…No, really. It was a November evening in the west of Ireland. The sky was black, although dinner had barely finished. The gale winds howled as rain and slush pelted the windows. It had been one of those days. One of those days where nothing particularly terrible, or great, had happened. Just a typical day in a house full of …
Style, Vanity and Personal Expression
The last time I remember having a “style” is around the third grade. During that year, and all the ones leading up to it, I had a definite style. You could look at certain items of clothing or jewelry and think, “That looks like Jen!” What was that style? Girly. If it had ruffles, lace, pink, purple or in any …
Pollen From Paint?
The sun streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and warmed our backs as we sipped coffee at our favorite cafe – a rare treat in October (the sun, not the coffee). Our son toddled happily around his familiar surroundings and we just sipped, and chatted, and watched and enjoyed. When out of the corner of my eye I saw something …
The Blessing of A Bloom
This post first appeared on my old blog a few years ago. It’s message resonated with me today, so I wanted to share it with you again. We planted it back at the beginning of summer. Along with the strawberries that never quite made it, and the sweet pea that bloomed in beauty. It was the first of the three …
Wide-Angled View
The theme for Five Minute Friday this week is: WIDE Five minutes, no stopping, no editing. Just. Writing. Start The cage of overcast, heavy clouds has lifted. The blinders of fog and mist removed. The sun shines out the brighter, and all things seem new. The world is glorious. A cotton-ball sky extends overhead, a brilliant azure blanket covering a …
The Focus Effect
START Arms tremble, muscles burn as I lower my torso to the mat and slowly, shakily press back up. The foam fitness mat upon which countless others have sweated blurs before my eyes as the familiar sting of tears invades the privacy of a moment meant only for myself and my breath. I continue on in this mindless pattern; lowering, …
Irish Lesson of the Week
A lot of people are really intrigued by the fact that we live in an Irish-speaking area. Yes, that’s right, Ireland has it’s own language! In fact, Ireland has 2 official, national languages: English and Irish (aka Gaelic). Many people are surprised to learn that our kiddos’ school is completely taught through Irish. Not as some hip, cultural thing to …
Seasons of the Soul
It’s Friday once again my good sojourners. I once again am joining up with Miss Lisa-Jo for the mayhem that is Five Minute Friday, writing for 5 minutes straight – and no more! – on a single topic. Without further ado, here is my five minutes on this week’s theme: Change START The days are just a bit shorter now. …
Family Vacation
As you may have seen on Facebook, hubs has been doing a LOT of traveling this month. Well, we have some more traveling to do with work, but we all get to go this time!!! So, we are taking a few days before hand for a bit of family holiday time and we are so excited for some good, quality …
Fix It
I can’t fix it. The confusion. The unknown. The hurt. I wish I could wield a magical tool that would transform all the pain and uncertainty, fear and doubt into a beautiful package tied up with a nice shiny bow. Oh how I wish I could blink my eyes and your tears would be dried and your heart restored, free …