

And to my special missed friend..... this song is for you x


The Corrs - Little Wing