Dear Beautiful Friend,
What a lovely morning. Lots of storms and rain these days, but also lots of beautiful sunshine and hot weather.
There's a cool breeze blowing in my window as I type and it feels sooo refreshing.
Earlier I thought I heard the finches in the backyard. We had families of them nesting in our neighbourhood this spring and a few still hang out around our feeders. Oh, and there I hear the chickadees... they are cheeky, aren't they?
In my own inner world, I have been in a place and space of 'emptying'. It was only a few weeks ago that I realized that turns out to be my focus 'word' for 2012. Emptying.
I've been getting rid of junk and also good stuff that has become 'excess clutter'. I'm finding we no longer need or want it. And I've not only been letting go of physical material things, but old mindsets and habits and other useless heart musings. The emptying, clearing out process has helped me to see that I've also 'dropped stitches' of some good and wonderful habits, ideas, and projects that I once had in my life... and I see how vital these are -- for my happiness and those around me -- to pick them up and re-integrate them into my present life. Things like playing the piano, doing some new needlework (I've been looking at crazy quilting), hosting special tea parties for friends...as well as choosing to give thanks and be happy in all things, bar none.
And to my surprise, I am also in a space to relinquish ownership of many books that I've enjoyed and been nourished by in the past. It seems that it's time to move forward. Make room for the new. Not be afraid that I'll 'lose' something in the letting go. After all, those sentences I underlined and pages I've starred are already in my heart and a part of my DNA, so I don't always need to 'keep' a whole book for what already is 'me', yes?
Oh my... how easy it is to chat on e-mail. I find e-mail a most freeing expression for me. Remember when the two of us could 'cut a rug' of conversation in a short swath of time using this modern technology. That back and forthing of words in a flash across cyberspace that nourished and encouraged and made us laugh or think more closely.
Yes, that's another area I want to pick up and cherish again... to write letters, both the pen and paper kind as well as the e-ones. E-mailing with that come-as-you-are kind of writing... which, in fact, Huffington Post bloggers recommend that's how bloggers should post. Mmmm.... guess I'll take that back to heart too.
It's been a delight to think about you, dear friend, and to wonder how you are doing. Now I best be off.
I'm steam cleaning my living room/dining area carpet (one day that carpet is coming out and being replaced with something easier to care for). With all the furniture out of the room, I am feeling quite free and light. It's as if I'm seeing that I don't 'need' so much furniture.
For a few days, or maybe even longer, I feel like I'd like to live as if I were at that beach house Ann Morrow Lindbergh wrote about in her timeless book,
Gift From The Sea. You may recall where she describes how little there is in that little shelter and yet it nurtures and protects and gives room to breathe. Of course that's a summer time feeling, isn't it? In winter we like to cozy up and snuggle. But in summer, we long to let the breeze in and be nurtured by the expanse of it all.
Oh... I did start off to say good bye. On that note, I am off now! Best get to that carpet.
Here's wishing you a WONDERFUL day, dear friend!
Hugs,
Brenda
xox
Please Note: This post was first written as a email to a dear friend.
It turned nicely into a blog post.
