Gratitude ......

I have so much to be thankful for and when I think about it, I can be a tad emotional.  I have finally given myself permission to just dance, dance and dance like there is no one watching.  You will hear this from me a lot this year, because I want to.  Every year I want to do things and I don't or can't because life gets in my way....not this year if I can help it. Now to share a few things that I definitely am grateful to be able to claim:

my job and all that it entails;

my sister-girlfriend who was having a medical event today (of course we thought it was a bit more than that) I drove her to the hospital, sat and waited until she was cleared and armed with meds and then delivered her home - with a sigh of relief and giving MANY THANKS that all will be fine as soon as she gets the Valium and muscle meds in her system.  25 years later and we still watch each others back - aging is not always beautiful;

my other sister girlfriend who gave me reason to pause while she was here visiting from Ghana.  Sharing stories of post-High school adventures and life lessons and missions - what a reality check for both of us and a re-bonding of kindred spirits.  30+ years later and Prayerfully we will never lose touch again;

my Aminia  who is always there to greet me after a good day or a bad day, after a happy moment or a tearful moment.  She waits up with me, as I read and write until the wee hours of the night and when it is her bedtime, no matter what I am doing, she will come and nudge me as if to say "Bedtime mommy"......or "you finally made a space for me on the office floor with a small heater for my achy hips".  Aminia also follows me around in the garden, to be sure I do not over do it or forget about her......more than likely it is the latter...she always knows the RIGHT time for a rub/hug;

blogging - the ability to have found a way to have a voice, share and write and dance.....such a freeing and motivating thing to be able to do, with total abandon..

I could go on with a few dozen other things, but for today, I just had to get these thoughts out of my head so I could perhaps rest well knowing that it is such a terrific way to feel.  This gratitude thing could be, should be contagious.......it is such a beautiful thing to have gratitude each and everyday.

It's that time again......Personal Commitment to Self Time

Here we are again.  It is the end of 2013 and we are about to embark upon 2014.  The question in the air - as it always is, this time  the year - is What are your New Year Resolutions going to be??  My answer will be the same as last year.  I do not make New Years Resolutions, instead I make Personal Commitments to Self. What will I personally commit to doing for ME as I enter a New Year.  I know it sounds selfish but bear with me.

Most people can write down a laundry list of resolutions that they forget within the first two weeks.  One might mention it to others, but the follow through is often non-existent. Drinking less, not working too late, reading more, cooking more, etc.  - these are some of the resolutions my friends are sharing with me. While all of these things are good, they speak to behaviors and not to the core of what are you going to do for YOU. 

Will you decide to help others less fortunate than you?  This will enhance your attitude of gratitude.  Will you teach someone a skill that can better their chances of survival in today's world? This will enhance your feeling of self worth and helping create a kinder society. Will you pitch in when you see another person struggling?  The opportunity to give a helping hand and teach someone to work smarter and not harder, just might make you do the same.  These are just a few examples of what we can do as a personal commitment to self to enhance our lives from within.   There is nothing wrong with drinking less, cooking more or making more time for self and doing the things you love to do, but we should incorporate sharing ourselves by volunteering and giving back, for that inner glow.

My personal commitment to self is to mentor a budding gardener and show him or her the joy of working with their hands. This will enable me to share a gift given to me by my parents. I will help another person enhance their skill set to empower his/her spirit and better their future.  After all, optimism breeds effort. I will help out at a shelter or food bank, so that the less than fortunate can be served. I will also, share in the growth of my community, to make it the best community in the area.  I will also teach myself a new skill - felting.  So I can use fibers to share all of the beauty that surrounds me.  Even while doing these things, I will also make more meaningful time for me.  Sharing is a beautiful thing and I am all about all things beautiful.....and dreaming about Parisian gardens, of course!

Finding my life garden in NY.....

Thea Angella Merl.......sharing the Brooklyn Botanical Garden with me...........a place she visits frequently...................

I just had to share a wonderfully refreshing experience while visiting the Big Apple. I had a very enlightening experience and quite an awakening conversation with an artist named Genesis. A very spiritual and talented young lady who knows who she is. We spoke of her journey to where she is today - a gay woman, a daughter, a teacher of math/ art and an artist who shows her work. We spoke of many things that she endured on her journey....a journey that is not finished but a journey that continues daily. Her art has soul, her sketches have spirit and you can feel her passion for her work as she interprets what she was thinking as she developed the pieces. I asked her if she had ever done any work pertaining to nature or gardening...I planted that seed in her mind and she promised to give that some thought. I strongly feel, particularly for those on their journey to completion, that embracing the earth and all it has to offer can take one back to our/their roots. Your roots are your heritage and without embracing your heritage, you can lose yourself in what society says is who you are.

Genesis spoke strongly, openly and honestly about her life choices and her Blessings. In fact she challenged me to follow through on the things I spoke passionately about - community, sharing through media thoughts on African American gardening and gardening in general, via the media and in print.

Now I am not really one of these folks who need to be competitive to survive. In fact, I would rather just do me and be happy. It is simply put.......easy. However, I was inspired by this young woman who was open, honest and dared me to make my words come to life. She is a friend of my youngest daughter, Thea - who reminds me of myself in many ways before marriage, divorce and the life that has followed. The ME with a beautiful life garden at my fingertips, the ME that allowed the weeds to blow in and found life too complicated to cultivate true joy.

Why and how do we let our life gardens get so overgrown that we cannot see the beauty and truth that lies before us? Did you ever think that if we cultivate joy and maintain peace and embrace spirituality as we continue on our journey through life, how much happier we would be?

I will be the first to admit that somewhere along my journey as wife, mother and finding the now ME, I allowed the weeds to grow and overwhelm my paths, so that I could no longer get through.

As I have matured, I am NOW making time to cut back the overgrown weeds, cultivate ongoing joy and lay a positive path for anything that should come my way. I am also going to embrace the new twist that sharing thoughts on gardening just might take me.

Thea, my youngest daughter and recent transplant to New York seems to be pointing for me to go forward......
How is your life garden growing?