Maurice Sendak on life, death and children

bird in the air

As I was doing the endless after the holiday errands, I was listening to Fresh Air on WNYC.  Terry Gross was replaying  a previously recorded phone  interview with  Maurice Sendak , age 83 . He is house bound due to multiple physical illnesses. However, his ability to express his thoughts and feelings  was still  exquisitely beautiful. He was describing his most recent book, titled" Bumbelardi", published in  the fall of 2011 . It is the story of an orphaned pig who throws himself a birthday party and has to live with the consequences  for a very long time.
He said that the act of writing this book brought him  " the deepest pain and the wondrous  feeling of coming into my own".  He wrote the story while his partner was dying of cancer. He said that writing the book helped him to continue living with death all around him.  About aging he said," It is a blessing to get old. It is a blessing to find the time to listen to music and to read books"....."
To Terry Gross, he stated  that she is the only  interviewer  that  brings out these deep thoughts and emotions during interviews. I cried as the interview drew to a close and Mr. Sendak said "I am a happy old man and  remember to live your life".Maurice Sendak on life , death and children

small gifts are the blessings

Good morning. It is the second day of  Hanukah and  three days before Christmas. There is no sign of snow and this is making some folks grumble  . I am enjoying the ease of getting around during these hectic times and the warmer weather. It will certainly shift soon and I am so grateful for the abundance of warmer weather right now.
Today, I am also  grateful for a recent dream that I had.

two dog thanksgiving

two dog holiday

On Thursday, I was speaking with a dear friend and she informed me that she was having a three dog Thanksgiving.  She was defining the holiday by the number of dogs present and not the people. I thought that was awesome. So I redefined my Thanksgiving as a two dog holiday.  Before the holiday approached, I was asked frequently what my plans for Thursday were. Since it was simply my husband and myself sharing a special day. I felt a little bit awkward saying that we were celebrating on our own.

holiday specials

too many choices

I recently sent out an email offering "year end specials "for past life regression  sessions. I love to help folks remember their past life experiences. It is very helpful to clear, heal and shift stuck patterns in relationships at home and at work.  As humans, we become so narrowly focused on trying to make things better that we miss the obvious sources of healing.So I sent this email out about a week ago. Then, I became very aware that everyone  was offering year end specials. There was  a never ending stream of emails offering bargains at 40% or more  off. For the most part, I deleted them since I didn't know what a a special was anymore. How can everything be a special! Or perhaps we are getting much smarter and now know to take more time to consider what is truly valuable.

less is more

sedona sunset

Since many humans are gifted with the ability to talk as much as we want,   we seem to  overuse this capability.Today by the time I had  finished answering a question ,  I  had  completely forgotten the original question. It was unsettling and certainly made me question the senior moment theory .

Boundaries

goundhog eating a   poppy

boundary:  is something that indicates or fixes a limit or extent according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary.  I have been thinking about how often we talk about boundaries with friends, family, our animal companions, and the universe. Did you set boundaries with your son or daughter  and tell them  that you will not clean  up their messy rooms for the millionth time ? Is your dog or cat  getting his way with  treats even though you know that he has  eaten  too many already. We seem to have difficulty saying  both yes and no to others.
So I decided to sit and meditate about this issue.  And   the words that I heard were  profound and easy to remember. 
We need boundaries so that we can be free.
We need to balance our yeses and no's so that we can feel safe.
When we feel safe, we don't need any boundaries. 

Perhaps the boundaries are to help us to have enough "me"  time so  that we can hear the small still voice that tells us  if we are hungry or tired or  in love. Animals have all the time in the world to listen to their small still voices.They have a lot to teach us about boundaries. 

afghans and the family legacy

beautiful white afghan

The beautiful white afghan that my sister Rob made for me arrived in the mail this morning. It is so beautiful, well made, warm and cozy. I could not wait to take a nap this afternoon. It was fabulous. My sister  is very creative and is able to do all kinds of needle work. She  has  a great gift. Last winter, I envisioned a white afghan to keep me warm  in my meditation space and now I have it.
Our mother's family is from Hungary and they bring alot of artistry into our family. Our grandmother was the youngest of nine children and all of the aunts and uncles had art in their veins. The men were jewelers and photographers. The women did needle work including but not limited to making  afghans, crocheting, needlepoint, knitting , beadwork  and embroidering.
The proceeding  generations picked up drawing,  painting, playing piano, needlework , ceramics ,and  photography . It is an awesome family legacy. Mostly, I am so grateful that my sister has created  this beautiful afghan for me.
Thank you Rob.