There is little like the color that splashes the Northeast topography in Fall.
The foliage is almost at the height of its vibrancy this week, nearly a month early for peak color.
This is the glorious view from my office window.
I love listening to the gentle breeze and watching the leaves float to the ground.
I spent Tuesday morning doing what my house-helper did before she had to quit because of time changes in her day job.
Two hours of cleaning made me one grumpy Mama, but I sure enjoyed setting out some of my Autumn décor.
The aqua-colored pumpkin is a handcrafted piece made by a man named Luke Adams. I absolutely fell in love when I saw it on display at the Boston Pewter Company a few years ago.
With money as tight as it is, I have a hard time spending $65 on anything that isn’t…well…practical… And if I must admit, I have a hard time spending that much money on anything that isn’t necessary.
I actually left the store without this work of beauty, but returned a short time later because I just couldn’t shake her from my mind.
Each season, when I put the art out for display on our buffet, I smile as I remember the fun and laughs we had on that weekend trip we took with friends to Boston and Salem.
We used to get together with these friends at least once a week, but schedules have changed and life is busier for all of us and our gatherings aren’t nearly as frequent.
Last night we gathered late to catch up and play a few hands of Euchré.
The Mrs. brought champagne she’d purchased for a work event that didn’t materialize.
“What are we celebrating?” I asked when she showed me the bottle.
And then it hit me.
“BA-BAM” I shouted a little louder than I’d intended, making everyone in the room, including the sleeping cat, jump. “I’m celebrating the radio show I’m doing Monday!”
You know how passionate I am about my work on the power we have to heal our hurts, and excitement bursts through my veins when something new materializes.
I am so honored to have someone rooting for me, believing in my work, and bringing me back to share this grassroots approach to healing.
When mayhem, misfortune, death, or destruction enters our lives, the first question we ask ourselves is How am I ever going to survive this?
How am I going to heal?
Journeyers, I’ve spent more than two decades unraveling the intricacies behind that question and uncovering the answer that works for us all.
It works because each one of us is The Cure.
It works because each one of us is born with absolutely everything we need to heal our hurts.
And I do mean everything…
Last summer I did two radio shows, one on understanding loss and one on understanding healing.
One of the topics Pia Louise, the host, and I discussed afterward was the different life events that are difficult during times of grief.
Holidays and other celebratory events can be especially difficult times for those of us who haven’t reconciled our loss conflicts.
Journeyers, I’m so excited by the The Five Facets’ growth and by the development of The Five Steps of Healing.
My heart has been overflowing with enthusiasm and joy and a little fear since we finished prepping our next segment (join us for the live show tomorrow at 7PM!) The Five Steps of Healing Through the Holidays.
When I’m not parenting or bookkeeping or cleaning house or working my day job or breathing The Five Facets or spending time with Hubby, I can be found unwinding with two, tiny guilty pleasures: Dragonvale and Candy Crush Saga.
This Peppermint Palace station is tons of fun, and I’m so happy to report that I’ve now reached level 121.
And one final piece of Happy news from this week.
Beauty purchased her first car!
Much to my children’s chagrin, I believe college freshmen have enough transition and responsibility and obligation strapped to their backs without having an automobile to worry about, as well.
As much as I anticipate the freedom of not having to drive back and forth and figure out how to work their strict dorm closings into our always-full schedules, I’ve stuck to my guns. It makes it harder in the short run but so much easier in the long run.
As part of teaching our children to fish, to be independent individuals, we also encouraged them to save money while growing up, just for such occasions.
Earlier this week, our daughter called to tell us she’d found THE car of her dreams, an “Oh, my God, Mom, I HAVE to have this car! I WANT it soooo bad!” kind of automobile.
Warren and I were a bit skeptical, yet cautiously optimistic when we pulled into the drive to check out this car, in the dark, no less.
Warren had already checked out the safety rating (Excellent) and the longevity/dependability scores (Excellent) and the Kelly Blue Book value of this Mazda 6 hatchback.
What I can tell you is that we couldn’t be happier, for ourselves, for the sellers, and for Beauty.
The retirement-aged couple had recently purchased a new vehicle in anticipation of the travel they are going to be doing. They told us they hadn’t wanted to trade the car in to the dealer because She (that’s what they call the car) was like family and they wanted to make sure She went to someone who would love her and take as good of care of her as they had all these years.
Guys! Just like my mother and her father have always done, I name all of my cars with a female name!
This Christian couple told us that there had just been something about our daughter’s call that told them to hold off returning any of the other messages until after we’d had a chance to look at the car.
Not only were they as excited as we were, they were willing to drop the already-reasonable price by $500 so the new owner could stay within her budget, even after paying the taxes and registration.
And when we went the next day to pick up the title and the keys, this is how they presented those items to us…
As much as I love my children to pieces, I must say that their independence is a nice thing, and the Empty Nest is looking better and better all the while!
No matter the season, Happy Moments flutter all around us, Journeyers, they’re there, waiting for us to notice them…beckoning us to smile…
What about you? What Moment(s) floated into your view this week?