Gratitude: 45

{Post: 45/365}

Today I am grateful for:

LOVE

I am lucky

and I appreciate

my husband,

my children

and my friends and family

Happy Valentine's Day!

Merry Christmas!

{Post: 360/365}

good morning

coffee

small breakfast

excitement

opening stockings

and gifts

showers

getting dressed

gathering up more presents

and food

to bring to mom's

family

fellowship

food

and more gifts

good dinner together

laughter and love

Christmas

Thank You Daddy

sometimes

my heart

is deeply sorrowful

and the missing you

aches inside of me

and I still wish

that you were here

to "get" my

weird sense of humour

to laugh with me at all

every time I smell

Old Spice

I think of you

and every time

I smell leather

so when I found

this little leather braid

play piece

in the lacing container

I wanted to use it

to have a piece of you

with me

the spirit piece

and the memories

are the best ones

but it gives me joy

to have a piece you made

added to it 

a piece that I made

and it reminds me of times

we spent together

making leatherwork

fighting sometimes

laughing sometimes

sharing creativity

and joy

it's a treasure

and a reminder

of your love

thank you

I Wish You

{Post: 343/365}

I wish you no harm

no ill will

no hatred

no sorrow

no pain

that you can't handle

I wish you no hurt

no damage

no broken hearts

no losses

that you can't rise above

I wish you joy

and friendship

love

companionship

gratitude

understanding

and compassion

for whatever

hurts you DO endure

and above all

I wish you

the power

the wisdom

and the journey

required

to find YOURSELF

My Gift to You

{Post: 333/365}

it is small

and dainty

but made by my hands

crafted with all the love

in my heart

and given

with the spirit

of hope

that

everytime

you see it again

and hang it on your tree

you will be reminded

that you are

cherished

appreciated

and loved

my gift to you

Tree Lights

{Post: 332/365}

how to express

the feeling

the joy

of tree lights

twinkling

red

blue

yellow

green

orange

shine

reflecting

in the glass

baubles

and ornaments

hanging

from the branches

beautiful angel

lit up inside

topping the tree

handmade love

and gifts

included

it brings me joy

and peace

and the willingness

to work harder

be more tired

and give more

LOVE

Colours of Christmas

{Post: 329/365}

breathing in

the colours

and emotions

of Christmas

tree shining

and twinkling

with lights

in blue, red, yellow, orange and green

and shiny

ball ornaments

in purple, silver, red and blue

catching the lights

glass icicles and angels

sparkling in the branches

santas, balls, bells

and cute little critters

in all the vibrant colours

adorn the Christmas tree

and my heart

is full of all the

peace, love and hope

of the season

I LOVE it!

Crocheting for Christmas

{Post: 323/365}

I am crocheting

gifts for Christmas

and as I crochet

I remember

the grandmother

who taught me to

crochet flowers

somewhere

locked away in a bin

is the bedspread she made me

crocheted by hand

made with love

all the more special

because I understood the WORK

she put into it

and somewhere a pillow

made by my own hand

to match

but more

the gift...

the GIFT

of not only a skill I could master

but a talent I could cherish

and for you, grandma

I am grateful

then I also remember

the other grandmother

my nanny

who always made us

socks and mittens

for Christmas

even while the arthritis

in her hands

made it difficult

and before she had to stop

she would knit

and I never could figure out how

to knit

but my mother knows

 I am struck

by the passage of time

and the loss 

of so much

and I wish

that my daughter

wanted to learn

to crochet

but maybe

just maybe

I will be the grandma

who teaches her own

grand daughter

to crochet flowers

or toys

or something else

I HOPE

My HOPE

{Post: 304/365}

I found this poem in one of my stacks of papers. I don't remember when I wrote it but I would like to share it now.

once upon a moment

I carried a dream

in my womb

he touched my heart

for only a moment

but I have not

forgotten

I will never forget

he wasn't mine to keep

but he was, IS

and always will be

a cherished moment

of HOPE

Angel LOVE

{Post: 302/365}

when I create

an angel for you

whether it is a pendant

on a chain

an ornament

for your Christmas tree

or just a token of love

for your pocket

I am thinking of YOU

I am thinking of

your favourite colour

whether or not

you believe in angels

of how deeply

connected we are

how much love I have for you

how huge my wish for 

love and peace

and angel protection

is for you

and that my creation

will be filled

with all that emotion

and love

and every time

you wear it

or see it

or touch it

you will think of me

and know

LOVE

Handmade Gifts

{Post: 301/365}

the countdown

has begun

I have no time

so TODAY

is making a plan

for Christmas

day!

bust out

the creative bomb

and MAKE

some pretty

and useful

gifts

for my friends

and family

and hope

that it really is true

handmade gifts

are better

because they are

made with love

and a portion of my time

I AM thinking of YOU 

when I choose

a pattern

an idea

a statement

and every time

I also give 

a piece of myself

and the flow of my love

If Only in Spirit

{Post: 282/365}

if only in spirit

I know

that you lift

my eyes

to seek

higher goals

and a more

meaningful

purpose

you cannot 

lift your hand 

to wipe away

my tears

but if you could

you would

you hope and dream

for my goals to be

met and reached

just as much as

your own

if only in spirit

I know

there is a deeper

and stronger

reason

that we are connected

that we compliment each other

and only become

better

and stronger

and wiser

with each hurdle in life

that we share

and I am grateful

for YOU

I thank GOD

for you

and if only in spirit

I know

that IS friendship

that IS love

and that you will always be

the mirror through which

I see myself

BEST

Thank You

{Post: 281/365}

I am

grateful

for you

the one who

brings light into the dark corners

the one who

brings laughter to my heart

the one who 

engages my mind

the one who

reminds me

of my own beauty

and power

the one who

allows me to shine

the one who

sparks joy in my soul

the one who

asks my spirit to dance

the one who

shows me reflections

of myself

the one who

helps me to grow

stronger every day

thank you

for being you

and for loving 

ME

Things That I LOVE

{Post: 264/365}

I LOVE

unicorns

the colour blue

the sound of a baby giggling

the soft fur of a kitten

kittens in general

"the look" you receive from your cat

the colour purple

Papa Yeti

the idea of a yeti

M&Ms

Tigger

Eeyore

potato chips

and french fries

seasoning salt

feeling the "click" of connection with someone new

DRAGONS

magic

fire

teddy bears

colours

rainbows

Old World Santas

Christmas in general

Nutcrackers

elves

fairytales

stories

the BLUES

the colour green

books

photographs of the world

flowers

more specifically

day lilies, crocuses and roses

and too many others to list

I love GREEN

the smell of it

the taste of it

the feel of it

like sugar snap peas

and brussel sprouts

and grass under bare feet

I love wolves

and polar bears

well all bears really

she's a fierce momma you know

I love sea otters

and river otters too

hedgehogs

puppies

candles

a good soak in a bubble bath

charming tails

KISS

writing a good poem

writing a good story

people

life

and still

so much MORE

Grandmothers

{Post: 258/365}

thinking

about

grandmothers

missing them

remembering

the gifts

and treasures

they left behind

grandma

taught me 

to crochet

and that

nobody is perfect

and there is NOT

only one way

to do something

nanny

taught me

to love

and to nurture

and to improve my scrabble game

grandma 

showed me

courage

compassion

and patience

nanny 

showed me

intelligence

comfort

and faith

and I am grateful

for both

grandma

for a short time

nanny 

for a long time

and both 

gone now but

forever

living inside my heart

Why I Write

{Post: 255/365}

to speak

the voice 

inside my heart

to tell

a story

about love

to open

the floodgates

of my soul

to entertain

to live and breathe

the words

in my head

to love

to give

to dream

to feed 

the phoenix flame

to grow

to learn

to live

a thousand lives

to BE

I Want

{Post: 252/365}

I want to live

a life of

integrity

and honour

I want to stand behind

the things I believe

I want to dream

and have the strength

and courage

to follow them through

I want to

live

eat

breathe

and

dance

with joy

and passion

I want to shine

with my own light

the light

of spirit and passion

the light

of love

deep inside me

I AM...

{Post: 221/365} 

strong

vibrant

alive

a survivor

fun

bright

thoughtful

funny

interesting

comfortable

warm

intelligent

passionate

compassionate

hopeful

a fighter

and a lover

and SO much more

than you could ever see

or understand

just by looking at the surface

by judging the package I come in

the shape of my body

the colour of my eyes

the length of my hair

I CHOOSE

to see and know

the positive

pieces of me

and to learn

to accept them

and know the TRUTH

of myself

because THEN

I will be able to love YOU

and I AM

LOVE!

Miracle or Muse

{Post: 177/365}

even a muse

needs a miracle

I smile...

it is a 

circle

we complete

for each other

because

in order to be

a light

a strength

a mind

a heart

a voice

that people follow

and are inspired by

a miracle

needs a muse

to be

the inspiration

inspiring her 

to be

an inspiration

while she

inspires the muse

to be

an inspiration

and so they feed each other

and build stronger

dreams

aspire to reach

even higher goals

and

shine

brighter light

in the world

a Miracle needs a Muse

and even a Muse needs a Miracle

thank God for you

and the wider world I see

because of YOU

Love Warrior

{Post: 168/365}

a warrior

is anyone who fights

for something

and becomes adept 

at the battle

so a warrior of love

battles to teach

LOVE

sometimes

I believe 

it can be more

a battle with yourself

than anyone else

when choosing to love

the irascible

and foul

the angry

and bitter

the miserable

and lost

and yet

to be a warrior 

is to battle on

and continue

teaching LOVE