Tales From The Labyrinth

4th of July & 4 Directions

This 4th of July...
I feel the most connected I have ever felt
to having a sense of community with a group of people
who identify themselves as an entity...

For the first time in my life... I feel patriotic...
I feel a part of the whole...

 

From the South...

To the West...

To the North...

To the East...

May we come together and celebrate our differences...

and be partners with the rest of the world
in creating a future that is beautiful...

Happy Birth Day to US... May we embrace with all our heart the incredible joy of opportunity we have in living as a part of this beautiful world...

Photos: Finial on our flag made from apoxie clay and rainbow mirrored tiles; Four direction labyrinth alter in the heart space of our Santa Rosa Labyrinth created in honoring the passing of two dear people this past week.

aDRESSing The Situation~The Women of Juarez Mexico

Artist everywhere today... are sending the dresses they made off to Stampington and Company with the hope that our heARTs and voices will bring more attention to the plight of the women of Juarez, Mexico...

I find that there are usually at least two sides to every story... So my dress has two sides and my story comes in the words that follow...

Bring a light
to the darkness of night that veils
the tears, the loss, the fear…



Bring a light to the seven silver sisters
watching from the night sky
so they might point the way for us all to start again...

Bring a light
to the sacred hearts...



even when life seems lost and broken...

so that the tears shed might transform...
becoming seeds of hope scattered to the wind...
taking root in the fertile soil of the soul...

Bring the light of day to hearts made whole...
where women may grow and flourish
like the flowers of a garden

their beauty a radiant sun...
bringing life giving joy to all men, children,
and women everywhere…

Bring a light, a voice,
and the song of our hearts...
now and forever...

It's because of Stephanie from the Mango Studio and Rodrigvitz Style that I first heard about the women of Juarez, Mexico... Thank you Stephanie for BEing one of those links so that we don't forget what matters to the heart...

And I am forever grateful to Monica of a Girl Gone Thread Wild for inviting us to bring our heARTs together and give voice to these women who have touched us so... Every woman deserves a beautiful dress and the birth right to walk and dance in the world, free of fear, harm, and with respect and dignity...

Juarez Women~ADRESSing The Situation

When I don't know what to do...
When there is nothing I can do...

I turn to the creative flow...
and surrender to what emerges...

My dress and story is ready to travel on July 1st...

Please join in Monica's vision by visiting her blog, Girl Gone Thread Wild, for all the information you need to add the voice of your heart to this plight of missing women in Juarez, Mexico... to the women and girls, for our sisters, mothers, grandmothers, wives, daughters, aunties, cousins, nieces, girlfriends, lovers, neighbors...

My Dad

Dad...
Seventy and five years ago
today
you came to be...
Your smile,
the twinkle in your blue eyes,
and your ease of moving through life
despite the obstacles that have challenged you,
bring inspiration
and admiration for all that you are...
To have you as my friend,
my champion,
my rock of wisdom,
to hear you say my name
is such a joy
that I cherish with every single memory
we make together...
I am
because of you,
and because of you
my heart is filled with love
in wishing you the happiest of birth days!!!

Slow Down...

What do these words really mean???

Slow Down...

Stopping??? Noticing??? Breathing???

This cup that is so full, is really empty... so empty that it is full of everything...
with friendships, with love, with the cool morning air,
with the soft light of the day after the longest day of the year
cascading across the threshold of my door...

Slow Down...

My prayer, my intention, my sip of emptiness
this beautiful day...

Photos: Antique, hand-painted strawberry cup and saucer.
Found and gifted to me from my dear Ulla.

Phone Call Dreams...

Life is indeed so full...
that I can't seem to get myself to the computer!

So many things to write about, show, some new learning curves to get to where I want, and that pull from outside... so I keep following the momentum and it isn't at the keyboard!!!!

I miss bloglandia...
so much so, that I'm dreaming of my blogging friends...

Last night I dreamed that I missed a phone call from eb!!!! The "can't reach you" message showed up on my (dream) computer screen... as I tried to call her back, I woke up...

I woke up, and instead of a complicated post...
here are a few lines and a picture of another of Lucille's amazing creations sitting in my sweet mom's kitchen window...

Oh how these little guys so delight me!!! Peeking out at me from here and there!

Is there anything surprising you???

Have a great week and I will see you soon!!!

So Full...

This life of mine...
is so full...



How can there be so much love...



 friendship, beauty, joy, depth,
tenacity, contrast, smiles and tears???



I turn 51 today...
and as Constance says...
I do feel terrific!
and I have never been so happy or so full of life...



I so love my sweet husband, family, and my friends~
tangible and in cyber-space...

 

I asked the other day...
what is blooming in your life???



Replies were... Love, Friendship,
This & That, Hydrangeas, Agapanthus,
SomePinkFlowers, Everything!, Rain, & An Open Heart...



You see... these are the treasures
to tuck away
and take out of your pocket or purse on a rainy day...


And in the mean time...
I just dance in delight at the beauty that graces my life
and the gift of getting older...
and so full of life with each passing year...

Photos of treasures that danced into my life over the last few days: A magical pink box, complete with party hat and special wishes from Constance at Rochambeau; Faerie Birth Day wishes from my "destiny neighbors", card and faerie made by Beatrix Scolari; sleeping mushroom baby beneath morel mushrooms by my dear Lucille, a market bag crocheted by my sweet Kathy and filled with lemons, tea, a posy, as well as a gift of copies of poems I wrote for her and her family sixteen years ago!!!;  Peony tree from Lynnette & Michelle; and a magical treasure bag made by my dear friend Elizabeth.
And little notes here and there and birth day wishes that mean the world to me!
Thank you dear friends for gracing my life!!!

Roses...

What is blooming in your life???

A Wee Woodland Elf

Do you ever wonder...
what would happen if you caught that
little movement,
right there at the corner of your vision???



If time stopped
and you could really see the world
as it is...
beautiful in every shape and color imaginable...

And... if what you thought about reality,
wasn't really real???

 

I do.
And, sometimes, my imagination takes a photo
and I get to enjoy endless possibilities...

This wee fellow was begun over two years ago... but while recently visiting my dear friend Mo'a, I was inspired by one of her incredible creations, entitled "The Awakening"... so much so, that my ears unclogged from the din of the fastness of life, and I could hear this little woodland elf whisper that he wanted to come fully into form and go and live with my dear friend Elizabeth... so ready was he, that he traveled all the way into the big city on the bay and presented himself to her on her birthday...

Tribute

To all our heroes and sheroes...
past, present, and future...
and all that we hold dear to our hearts...
may beauty grace this path we walk in life...

Sweet Desert, My Cousins, & Dewar's 100 Year Celebration

This past weekend... my husband and I made a road trip to attend the 100 year celebration of my cousins' candy and ice-cream shop in Bakersfield ~ Dewar's...







It was the best time you could imagine...

 

here I am with my aunt Rosina...



I am so proud of my cousins...
(some of you met them when you voted for them to become the Greatest Thing About Bakersfield)



For they have continued their family business, a rare thing in this day and age... Creating a place where their community can come together and share in the delights of all things sweet and delicious... and with their mail order service, their confections can travel around the world! Here are fourth generation Michael and Heather Dewar with Bakersfield Mayor Hall...



There was lots and lots of ice-cream to cool the over 100 degree heat!!!



And, there was a chew tasting! My cousin Michael, chef extraordinaire, created eight new exotic chew flavors for people to taste! From PeanutButter & Jelly to Hot Chili!



There was a Dewar Museum... where my husband Milt, checked out some of the antique candy making equipment...

















And there were awards and certificates... from the mayor of Bakersfield, declaring May 16th Dewar's Day! A representative for their assemblywoman and their congressman attended, ice cream in hand! Heather and Michael accepted those awards on behalf of their family and amazing employees along with their father, my uncle George...



And here we have a picture of the Dewar's generations, three, four, and five!!!



It was a sweet time indeed... yum says Marley Dewar...



and when we were not celebrating... Milt spent time by my aunt's pool...



We also went hunting for giant magnolia trees, for my dear friend Constance of Rochambeau, who used to live in Bakersfield and knows how goode those Dewar chews are!!!





and my uncle Frank took us to the beautiful Democrat Hot Springs Resort for a view of the renovations they've made over the past thirty years and to see his cabin...



It was such a sweet time, a real desert you might say...



Thank you Rosina, Frank, Heather & Steve, Michael & Tonya...
We love you dearly, my sweet family!!!

Here's to the next 100 years!!!

Air~Pleiades Conjunct The Sun 2009

~AIR~



Stars singing through me
As I dance around the sun
Stars dancing through me
As I sing around the sun
Stars dreaming through me
As I weave the web of life
Stars weaving through me
As I dream this dance called life
Dancing, weaving, dreaming,
Singing stars around me shine
Beauty does surround me
as I move among the stars
Ancient ones stand with me
As I sing this sacred song...
by Marilyn Larson~1989

Right now, follow your breath... Where does your breathing take you? When something is empty, do you realize that it is full of air? If you could fly, on your own, would you? Where would your breath of air take you? Do you allow your breath to give you a voice that speaks from your heart???

~Air ~ Fire ~ Water ~ Earth ~
Above ~ Below ~ and Within ~

Thank you for celebrating these four elements and days with me... as I join, from a distance, my dear friend and labyrinth colleague, Marilyn Larson in marking and celebrating this four day period of time, May 16th through May 19th, when the Pleiades are directly overhead and conjunct (next to) the sun during the day. Click HERE to view the original post about these four days and suggestions for joining in. And, if you are just finding this post, you are not too late! Let your imagination take you on a time travel journey and see where these four elements and the questions posted for each day, take you!

Photos: Air rising from the heart-space into the center of our backyard Santa Rosa Labyrinth. And spinning gratitude for bringing pinwheel delight into my awareness to the inspirational Debi Kermeen of Labyrinths In Stone.

Earth~Pleiades Conjunct The Sun 2009

~Earth~



Stars singing through me
As I dance around the sun
Stars dancing through me
As I sing around the sun
Stars dreaming through me
As I weave the web of life
Stars weaving through me
As I dream this dance called life
Dancing, weaving, dreaming,
Singing stars around me shine
Beauty does surround me
as I move among the stars
Ancient ones stand with me
As I sing this sacred song...
by Marilyn Larson~1989

How well do you know the earth of your body? How often do you feel the "souls" of your feet connecting with the earth beneath you? Do you garden and let your fingers get dirty? Do you yearn for mountains, desert, wide open plains, or the rich soil beneath a thick forest???

Joining, from a distance, my dear friend and labyrinth colleague, Marilyn Larson in marking and celebrating this four day period of time, May 16th through May 19th, when the Pleiades are directly overhead and conjunct( next to) the sun during the day. Click HERE to view the original post about these four days and suggestions for joining in.

Photos: Rich, dark earth in the heart-space of our backyard Santa Rosa Labyrinth.

Water~Pleiades Conjunct The Sun 2009

~WATER~



Stars singing through me
As I dance around the sun
Stars dancing through me
As I sing around the sun
Stars dreaming through me
As I weave the web of life
Stars weaving through me
As I dream this dance called life
Dancing, weaving, dreaming,
Singing stars around me shine
Beauty does surround me
as I move among the stars
Ancient ones stand with me
As I sing this sacred song...
by Marilyn Larson~1989

Do you thirst for a creative life? Do you flow around obstacles that you encounter in life or get caught  up in the undertow? If you get caught, can you let go and allow the water to carry you once again? What kind of water calls to you? Do you yearn for the ocean, or deep mountain lakes, or rushing streams, or glacial majesty?

Joining, from a distance, my dear friend and labyrinth colleague, Marilyn Larson in marking and celebrating this four day period of time, May 16th through May 19th, when the Pleiades are directly overhead and conjunct( next to) the sun during the day. Click HERE to view the original post about these four days and suggestions for joining in.

Photos: Seven-sister-stars shining up to us in water in the heart-space of our backyard Santa Rosa Labyrinth.

Fire~Pleiades Conjunct The Sun 2009

~FIRE~



Stars singing through me
As I dance around the sun
Stars dancing through me
As I sing around the sun
Stars dreaming through me
As I weave the web of life
Stars weaving through me
As I dream this dance called life
Dancing, weaving, dreaming,
Singing stars around me shine
Beauty does surround me
as I move among the stars
Ancient ones stand with me
As I sing this sacred song...
by Marilyn Larson~1989

Where is your creative fire? How can this passion assist you in life? Do you tend the fire in your heart? Is it a bonfire, a smoldering ember, or a match in a box, waiting to be lit???

Joining, from a distance, my dear friend and labyrinth colleague, Marilyn Larson in marking and celebrating this four day period of time, May 16th through May 19th, when the Pleiades are directly overhead and conjunct( next to) the sun during the day. Click HERE to view the original post about these four days and suggestions for joining in.

Photos: Fire in the heart-space of our backyard Santa Rosa Labyrinth.