Seeking simplicity and finding it

I was sitting here pondering a blog and thinking I am seeking simplicity in life and realized that I am finding it. I have been enjoying my garden and the simple beauty of watching the bees and the birds enjoy it too. I have been walking 3 miles to stay healthy and the simple path I take in my neighbourhood. I have been making small baby quilts for friends' new babies and enjoy my sewing room/guest room/warmest room in the house and find that quiet place to be simply heavenly. I have been walking to town to post mail (I love that term, so old fashioned), to grocery shop with my homemade green bag which is actually beige and to do my banking, with the teller I still love people versus ATM machines. I am finding time for my family talking on the phone to mom and dad, seeing my brothers, sisters and their families as opportunities arise and recently enjoyed Easter Saturday with JP, Jonna and the boys and Easter Sunday dinner with Bridget, Amy, Chris, Joe, Kathy, Liza, Donna, Greg, and Lisa. Life can be simple when we slow down, smell the lilacs and roses in the garden and see God in one another and creation.

Lilacs from Sheila

Several years ago my friend Sheila Cerna gave me a lilac clipping from her garden. I took this roughly 8 inch clipping and planted it in my front yard and every year it grows taller and blooms more fully. The beauty of this gift is not only the flower but a fond recollection of the giver, Sheila. I think of Sheila, even in early spring as small buds appear. The garden is a place of peace and new growth. I keep evolving my garden with the help of my gardener, my friends and the time I spend nurturing it with fertilizers, and with love. My garden is a safe haven and this year I dubbed it a healing garden following the death of my cousin Lloyd Lee Lott who I love and miss. I went to his funeral and our mutual cousin Cathy Lott gave me some seeds which I planted in his memory. These seeds she and her children help me obtain from the plant that had come from my grandma Lott. She had given a small plant to Cathy some many years ago. My garden also has 3 statues: 1 St Francis a gift from Sheila's dad Bill, one small Buddha I found in a second hand store and 1 monk I got while travelling with Joe in Austin, TX. My garden has history, and for me it has a heart and I always feel better after being in my garden. All are welcome.

Mardona

Mardona inspired me to write something in my blog this morning. She wrote a Facebook note and said more scratchy notes. So here's to you Mardona. I met Mardona in high school and we became friends and she even shared her clothes with me. I recall a pretty dress she gave to me. Mardona had style and attitude. If someone as Mardona befriended me, well that was cool. Perhaps unbeknownst until this moment of sharing, Mardona made me feel cool, built in me some confidence of coolness and enhanced my high school life. After 30 years we have reconnected via Facebook. Mardona's mystery still intrigues me. On Facebook, Mardona has unusual photos enhanced with artistic flair. Mardona stays connected to many of our other high school friends and through her I have connected to other friends from high school. As I reflect on life and look both in the past and into today, I am blessed to know Mardona and to have her inspire me to put my fingers to the keys.

Leadership from the Best

I am blessed to be part of the St. Vincent De Paul Society, an organization focusing on helping the poor. In my volunteer role, and always with another member, we go out weekly and visit the poor in their humble apartments in order to bring them food, clothing or other necessary emergency assistance. Our Executive Director Lorraine Moriarty, also a Vincentian, and a name we call ourselves in this service established by Frederic Ozanam in 1831 after St. Vincent de Paul who was dedicated to service of the poor. During our board meeting last evening, she moved through a large agenda with ease, coached the new Board President as to the ways of the parliamentary procedures with gentle guidance, and encouraged the group's spirituality with her loving way of being. As I meet many leaders in my day to day work, Lorraine stands out as one of the best. Leadership is something that can be learned and I also believe a vocation. Last night I observed and hope to assimilate two of Lorraine's key differentiators in leadership: commitment and love to a cause and to the people who are part of the cause. Today I will lead with love and a renewed commitment in this service to the poor and in my daily interactions at work and home.

Observing life's joys

Last Saturday our weather in Burlingame was roughly 70 degrees Fahrenheit, lovely as a summer day. My friends Toby, his sister Sheila and her two children and one nephew, Charley, Georgia and Spencer dropped in for lunch and play. While Toby, Sheila and I worked on refreshing flower pots, the kids ran around the yard, and discovered that I have a secret door under my house which leads to a cellar. They peered through a little window that looks into the cellar and asked if they could go see. Joe, my boyfriend went and got the key and guided then into this small room, where once inside, you can actually stand. They played, laughed and found ways to crawl under my house. After at least an hour of fun, they emerged hungry for lunch and wanted only the ice cream which of course Joe served happily. After ice cream they were thirsty and we gave them coke in a bottle, which was also new to them. They happily gulped down the cokes while sitting joyfully on the front porch. Then when it was time to go home, I walked with Toby and the kids to their grandma's house a little less than 1 mile away. The kids chatted, Toby and I had a fun conversation about life, we safely made it across the rail road tracks Toby and I holding each of Georgia's little hands. Georgia was scared and she was happy when she and her brother Charley and cousin Spencer also make it safely across. Then we reached a place on our walk with a small grassy hill and the kids raced up so they could tumble down, you know what we used to do when we were kids. They needed no toys or "stuff" to play with that day, only the eyes to see and the wisdom to play. Life's joys are before us, open your eyes to see and go out and play.

Calling a truce

Over our Christmas holiday there was an unusual tension amongst our adult family members. Little things that normally don't bother any of us escalated into people walking off the basketball court, or shutting down and not talking. After the 2nd day of this building tension, my sister Bridget, tapping into her wisdom, called a truce. It worked. We all just started over, talked, played and it was as if nothing had happened. Joy filled the holiday, we moved forward and that was that. As I reflect on her great insight, I thought about the alternatives of what may have occurred had she not called a truce.
First, had we escalated the tension to a higher degree we may have driven members of our family to just go home early and miss Christmas. We could have continued to spin/weave a story "he said she said", blaming one another or worse cause a long term estrangement from one other. However, none of this happened because Bridget called a truce. We were able to enjoy and appreciate the meaning of Christmas.
I know another family who are also dealing with tension that is escalating. The stories spinning into she does this, why does she do this, she shouldn't do this and on and on. It is clear that this family needs to call a truce.
On a larger scale, the world needs a truce. We have escalated thousands of years of religious differences into war instead of embracing the richness of the religious gifts; love thy neighbour, forgive, and do unto others. I am fretful to mention do unto others, as what I am seeing in the world today is that we don't care enough for ourselves and hence doing unto others is not applicable when we are not even good to ourselves.
Today I call a truce for myself and my community so that we can be together and see that a new day has dawned, life is passing to quickly to hold on to negativity and that in a truce, long term peace is possible.

Sated

My father often says following a meal and in his own practice of healthy moderation, "I'm sated." This expression resonates with me recently, well at least for these first few days of our new year. I am sated and content. This may not seem like a milestone to some, however, over my lifetime I struggle with wanting more, wanting to be the best sales representative, wanting to be able to do it all. Over the past year I have gone back to a prayerful daily practice and this practice enables me to put things into perspective and to find acceptance of what is. While I have achieved many things, my greatest accomplishment for myself today is to say I'm sated. There is enough in my world. This feeling of contentment has also led to peace and presence. Yesterday I attended my friend's 40th birthday party. I had time to be present to many of our mutual friends and not worrying of rushing to another event but just being there and present. The fruit of this sated feeling is a gift that for today shall sustain me.