Removing My Website

  September is blurry. I won't bother with the dizziness of my schedule, but it's out of hand. I missed out on key things just because I couldn't juggle it all. This image hits home for that reason. It was chosen for my son when I compiled all the "Breathe" images in this series. I missed my son's 30th birthday . . . twice. Is that possible? Yes. The previous year, I bought a greatly reduced ticket to a writer's conference this year. I did not realize that it overlapped his birthday. We pushed the celebration back a couple of days. My mom and step-dad made plans to travel. I made plans to travel. After a whirlwind month in Guatemala, I had left no margin in my schedule. It was just "laundry and GO!" But I couldn't keep up. I left town late every time. I tried to drive through the night to get to my son. I slept in bits here and there in my car. Then I hit a wall. I couldn't do it anymore. I got a hotel at 4 a.m. and slept. When I woke, I ...

  I gasped when I saw the focus this month: SING! Indulge me for a moment, and I'll tell you why. Yesterday morning I hopped a plane (after several rescues from my daughter who came back to the airport twice and then stayed for the final thumbs up--Covid papers; Overweight luggage; MANY SIGHS from me). I landed in Guatemala City and connected with my driver, Sergio. After he helped me get loaded in, he asked through a translation app on his phone if the music was okay. It was instrumental--just piano, jazz. Absolutely it is okay with me! We began to drive and my mind slowed down.   These are hymns , I thought. Eventually I said out loud, "I know these songs!" I sang along with one verse and chorus from the back seat. I learned that Sergio's father-in-law is a pastor in Mexico: Vision Tierra Santa (Vision of the Holy Land). Sergio is a Christian and also plays piano. "Jazz? Like this? You play this?" We fumbled around with translations and it seems to me that...

  What makes you laugh? The year's theme is "breathe," and this month's focus is "laugh." Use one of these prompts, set a timer for 5 minutes (or more), and write about: What makes you laugh? Tell about a   time when you laughed so hard your sides hurt. Describe someone else's laugh (or your own laugh if you can). Did you ever laugh at an inappropriate or inoppurtune time? What happened? Level Two Reflection Considering what you just wrote, answer these questions (use any or all to explore your inner self after writing):   Do you laugh enough? Why or why not? This makes me feel . . . And now I want to . . . Food for Thought and Action Step Joy = Laughter! (At least it does for me.) Are you lauging? If not, take some time to #findjoy . . . and share what you find! Just like collecting tiny stories, tiny joy is powerful too.  Get your paper, pen, or computer and get ready to: LAUGH Ready . . . set . . . write! PS. If you would like to have a matching noteb...

  The Gift of Breath   (please indulge a longer post about the moment behind this image and my desire for you) It was December when "the machine" arrived. Boots crunched through the snow, leaving a trail of steps that marked the miracle that came to our door. My father relaxed in the hospital bed set up in his living room. The machine hummed. Clear tubes made a path across the floor, up in his bed, around his head, and rested gently under his nose. The tiny ports that tickled his abundant Norwegian nose hairs were like praise hands raised in gratitude. He was sleeping. He was breathing. This image was on my computer as I combed through hundreds of shots to make a calendar. In . . . out . . . in . . . out . . . the colors flowed in the image much like the breathing I cherished across the room. I thought much of the marvelous gift of breath. I wrote about it. I cried over it. I prayed for healing to come from it. Dad's body released its tension. His lungs seemed eased. A re...

  How do you catch your breath? The year's theme is "breathe," and this month's focus is "catch." Use one of these prompts and freewrite for 3=5 minutes (or 10 or 20)! When I think of the word   catch , I . . . I catch my breath when . . . I cannot catch my breath when . . . If I could catch one moment and hold it forever, I would choose . . . Level Two Freewrite Considering what you just wrote, answer these questions (use any or all to explore your inner self after writing):   Why? This makes me feel . . . And now I want to . . . Food for Thought and Action Step This image reminds me of life, the craziness especially. It can be chaos as a whole, but look at those patterns and lines. Each element has a story through it all like a thread in a tapestry. Explore these threads! Regardless of how small they may seem, your tiny stories make stunning elements on their own. You may discover your own priceless gems. Whether you share or choose not to share your disco...

  What do you want in your garden? What do you want in your life? This month, use your words like seeds and plant them in "future you" and "future others." The year's theme is "breathe," and this month's focus is "bless." I'm thinking of words on the breath that bring blessing. What would bless you? Brainstorm for 3 minutes. No need to write sentences now. What would bless others? Brainstorm for 3 minutes. Now set a timer for 20 minutes (or more) and write with the thought that every mark on your page will come to life. What do you want to see? TIP: You can write these in such a way that you can speak them. I recommend doing that and speaking them often! Of course, if you literally want to write about the blessing of breath, please do! Or anything else that this sparks? Run with it! When I originally chose this image, the phrase "April showers bring May flowers" came to mind. Perfect! Imagine rain coming down full of color a...