How Does She Know?

I made the mistake of watching the movie 'Ghost' tonight. The tears rolled from my eyes as the movie closed with Demi Moore's character being given the opportunity to see and talk to her husband (Patrick Swayze) one last time. I turned off the TV feeling a couple of shades beyond melancholy. Without provocation, Sedona got up from her end of the couch and snuggled up next to me, laying her head in my lap. What a balm to my aching heart. She is the best dog ever.

Pic o' the Night

I took this picture last year following a storm.
I remember how it cleared the air and left everything
awash in soft sunlight. That's how my heart felt tonight
when Sedona loved on me. 

So Blessed

A heart full of praise and thankfulness today (always) for the family and friends I love, who love me, and who I have yet to know and love. Happy Thanksgiving!

And yet another from Mr. Emerson...
For each new morning with its light, 

For rest and shelter of the night, 

For health and food, for love of friends, 

For everything Thy goodness sends. 

Intoxicating

I have a confession: when I pull in the garage after work each night and get out of the Xterra, I don't immediately go inside. Instead, I go to the camper, open the door, lean in, and inhale deeply -- mmhhh, new camper smell. It triggers a desire to take to the open road, to embrace the adventures that await Sedona and me. I am antsy to go. I think Sedona knows it, too, because she seems to be more clingy. I can't leave for work in the mornings without her trying to go out the door with me. It's as if she fears I'll hitch up the camper and drive off without her. Yeah, not going to happen, Sedona dear.

My sister Mary Ann is with me this weekend. She is going to try and help me restore order to my house of chaos. I don't know how it happened, but in the last four years, one woman and a dog have managed to occupy every inch of this 1,900 square-foot house -- that's just wrong. It's a condition that's making me twitchy, this being surrounded by too much stuff. Maybe the abundance of stuff is also part of the attractiveness of the camper. It offers an uncluttered abode and a lifestyle unfettered by the four walls of home ownership. The life of a nomad sounds very appealing at this particular chapter in my life.

Someone recently described me as fearless. I've been reflecting on that comment and considering if there's truth in the statement. I think not for I have been (and am) fearful on many levels, at many times, in many scenarios. So, after much pondering, I think that the better adjective is deliberate: I am deliberate in my efforts to be happy, to live without regrets, to love. It isn't always easy, but for Ron and to honor God, I deliberately move forward.

Pic o' the Day

Look at Me, Posting Two Days in a Row!

A satisfying Saturday. Sweet friends asked me to take their family photo at a local city park as part of their holiday greetings. We headed out around 11:30 and despite the overcast skies got some real keepers -- not hard getting good pix: very photogenic family. As I began snapping photos, it was clear I was capturing something that transcended a simple family Christmas photo -- and not because of anything I was doing. Each time the camera pointed in their direction what came into focus was big love and it beamed right into the lens. I feel privileged to have been part of that experience.

Another good thing came out of the photo expedition: glam shots of Dona girl and me! She was such a good pup, waiting patiently for us to wrap up the human shots. She is my sunshine.

Our Pics o' the Day!

Where to Start?

The thing about letting so much time elapse between postings is not knowing where to begin, what to share...

• My first cold-weather camping experience in the Silver Shadow, which included my sister? 
• Realizing that a little over a year ago I had my last day of radiation and was beginning to really grow some hair?
• Watching my great-niece play with wicker doll furniture that was handed down from her great grandmother, my mom?  
• Photographing the Cattle Baron's Ball, an awesome annual fundraising event for the American Cancer Society?  
• Witness to a morning sky crisscrossed with the most amazing contrails? 
• My goddaughter asking if I would be her pen pal?
• Serving with friends down at Jericho's Light Club and witnessing the hand of God at work?
• Wonderings about what it has been like being 50 for almost a year?
• Learning that my sweet friend Tina had her last radiation treatment on Oct. 31? 
• Updates on my favorite boyfriend, Clark?

Hhhm, well, I think it's going to take me a long time to put a decent post around every one of those bullets. Wow, I am humbled by the gift of having such a list, especially considering it is a compilation from just the last 30-or-so days. Can't say it often enough: I am blessed.

Collage o' the Moment