I can’t believe it’s been nearly five years since I last blogged. . . I promise to do better in the coming year, as soon I will have my short story cycle set on the eastern shore of MD complete, and I will be pounding the proverbial pavement again in search of a publisher. The tentative title of my cycle is Search Party. I believe it speaks to all of humanity in our quest for meaning in a world that is constantly bombarding us with shallow and trivial matters. What is it that makes your heart swell? Makes you stop in your tracks and take in the moment? For me, it is always a return to nature, the light on the water, the snow on the pines, the two hands of a raccoon feeding himself daintily, with decorum. This holiday season let’s shut out the commercials, the chaos, the endless shopping and take moments to breathe, to re-connect with our center and see what truly matters.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas dear friends,
It is true that each Christmas brings with it a bit more sadness, as more and more loved ones leave us (at least in the visible sense). But with that comes the intense poignancy of the season: make the most of our time together. And do not sweat the small things, like a present missing a bow, or a present gone missing, swept under the rug or couch or tossed in the trash bin. It’s not the presents that matter, it’s the present. That state of being that is so very hard to achieve, but, with mindfulness (that buzz word these days), surely attainable. The key, I believe, is just to breathe in the moment, to look around and truly see what is important: each other, the laughter. It is so easy to get side-tracked. But what always brings us back to that core is so simple. Love. May you all find true joy, peace and love this holiday season and ever on. ~ Lisa
On Turning Fifty
So yesterday I didn’t wake with a feeling that death was imminent, or that my life had passed me by. I didn’t feel any older than I did the day before, or even the year before (Okay my hair has thinned a tad, and there are a few more brown spots on my hands, and the wrinkle beside my mouth has deepened). But I had a wonderful breakfast made by the man I love, my husband of nearly 25 years. I ran 3 1/2 miles on a beautiful trail through the woods on Kent Island. And then Don took me out to dinner where my friend for life and her husband surprised me by joining us, and showering me with gifts and tickets to a Styx concert in June. Tracy and I have been friends since we were three, when her mom plopped her down in my kiddy pool, and we’ve been together in that whirlpool of life ever since. We are blood sisters, laughing together until we cried at times, and holding each other up when the tears were real. I am blessed with so many good friends and a wonderful family. And it is this realization at fifty that resonates with me so clearly. It’s not about the accomplishments or the creations, it’s about the strength of our personal relationships that really matters. In a world that seems increasingly alienating, where people are more comfortable hiding behind a screen, texting instead of picking up a phone to hear that special voice, I am reminded over and over again that true friendship is a remarkable gift.