Hurdles

X-rays, Bone spur, Inactive right thumb, trigger fingers,

MRI, Orthopedic surgeon, Stenosis, Spinal clinic.

Sophie

I will focus on the ups, 

for they still far outweigh the downs.

Energy training with a retired race horse, and an overly cautious horse,

 sweet smiles, and old friends with big lovable dogs.

Left hands that learn fast, and fingers that pick up 

where thumbs leave off.

Wonderful medical community who care,

and rapid responses.

Mild evenings and after dinner walks.

Deep breaths.

Trusting in the process.

Flowers in bloom and a fresh morning rain.

Dove cooing in the distance.

A loaf of sourdough fresh out of the oven, and the heel calling my name...

Receiving a new book in the mail.

YouTube PT videos.

Meditating on scripture, and being acutely aware of  the 

messages that carry me through each moment, each hour,

each day.

And today is a beautiful day !!!

Am I nervous? You bet!

It sometimes borders on extreme fear...

however, 

I continue to choose to look at it as an experience.

Through eyes of faith.

I have found great comfort in that alone.

I'm 63. 

It's happening.

I want to see the lessons, the beauty, and provisions in it all.

I feel like I am on training ground.

We don't always have to be strong to be strong.

Sometimes we need to fall apart to regroup & stay on track.

Sometimes strength is expressed in being vulnerable.

Part of taking care of ourself is giving

ourself permission to fall apart when we need to.

There is nothing that empowers me, or lifts me up more,

than falling apart and spending those moments in 

God's loving care.

be well...

xoxo

💝

"...the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd

keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

"At every moment of our lives we all

have one foot in a fairy tale 

and the other in the abyss."

~Paulo Coehlo~

"Did you know: Spending just a few minutes 

gazing into a dog's eyes can increase oxytocin

by 300%?

Petting and interacting with dogs

also lowers stress hormones and helps 

reduce blood pressure.

Love had four legs."

~Dr. Mark Hyman~

December 13, 2025

This morning...

I'm feeling cozy sitting at my kitchen table in my 

 comfy sweats and fluffy slippers. It's cold and gray outside.

Perfect for sipping hot tea, journaling, and waiting for my sourdough to rise.

 

During my meditation I revisited a memory of the 7th grade:

 My teacher pulled me aside as class dismissed.

I can still visualize the classroom, leaning toward her chair

as I watched her draw a picture of an iceberg and then draw a line across.

She pointed to the top of the iceberg and told me that it was me.

I remember thinking, "She's telling me I'm 

doing good. I'm on top."

She continued to explain that I was the whole iceberg,

& there was so much more to me than what was on the surface.

I remember feeling uplifted by her words,

even though I didn't fully understand them at the time.

That memory arose many times

during my life.

It etched itself into my subconscious.

I didn't understand the message then.

I'm starting to understand it now.

Journal notes:

What you know of the world is only the tip of the

iceberg.

Submerged beneath the surface or the visible world

are mysteries too vast for you to understand.

You must live by faith, not by sight.

Trust in the mystery.

Nothing is impossible.

'Joseph and Mary were asked to trust, 

no more, and no less.

God showed the wisemen a star as a compass,

but that's it.'

"God doesn't always give us specifics on how things 

will work out, but He will often give us a direction 

He hopes we will move toward."

Pack light and take lots of love.

be well...

xoxo

💝

"And the thing about blooming is,

nothing about the process is easy.

It requires every part of you to stretch upward,

with your roots firmly planted in the ground;

and in the sun, and in the rain, and wind,

you stand anyway, even against the pull of the soil.

And through it all, 

one day you will see all along you were transforming.

This took everything out of you, but the struggle

was beautiful and necessary for your growth."

 

 

Happiness Habits

I remember a time when playing outside with my cousins,

then Dad taking us to my Uncle's gas station 

to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola from the machine

 was all it took to be happy.

It takes a little more intention these days..,

but it's still the little things that make me happiest.

 Like nature, movement, and savoring the simple pleasures.

Only now, it's walking through the grass barefoot,

practicing Tai Chi steps under the stars,

and relaxing with a healthy mug of hot-chocolate 

(sugar/dairy free)

 at the end of the day.

Journal notes:

"Problems can be the pathways to Spiritual growth

that good times can never provide."

~Charles Stanley~

Recognizing the extent of your neediness is one of your strengths.

"You don't need someone threatened by your happiness.

The right people will be happy for your joy."

'The happier, more content, the more fulfilled you genuinely feel,

the more you have to give. Everyone.'

'Our love is the light that shines in the darkness.

Just be love and it'll light up everything.'

'At some point you have to free the inner hostage.

No one else can storm the gates.

You alone can finally break the barricades & just free...you.'

'Jesus calls us friend.

He looks to us through the lens of love.

He accepts us the way we are,

but also helps us grow into all we can be.'

'Embrace the wonder of being alive. 

Look at things freshly.

Choose joy over discontent.

Transform your negative assets, 

and build on your positive.

Focus on what's right about you.

Seek your higher self.

Discover your unique talents.

Like yourself as you are.

Make today yours!'

be well...

xoxo

💖

"The less people know, the more stubbornly

they know it."

~OSHO~

"The goal isn't buying more materialistic stuff.

It's a nervous system that's regulated.

It's hormones that are balanced.

It's a gut that is healthy.

It's energy that's vibrant.

It's a spirit that's at peace.

It's friends that are safe and supportive.

It's a life well lived.

Health is the real wealth."

~Dr. Will Cole~

Precious Time

" Life humbles us as we age.

We gradually realize how much nonsense

we've wasted time on.

And we gradually realize how precious

the present truly is.

Let this sink in today.

The afternoon always understands

what the morning never even suspected."

xoxo

💖

 

Childhood Toy

Lately I have been processing a lot of emotions.

They pop up randomly, and I am learning that if they

rise to the surface, the best thing I can do is relax,

and let those babies go.

Random tears, moments of joy.

I don't try to analyze why anymore.

I just sit with them. Let them be, and when they have had

their moment, they move on.

I'm in my sixties.

I had a lot of pent up emotions lurking in the shadows.

After I posted yesterday, I thought of my cherished 

childhood stuffy.  It has been on a lot of adventures with me.

I got it for Easter the year I was in the auto accident.

I remember when I regained consciousness in the hospital,

everyone was standing around my hospital bed.

They asked me how many fingers they were holding up.

I answered 3 ( or maybe it was 4?) and I was right.

Then I asked for my bunny.

( I still have my blankie too)

Whenever I connect to the bunny, I also connect to a part of  myself.

" Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you.

When a child loves you for a long, long time,

not just to play with, but REALLY loves you,

then you become Real."

" Generally by the time you are Real, 

most of your hair has been loved off,

and your eyes drop out and you get 

loose in the joints and very shabby.

But these things don't matter at all,

because once you are Real, you can't be ugly,

except to people who don't understand."

~Velveteen Rabbit~

xoxo

💝