Re-booting the blog…

I went on a vacation. I called it our Epic Roots and Reunion Road Trip. I thought I would write something clever and entertaining each day like I read from others, but it turned out to be impossible to write. Every day was filled with unexpected adventures and absolute necessities, the latter defined completely objectively!

Now I am home and though I am still savoring many highlights from the 34 days we had on the road, I have no clue where to begin writing about it.

So instead of saving the best for last, I’ll start with the last important event we had, which also happens to be one of the very best!

I got to meet one of my very favorite Bloggers!!

It all started when her photography caught me eye. Each week, she’d post for the weekly WordPress Photo Challenge. I loved her photos, truly a talent, but even more, I loved her words and philosophy. So I started commenting on her site, then following her.

If you have ever had it happen, you know what a special treat it can be when you come across someone who articulates exactly what you think and feel, but a lot better! It makes for a great friendship!

I asked her once if she’d be willing to engage in an actual conversation with me about a particularly laden topic and I don’t know if she batted an eye, but her resounding yes was instant.

I think that exact exchange started a real friendship. We decided to do it in a phone call but then of course, life happened and we have yet to have that talk. But the connection has built anyway. And we will get to that talk someday.

While planning, I noticed on the map for the Epic Road Trip, we were passing right through her town on our way home so guess what? James and I spent a lovely afternoon with her. She is so sweet and kind and generous. She was completely prepared to make up the guest room for us, even though she had just spent 10 days or so caring for her grandchildren whose parents were busy in Houston in the Harvey aftermath.

Unfortunately for us (but maybe lucky for her) we were on a dead run from Mississippi back to Washington State so we all settled for a short but memorable visit.

I had brought her a piece of art she had seen in a picture on my blog and she gave me one of her photos, enlarged and stunning!

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Here’s her blog.

https://pausesandclicks.com/tag/pauses-and-clicks/

One of my favorite posts of her is this one.

2000 Days

It tells about her personal Instagram a Day challenge but so much more. If you read the comments, you’ll see the seeds of our friendship germinating…

I dare you to read her blog and NOT fall in love. This is one very good woman!!

There.

Blog rebooted!

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Song Lyric Sunday

How Could Anyone

Especially for you Helen! I have a great story about this song but when I looked it up, I found that many, many others do also.

Here’s mine.

To become a practitioner in the kind of therapy I do takes a ton of personal work first.

You have to practice what you preach. You have to model behavior you hope to see in others. You have to be impeccable….ALL THE TIME! Not just in front of your clients.

After 30 years of practice, I figured I had this one down, until my wonderful therapist/mentor/teacher/”Mom” passed away! She is the person who first shared this song with me and it became my anthem for myself, and eventually for many clients. But when Elaine died, I had forgotten all about this song.

At her memorial, with hundreds of people there, someone told me they got a “message” from Elaine that I was supposed to go up to the front of the room and lead the group in a song.

I said “WHAT??”

First of all, I do NOT sing in front of people after a traumatic high school event where my choir teacher broke my heart and spirit by telling me to please just lipsync because my voice was so bad.

And second of all, how was I supposed to know what song!!

I resisted…but my training kicked in (and maybe a little “fake it ’til you make it” self-love).

I’m not one to ignore channeling or messages from beyond or whatever it was, so I marched up there, and without a second thought, I belted out THIS VERY SONG! Clear, loud, and, later I was told, even on key!! I lead the group in singing several rounds because anyone who knew Elaine, knew this beautiful song! (I still get goose bumps remembering this moment!)

That action, compelled somehow by someone else’s belief in me, finished one more piece of work for me that had lingered all these years!

Close your eyes when you listen and imagine these words coming from the person you most need to hear them from.

Love,

Kathie

https://helenswordsoflife.com/2017/09/30/song-lyric-sunday-theme-for-10117/

 

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Window for WPC 9-27-17

 

My favorite window, before and after shots. It is in the shop/music and woodworking studio that James and I turned into a guest house. We call it the Bed and No Breakfast, because we’d love your company, but I ain’t cookin’ for you!

My James is amazing at reclaiming, recycling and repurposing old beauty. This particular window came out of an old mansion in Spokane. Built in 1910, it was one of the first houses in the area to have electricity. Apparently it was a beautiful house with a huge  sweeping staircase. It even had an elevator. Along with this window, James salvaged several others that he used when building his house back in 1980. Even the flooring in our living room (old rough fir) came from the old mansion’s attic.

a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/windows-2/”>Windows</a

Traces of the Past for Thursdays Special

Well, I’ve been gone on my Epic Road Trip for so long, I feel overwhelmed at the thought of catching up…with reading all my favorite blogs as well as restarting my own. But I saw this on https://dailymusing57.com/2017/09/22/thursdays-special-traces-of-the-past-9/ and was inspired.

Early in our trip we went to explore the ruins of a beautiful, mysterious Antebellum home in Mississippi, right off the Natchez Trace.

Here’s a slideshow of The Windsor Ruins, though the feeling while standing there cannot be captured digitally (or on film).

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What a majestic place it must have been!

Here are sites to learn more if you like.

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ms-windsorruins.html

Or

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Ruins

 

https://bopaula.wordpress.com/2017/09/21/thursdays-special-traces-of-the-past-y3-09/

Song Lyric Sunday 9/10/17

The theme this week is vengeance or revenge…hmm, harsh but there is a great song that comes to mind. It may be more about the power of anger. But for “revenge” you could visualize playing this song to someone who has wronged you!!

https://helenswordsoflife.com/2017/09/09/song-lyric-sunday-theme-for-91017/

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SongLyricSunday-Breathe

https://helenswordsoflife.com/2017/09/02/song-lyric-sunday-theme-for-9317/#respond

 

Here’s my song for this Sunday. Love the lyrics, especially

Two AM and I’m still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, its no longer
Inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I’m naked in front of the crowd
‘Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you’ll use them, however you want to

It’s how I feel every time I post on my blog!

 

 

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