A Peaceful, Joyous 2009 Bouquet

Dear Ones:

As my Finnish friend RL says, "Have a good turning of the new year and a happy new year of 2009! We're in the midst of an adventure called life : ) !"

As my poet friend Morgan Brown writes,



"A Happy New Year Wish!

May the coming twelve months be much better for you and yours than was the case during this year.
Affording for greater opportunities and quality time to put painful or bad experiences within the past,
In an effort to plant and nurture seeds of charity, joy and hope where once existed loathing, grief and fear.
Thereby offering an inspiring example to help others keep faith in continuing on as well as to hold fast,
Working together to build communities with meaningful futures and better chances for them to last."

And as my husband, Thurmond says,

"Happy Obama New Year!"



I toast these three for expressing messages we all can call our own.

My prayer for 2009? May the new year bring abundant peace and prosperity, particularly to those little corners of the world so parched for good will, well being and hope. And may those of us who have been blest with bounty find more and more ways to share all that we have....most especially our love.



I am so thankful for my life, and the family and friends I love so fervently.

So Many Ways to Love

My young friend, Sumit, calls himself a "freelancer" on the streets of Delhi, his efforts devoted to those "helping those who are in need." His email reminded me of a letter once written by Mother Teresa, answering the question, "How did you start working with the dying?" She simply said, "I saw a dying person on the road, and I brought him home."

As we grow, we learn that service is neither difficult nor complicated. We just love.
For those whose service is to pray, I invite you to visit a wonderful site, Caring Bridge, and join the prayer support family for a 12 year old Minnesotan, Aaron Hullett. Just 12 years old, Aaron is recovering from two strokes. You can read more at Caring Bridge, and begin to lift up all in Aaron's circle.

If you live in the US, before the end of the year, consider making a charitable donation and get the added benefit of a tax write off. I have many favorite groups worthy of our support. Today, I introduce you to CFCA, incorporated internationally as either the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging or the Care Foundation for Children and Aging. My family supports a number of children and elders, and you can, too. Receive letters and photos from your sponsoree! More than 240,000 children around the world have great opportunities now, thanks to a CFCA sponsor. Without a doubt, your donation will change someone's life.

I can vouch for CFCA; in fact, I will be volunteering in April at the Hyderabad site in India, teaching English to working mothers. Read more about CFCA: "We help families in developing countries put food on the table and send their children to school so that, together, we can end the cycle of poverty."

And if you still need to be persuaded that your support can make a difference, make sure you go see the hit movie, "Slumdog Millionaire." Those two hours may well change your life. Here's a little snippet, to give you a taste of the film:

'Slum Dog Millionaire' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

"Somewhere, Deep Inside of Me, Is Peace"

A very dear and old friend sent me a great, great Christmas letter, and I was so moved by her story, I asked her some questions about what changed, and for her permission to share her good news with all of you. She did a little tweaking, and agreed to the reprint I am posting here, with some uplifting photos from nature.

My friend has spent much of her adult life worrying, angry and consequently, depressed. I often felt bad after visiting her, wishing she would enjoy her life more. But as is often the case, she was wrapped up in her patterns and habits, and in some kind of negative rut.
BUT NO MORE! So, as a Christmas gift to all those who have felt trapped in a painful place, read on. You, too, can create a life of joy!
"No medicine. There are a lot of studies that day if you just muddle on, depression generally lifts in a few years all by itself. I think a lot of my new perspective is the result of the gradual removal of the stress of me always trying to beat this one or overcome this or that or fix whatever.

"And when my job ended a year ago, for awhile it was depressing not to go to work every day or have something to DO... and i still have some twinges of guilt. But then I realized that this is a taste of retirement, what everyone else is striving for and say they want and I ought to immerse myself in it and see how it feels.

"So I have tried to embrace having no expectations and no schedule and it is finally working. I have spent my working life, more than 30 years, being super stressed over my work, health and money etc etc.... and somehow that has lifted too. It is not that I am not still super frugal and concerned about my health - but I am not tortured by the absence of health insurance or a steady growth in my savings account.

"I am holding my own by living simply and selling some stuff on Craigslist and when I want something, buying used. But in terms of the bigger picture, I just don't CARE about all this stuff anymore. I still love my toys, but I feel freer now, that I can survive and will be taken care of, even if I am living in a cardboard box or my car somewhere. I am just not as bothered by all the "noise" of daily striving...

"And I just love this little house with Nature all around - the birds and the mountains and the horses out back and the house cat who never lets much of anything bother her! - just wants food, a spot in the sun on the bed and a little time outdoors hunting - SIMPLE.

"I am actually learning from the cat and the horses. They just ARE and their needs are simple and they live in the NOW. I am still in court with the land neighbor from hell who damaged my land in another part of the state - but even that is more like a learning lesson of me studying the law and figuring out how to represent myself - then it is some angry, tortured thing - although I do think about it far too much....

(see the baby tucked between the parents?)

"The one big obstacle is still my weight.. and I have been going to an adult class on methods to losing weight, but it is NOT connecting with my brain/life style yet... but I just can't beat myself up about that - I have to love and accept myself for all the good in me and the good I do and just let myself fail at something and keep trying quietly. Otherwise, I would be suicidal!!!
"So, maybe I am just getting older and smarter or more tired or ? I dunno.. but I am not so WORRIED as I was. I still do worry, but somewhere deep inside me is PEACE - or more of it than I had before. I am understanding that there is a lot to be said with "going with the flow" and just living each day.

"And I think a lot about what YOU said about CELEBRATING each day. Just be happy and let it all wash over me.... the hours, the sun, the wind, the rain, the snow.. GO WITH IT and not fight. Another big piece is my niece dying suddenly 2 or 3 yrs ago - that was a total shocker. We were close in age - and she had a tough life as a teen, but she had a good heart and died in a horrific car accident, possibly reaching for a cell phone, one her way to pick up her young son from day care. That flipped a switch inside me big time. I still deny she is dead and gone. But I am determined to be nicer, kinder, and ROLL IN EACH DAY like a happy horse or dog in fresh green grass and be grateful for all I have.... all I have worked for.... and for just being alive that day.

"UNDERSTAND, that I still sleep too much, get down on myself, get unreasonably angry with tangled extension cords and curse like a sailor with impatience and my incompetence when frustrated, but down deep, I AM CALMER and happy to wake up each day and do not much and I ENJOY that...
"And when people say, Do you want to travel or go on vacation etc? I say NO. I was running here and there for years and I am THRILLED to be in this beautiful small home with amazing views and the mountains and the cat and the horses that needs no real work - so easy to take care of the place compared to the big old Victorian that was partly ego driven, to have one of the biggest homes in town - and to just sit outside and listen to the birds and watch the sky change is a such a gift after working so darn hard for so many years in an office....

"People pay a fortune to come to Vermont and this town and relax in all seasons, why would I want to go somewhere else?? I have traveled. I prefer books and peace and quiet now. Even if I can't pay that in a couple years, and I have to sell this house, at least I had a nice time for a few years. I'll be fine.
"If I got hit by a bus tomorrow, I had a good time. I did the best I could. I tried to make a difference. I was driven and hard working and funny and questioned authority and pompous asses and had some great friends. A good life! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!XO"

Take a Tee Hee Walk with Me!

So, I took a 7.5 mile walk today, and was totally entertained by the signs. At first glance, I thought the plaza advertised on the left was selling BLIND PUPPIES.




















And, if this tanning parlor thinks that promising people will get as dark as I, they have a real losing campaign going. I still look like a pasty white Vermonter!












What is fun about these two signs is that they are directly across the street from each other.


































I guess this sign suggests the order activities will occur....have a drink, then suddenly you're suddenly tousling hair and into a massage....
















As a vegetarian, I got a special kick out of the meat loving businesses along my walk. At this shop, the Universe is being thanked for a soda and dog....














And look what one of the drive-ins is offering as a Christmas present for the hungry....






















My friend, Alice Stewart, who will be 96 on her next birthday, is a meat eater (here we are at the Salvation Christmas dinner party) who remembers her mother singing out whenever someone said, "AMEN," at the end of grace:

"Amen, so let it be,
Pig's ass, very good meat."

What more can I write?!

Peek at the Week

In India, milk is boiled and lemon juice added to make paneer. Here in the US, we call paneer Cottage Cheese.

Using some wonderful hormone-free milk, I made my own cottage cheese this week. So easy; after you stir some lemon juice into the boiled milk, you simply let it sit and separate. Then, hang the cheese to let all the whey drip away. Yum! Soft and delicious...and simple.

Besides making my own cheese, I went on several walks. What happened to the big orange grove I used to pass? The grove I would sneak an orange from whenever I walked by? Look what I found stepping up on the curb...more stores.

Thinking about all the work that was spent on planting that orchard and caring for the trees, I felt sad seeing the parking lots. I also just felt bad for the trees themselves, still bearing such wonderful food...killed for another parking lot.

Finding the balance between consuming and appreciating is a great challenge for our nation, and for each of us as individuals. Whenever I think I need to buy something, I pause, breathe and ask myself, "Don't you already have what you need?"
I remember my friend, Velu, and I were in the small store in a Sivananda ashram a few years ago, in Neyyar Dam, southern India. Holding a book of Sivananda's talks, I stood debating about buying it. "Don't you already have a book?" Valu asked me.

A book? I thought. I have hundreds and hundreds.

I didn't buy the book. And I still have plenty of unread books to read.

May this be a Christmas season of appreciating, more than consuming. Let's celebrate all that we can share with others.