Author: Jennifer

When I’m tired or frustrated or overwhelmed, it always amazes me how much better I feel when I go outside. Some fresh air and a nice walk do wonders. It’s also a treat to spot heart shapes here and there. When I saw this redbud leaf, I felt like I’d found a little love note from Mother Nature.

The moon was shining so brightly last night that I could hardly sleep. I got up a few times to see if a floodlight was left on outside, but all I saw was pure moonlight streaming in. Even if the room hadn’t been illuminated, I probably wouldn’t have been able to rest anyway. When the baby is asleep and the house is quiet, the muses come out to play. That’s when ideas start to percolate, mental lists are made, and sometimes I even manage to stop and listen to the forces that are driving me these days. What are your moon whispers?

I am a writer, a seeker, a photographer.
Serendipity rules my world.
Honesty is my compass.
My daughter is my flower.
Her father is my mirror.
I want to make hearts smile:
Theirs, yours, mine.
I believe love is true.
I love the truth even when it hurts.
Once an academic, now I call myself an artist.
Language is my tool, both visual and verbal.
My inner critic needs better manners.
I want to be more patient.
I am always learning.
My soul is my memory.

Thanksgiving isn’t until the end of the month, but I’m giving thanks early. I’m grateful for the the man I love, whose birthday we celebrated today. There were pies and presents and a walk in the woods while the sun shone and the wind blew. It still amazes me how our worlds came together in the most serendipitous of ways. Each day with him is an adventure. May there be many more. Happy Birthday, Handsome.

This year has been full of the most enormous changes.  I feel like I’ve had my horizons broadened in many areas of my life, both personal and professional.  Many of these changes have to do with becoming a mother for the first time, and learning how to balance different forms of creativity.  Almost a year and a half ago, I signed up for Flying Lessons because I felt ready to commit more deeply to my creative path.  During the first week of class, I got pregnant.  Talk about sparking my creativity!  It wasn’t until this summer, baby in arms, that I was able to return and complete the course.   Now I understand the importance of being part of an artistic community.  Even though I’m physically exhausted, I’ve never been more awake. Thank you, ladies, for witnessing me and for allowing me to witness you as we spread our wings.   Enjoy the blog hop, everyone!

Amaranthine Violet
Amy Hillenbrand
Beatriz Peñas B.
Beth Cougler Blom
Carol Bray
Christina Fajardo
Cindy Jones Lantier
Connie Rawlins
Dana Brock
Deborah Velásquez
Elissa Brown
Hillary Courson
Jacquie Williamson
Jane Paynting
Janet Forrest
Jennifer DeVille
Jill Lambert
Julie Hamilton
Kanchan Mahon
Karen Claverie
Kari DeSaulnier
Kathleen Conard
Kathleen McKinnon
Kathy May
Kelley Miller
Kelly Corso
Kelly Hoernig
Kim Hyer
Kris Lanae Binsfeld
Lenore Angela
Linda Barutha
Lisa Michele Products
Liza Zeni Baker
Lori Leissner
Lori Moon
Mary Sterk
Megan Schmitt
Melanie Douthit
Michelle Dwyer
Michelle Reynolds
Rachél Payne (Rae)
Rain Hannah
Rhiannon Connelly
Ruth-Mary Smith
Sherry Richert Belul
Shirley Ann
Stacey Chadwick Brown
Susan M. Walls-Beverly
Teresa Cash-Czech
Tina Carlborg
Tonya Love
Ursula Smith
Zulma Cadena

And thank you, Kelly Rae, for starting it all…

Happy Halloween! Ours included a baby girl dressed up as a princess.  She seems to love gossamer and glitter already…

There is much to be said about unfolding. A flower bud is beautiful, but it is merely a beginning. It is young and fresh, but still just a fraction of what it could become. Closed up and protected from the elements, it only matures if and when conditions are right. Seeing this flowering kale at the farm market we visited earlier this month got me thinking about the process of opening up. Normalcy can be nice and cloaking can be comforting, but what about daring to fulfill our soul’s desires? I admit that hiding can seem easier than working to meet our potential, yet there reaches a point when staying curled up tight just isn’t comfortable anymore. This famous quote of Anaïs Nin comes to mind: «Vint un temps où le risque de rester à l’étroit dans un bourgeon était plus douloureux que le risque d’éclore.» [In English: «And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom»]. Yes, change can be frightening, but it can also be amazing. Here’s to blossoming…

I can hardly believe that our sweet girl was born eight months ago this evening. Nothing went the way we imagined it would, but it all turned out perfectly. This afternoon we happened to go to the hospital to visit a relative. It wasn’t until I signed us in on the visitor’s log and entered the date 10-26-11 that it clicked. There we were, in the exact ward where I gave birth to Baby V. There was the very doctor who delivered her, walking down the hall. The sun has now set for the day, and I am left wondering where all the time has gone since the night she was born. How is it that our little flower with the big blue eyes is already crawling and giggling and speaking her own baby language?

I was one of those children who delighted in stories of elves and fairies.  I loved to leaf through our copy of A Child’s Book of Poems illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa.  I still have it today.  When my goddaughter was born, I bought her a copy.  Months before my own daughter was born, I picked up a new copy for her, too.  Something about the little orbs of light from the twinkling dew and the sun shining through these leaves in our backyard brought back fond memories of my mother reading “Queen Mab” and “Wynken, Blynken and Nod” to me as I stared at Fujikawa’s sparkling illustrations.

Our first summer here was a season of new discoveries.  Tiny frogs suctioned themselves onto our windows at night. Fireflies performed impressive shows. Baby V started sleeping in her crib. Now we’re bundling up and learning the ropes of fall. See you next year, summer.