A GAGGLE OF GALS...Wings to the Future..Beautiful Family

Photo By: John P. Ford

Jesse....here is my post for you dear friend. I have really taken a long time to do it! In my process of lagging, I am no longer sure exactly what I was to have done so I am winging it!

Something, I think, was said about some photo in a particular folder? Here is my photo beautiful friend. It is about family and the extended meaning of that. Please know that I think of you every day and send healing thoughts your way. I am sorry that you are going through this difficult time.

In my thoughts,there is family of origin and family of choice. Family of origin is where you came from in the biological process. Family of choice is simply where there is a willingness to be there in a family like connected way and an agreement between the people involved about what that means to each. I know that you know that you and Charli are included in my extended family of choice.

Our family of origin is a colorful mixture. We claim Northerners, Southerners, East Coast and West Coast folks. We have extended family in D.C., Delaware, Louisana, California, Ohio, Texas. Arizona, Virgina and even Alaska.

We are descended from Irish, Welsh, Native American, and some think Fairies, Mystical Beings and perhaps Leprechauns. A few have been named Trolls but most of us try to ignore that naming.

We have reared Actors, Artists, Craftsmen, Educators, Administrative Educators, Farmers, Math and Computer Experts, Musicians, Performers, Nurses, Mental Health Professions, Ministers, Librarians, Truck Drivers, Small Business Owners and Poets and Writers. We have reared these folks to these callings not necessarily knowing we were doing it.

We have coped with family genetic issues including alcoholism, depression, diabetes, heart issues, cancer and obsessive tendencies and people who died way too young because of these kinds of issues. There is no easy way to cope with these things. Mostly, you just keep walking and praying and holding hands and connections with family of choice.

We claim folks who are single parents, married three to five times (on occassion). We understand it is not three strikes and you are out....but rather life.

We smile at groups of wonderful people who have eleven to zero offspring. Our extended crew includes those who claim heterosexual and homosexual orientation and some folks who prefer not to make a final commitment.

In this post you see a gaggle of gals I claim in my family . Here is the poem I have written about them and our family of origin. I look forward to your thoughts! Your comments are magic and help me learn.

UNCOMMONLY WONDERFUL ANGELS

Uncommonly Wonderful Angels

Rhi (Peanut Butter Bound), Naomi
Leah, Jessica
Becoming who they are
Where they find themselves

Family Heritage Roots
Wings to the Future
Soaring further in
Their lifetimes
Than you and I
Dared to dream

Great-Grand children of Earl and
Emily Ellen Of Tennessee,
Laura and James of Illinois
They are Already
Unknowingly alligned
Christian Soldiers of the Cross

Kith and Kin to
Gospel Music Bards
Cousins to Country Music
Pop-Rockers, Foot-Stompin

Hand Slappin, Fast Dancin
Music Makin, Big-Time Players
They have music
In their bones.

Doubt me?
Think I go on a bit?
Watch Them
Listen to their Music
Dance to their Music

When they think
They are alone
When they don't know
They are watched
Then give your take on it

Roll call on the family tree
Finds Strong-Hearted
Genuinely Loyal
Caring, sharing souls
Living life in the church
Word of the Lord

A song to be sung
Hard work to be done
Joy on the wing
Life lived to the fullest

A little free spirited
Crazy Wacky Outrageousness
Thrown in the mix
To keep things in perspective
To keep things in perspective

May I Have This Dance?

Thank you Bird Lovers Only Rescue for letting me share this!


CHECK SNOWBALL OUT
Snowball is a medium sulphur crested Eleanora cockatoo and he loves to dance and sing. He loves the Back Street Boys. No one taught Snowball to dance...he just heard this song and suddenly felt like dancing. We're all jealous because he can outdance each one of us...nobody likes a show off! When he's really in the mood, he dances and sings. And at the end of the performance he takes a bow or two or twenty!! Enjoy the show.

Bloggers Extraordinaire CHERIE, LAURA,TRACEY-ANN and B.J.Roan Pass on AWARDS! Thank you all!

A very special recognition to Cherie at Butterfly Dreamer for the creativity of originating an award with no expectations and for the purpose of recognition of Peace and love.

BEAUTIFUL and PRECIOUS ...as is Cherie.

FANTASTIC AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS ARE HERE. THANK YOU!


LEMONADE AWARD from Laura at Under the Sheets - Shh and Tracey-Ann at Pensieri senza Colora.



What a lovely surprise to receive the Lemonade Award from Both Laura and Tracey-Ann.

These great gals are two wonderful bloggers.. They are both talented and creatve in expression and they are real and caring. Please take a moment to check out their sites. I can predict you will be going back again and again for visits!

Thank you both so much for thinking of me Laura and Tracey-Ann. I love getting awards and I appreciate the thought and the sharing. The rules are that I pass this award along to 10 people.

Before passing this award onto other well deserving bloggers, I am asked to share with you five attitude and five gratitude things that you didn't know about me.
ATTITUDE
1) I am not a morning person. It takes me time and transition to come from the world of dreams and sleep to this reality.I do try to not talk before coffee and to be kind to the people who must endure being with me.. I am kind as long as they don't want to talk on arising.
2) I need about 7-8 hours of sleep nightly. Without it I can be very cranky and into self pity. This would be the perfect time for you to see my attitude at work. I do a great snarl.
3) I will turn around and give you a look of attitude if you are sitting in a restaurant booth and rock back and forth on my part of the booth!
4) I am not much for ongoing negative statements not laced with weird humor. I may tell you so.
5) I really do not like music playing randomly in restaurants that I did not choose..I may or may not like it. Now if a violinist comes by my table...all to the good . Otherwise, Please..allow me to choose my own music or keep it calm and low in the evening...unless of course I am dancing!


And now for my GRATITUDE list:
1) I am thankful for this life of sharing and connecting and loving and learning more about love.
2) I thank whoever is responsible for the idea that we are never too old to have a happy childhood ...one that includes singing in the rain, dancing in the streets and playing in mud puddles.
3) I still write in a journal what I am grateful for on that particular day and at that time. I go back and reread those things I enter. I am in awesome realization of the diversity of life and the people I know.
4) I am grateful for the family and old friends and new friends and the wonderful blogger friends that color my life in rainbows. What an inspiration...really!
5) I am thankful for discovering blogging! This self expression is such fun and it has helped me learn more about myself and others and how we are all more alike than different. :>)

Thank you for sharing and creating this experience with and for me and you!

My wonderful nominees for the lemonade blog award are:

1)Artemis of the Eucalyptis at Slightly Unconventional Purple Pathways
2)Bast Crystal at Thoughtful Creativity
3)Cat at Wait. What?
4)Confessions of a Wandering Soul
5)Faith at Stones From My Heart
6)Kate at Blogging Is My Only Vice
7)Jewelery Girl at Jewelry and Junk
8)Jo at Flowers and Barbed Wire
9)Priya at Journal
10)Rab at The Seeker in Dreams
11)Self Proclaimed Mistress of Nothing at Ramblings of an Imperfect Being



YOUR BLOG IS FABULOUS AWARD from Julian at Hopeless Believer. To know Julian is to love her. Reading her blog is enjoying Open Hearted, loving and caring communication. Thanks Julian!






So, there are a few things you need to do after accepting this award:
1.)Post the logo on your blog.
2.) Pass it on to at least 10 of your blogger friends that you think they have a "Fabulous Blog".
3.) Please link me, Linda @ Psyche Connections in your post.
4.) Link the awardees as well.
5.) Let your awardees know you have passed this on to them by going to their blog and leaving a comment.


HERE are my FABULOUS AWARDEES.


1)B. J. Roan at Rubbish By Roan
2)Cat Vibe at Witnessing A World of People and Places
3)Jacqueline Michelle at Or Whatever
4)Karmen at Karney Life
5)K. Lawson Gilbert at Old Mossy Moon
6)Laura at Under the Sheets--Shh
7)Rachael at The Waxing Moon
8)Rhi at Peanut Butter Bound
9)Rikkij One Big Love
10)Susan Sonnen at Musings
11)The Pink Cowboy
12)Tracey-Ann at Pensieri senza Colore


BEST BLOG THINKER from B. J. Roan at Rubbish By Roan.




According to B.J.:




“This award acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It’s a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”



Here is the fun part. I am asked to pass this award on to 15 bloggers I consider worthy of the award. So although there are many more than 15 who deserve this honor, here is my list:



1.CathM at Catherine Mark-Beasant
2.Charli at Broken Mannequin
3.Cherie at Butterfly Dreamer
4.Christina at The Voice of the Sea Wind
5.Christopher at View From the Northern Wall
6.Cynthia at Epiphany: ReBirth
7.Cynthia at Oasis Writing Link (OWL)
8.Diane at COEXIST
9.L. Rochelle at Two Ghosts
10.George at Lost Night's Scribblings
11.Jesse at The Art of Jesse
12.Julian at The Innocent Piper
13.Jiggins at Con-tin-u-um and Refraction
14.Larry at LarryG Mobile Blog
15.Lorenzo at CROWNED WITH LAURELS
16.Paul at Paul Chambers
17 Selchie at Thought For The Day
18.Alan at Laid Back Think Tank

I confess. Math has never been my best subject!

Life ...A Spiral Route Up and Down A Mountain Side

Capitola Beach, California
Photo by: Erica Foley

Life, to this traveler, is a twisting, turning, spiral route up and down a mountain side. In my thinking, travelers MUST travel in a spiral, with the ups and downs within that spiral. Sometimes the travel is by the hardest on foot with no staff or at times first class on the Silver Bullet!

These travels can create the feeling of being magically transported, flying, falling, crawling or of not moving.

Flying to the top of the mountain is breaktaking! Exhilarating! It can feel as if you have arrived at the ultimate! It will seem as if the world is yours! At times, it can feel as if you were magically transported!

All that is needed in this state is for the traveler to reach a bit and grab their personal lightening bolt that powers their life and the energy that goes with that!

When you are in a holding pattern it may feel as if there is no movement. It may actually be the incubation period of a new spiral path of your life. You are simply standing by ready to board the mountain train for the ride of your life.

Yet, at times it seems impossible to see even beyond the curve on the road more than a footstep! The fear is ...what can be on the other side. How can we trust what we cannot see?

When you enter these holding patterns you are making way for the new by giving up the old but often it feels like loss, pain , saddness. I find it may be difficult to experience change as gain!

It is hard to lay down the what have beens and the what might have beens because we cannot see around the bend. We must act on FAITH instead of FEAR with no guarantees.

Here is the result of a poem I workshopped with my friend and fellow poet Alex on this subject. I deeply respect Alex and his work and I enjoyed the process and the result. I wanted to share it in a post with this blogger community.

I love your thoughts, comments, reactions. It broadens my perspective and my horizons! I would enjoy hearing about any connections or specifics where you might identify with the topics or bits and pieces of it. I can also love hearing what you do not relate to or like about the poem? What are your thoughts and feelings?

HARD TO LAY DOWN

Sack cloth
Ashes and lemonade

Not what I thought
It would be

In the Golden Years
Yet here

It is
Struggling, walking, elusive

Too close for comfort
Clouding

Not without fear
The heart born

Dancing through Moulin Rouge
A misstep

Considering all
Wishing to be 15

Still in the middle of
The joy of everything is

Little comfort gained
From dreams of playmate

Soulmate sharing
You know the one

Mary Jane and sniffles
And off to adventure land

By the sheer will of it
Entering

By magic incantation
Exaulted in that perfect

Home comforted
Full of places visited

Order restored to whatever
That time when

Summer seemed
And winter just a blip on

All things lie ahead of us still
Lost in what might have been

Too many could haves
Like oil and water

Even while rewriting this
Tarnished troubadours

Sack cloth
Ashes and limonade

Are hard to lay down


Courtesy of Ghost Dansing