Snowy Evenings

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

By: Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though; 
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. 

#LoveBeingHome

The Road

"'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door,' he used to say.  'You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to...'"

Chapter 3 Three is Company; The Fellowship of the Ring; The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien

#TheRoad #RoadLessTraveled #WhatRoadIsThis

What can I say, I'm still Tolkien obsessed.  This quote is actually one of many that inspired I Walked with Shadows.  The idea that we all have to walk out the door, but in doing so take a risk and could encounter any number of experiences, is pretty dang inspiring if I do say so myself.  Thanks Tolkien, for putting this wonderful idea into just a few words.

SO SNOWY!

PUBLISHED

It's official! Woot woooooooot!

I Walked with Shadows is on Amazon as a Kindle Book!  This is a dream come true and I am so stinkin' happy.  Mostly, I'm happy that I finally finished it!  I'm about forty pages into the second book...so hopefully that one will be done in about a month, but for now I'm CELEBRATING THIS ONE!

One of the best things about self publishing is that I get to keep my writing and story the way I want it, while still having the bragging rights of being published.  Except, when I tell people....well, let's just say that this very wonderful picture is completely true:

#RealLife #CanWriteButCan'tSpeak #Sherlocked

Point is, I'm STOKED to be PUBLISHED :)

Teasers and Adventures

#JustAnAverageDay  #NatureMakesMyLifeWonderful

Today I went on an adventure to Ross...normally I don't have the money for any kind of shopping adventures, but when I do have money this is one of my favorite places to spend it. Extra big smile :)

I also just wrote this and thought it made the perfect teaser...this is for you Julie, bahahahahahaha

Holly hesitated.  That seemed like a loaded question and she didn’t dare answer for fear of being wrong.  “I know they haven’t told me everything they know.  They knew of Eldirion.”

The queen straightened.  “And?”

“They wouldn’t say.”

The queen growled. “You must make them.  Holly, that name came to me while I scried on the Autumn Equinox.  Eldirion is important.  Perhaps as important as you and Connor are.”

Holly privately wondered how Connor could be important when he’d obviously disappeared, but didn’t say it.  Instead she asked, “Can you not find out more about who Eldirion is?”

“It’s not easy to scry.”  The fairy snorted.  “It’s near impossible when it’s not a day of magic.  Only the dwarves possess that sort of gift.”

“The…dwarves?”

“Foresight is their blood gift.”  The fairy said carelessly.  “It’s why they’ve been hunted down and nearly destroyed.  The other races thought their gift too powerful.  If it couldn’t be controlled, it was a threat.”

“I’ve never imagined dwarves as having visions of the future.”

The fairy cast her a sidelong glance.  “Oh, yes.  They were very powerful.  Very powerful, indeed.”

CHAG URIM SAMEACH!!!!!

Happy Hanukkah my friends!

No matter who you are or what you believe, we could all stand to learn more about other cultures and religions.  Learning about other religions and faiths builds understanding.  Understanding creates empathy which in turn creates compassion.  Compassion and love change human lives.  Let's change lives together.

The first blessing on Hanukkah is said as the "shamash" or helper candle is lit (this is the candle used to light the other candles.

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.

"Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to kindle the Hanukkah lights."

Judaism, at its core, is the expression of the covenantal relationship between God and the children of Israel.  It is filled with symbolism of God's love, promises, and relationship with His children.

Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the second time the Holy Temple was built in Jerusalem.  That was, and it is today, a time of joy and hope.

Furthermore, I just personally love the symbolism of a candle.

"A candle is a small thing.  But one candle can light another.  And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other.  You are such a light." ~Moshe Davis (Jewish Rabbi and Scholar)

#HappyHanukkah #FreedomOfReligion #LightTheFire

Also, this is how much I love candles...I literally wrote a poem about two years ago about candles, fire, faith, and religion:

Once

that quivering

 flame was the source of

light on the darkest night.

Now, lucky to be lit

for a nice aroma

or perhaps,

for the roasting of sugary marshmallows.

How many religions throughout time have made

use of Prometheus’s stolen gift of a spark?

Hannukah, Diwali, Jashne Sade, Samhain,

and more.  Even Vesta’s temple was lit forever

by the sacred flame.  And who should lead all of

Israel through the wilderness but a pillar of cloud

and fire.  Then there is dear, sweet Santa Lucia

crowned in her wreathe of candles.  Yet today

the very pinnacles of her crown are reduced to

 rare usage, reserved only for when the storms of life

cause all other sources of comfort and hope to fail.

Then, at very last, we take away the bushel

and allow the spark to take root in our hearts.

Compassion Becomes You

I have three favorite quotes that have completely changed my life.  This is one of them.

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."  ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I know these have been around awhile, but I really want this bumper sticker.  It's amazing.

#Compassion #PowerOfFaith #ReallyWantThis

I have a degree in Anthropology and it is one of the best things I ever did.  The reason is simple.  Anthropology taught me how to look beyond myself and see the world through other people's eyes.  Once we stop looking just at ourselves and how "I" view the world, we are far more inclined to look with compassion and empathy on the lives of others.

 Everyone has a different view of the world and everyone has different beliefs, but we all believe something.  The ability to believe and have faith is crucial to our being human.  We need to cultivate the ability to firmly and confidently stand in our own beliefs while helping and encouraging others in their own faith.  Faith should never be belittled or mocked.  Faith molds each of us into the humans that we are.

Lastly, one of the most important lessons I have ever learned is that God sees us through the eyes of perfect love.  He does not define us by our faults and our inability to be perfect.  He defines us by the spark of divinity within each of us.  Whether you believe in God or not, I say from experience that if we can cultivate that same attitude and see each other through the eyes of perfect love, much of the world's problems would disappear.  I've seen first hand how love can completely change people, both the giver and the receiver.

Totally Lost, but Found the Cool

That moment when you're lost and you meet the most amazing people.

About two years ago, I was out walking and stumbled across a lady using a broom to write in the snow.  She called herself "Mama Jean" (literally she called herself that...apparently speaking in third person was her thing).  She was what I like to term as a hoot and a holler. 

This picture just says it all.  

You gotta love people that aren't afraid to express themselves, no matter their medium.

 #WhenYou'reLost #JustATypicalDay #FreedomOfSpeech #FreedomOfReligion

Advice:  If you can't find an adventure, just go walk around.  At bare minimum, you'll be getting exercise, but chances are that the more lost you are, the more amazing the experience will be.  Just be open to talking to everyone, no matter how crazy they seem.