Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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This Time Last Year…

This week Mama Kat wonders what we were blogging about this time last year. Hhhmmm… You’ll never guess…

 

heart in soil

 

In April 2013 I was writing pretty much the same things I would be writing now, if I were talking time to write lately.

The Lazy W had just adopted Seraphine and we were waiting for a llama to be born. And I was still in my thirties. I’m no longer in my thirties, but once again we are waiting for a baby!

 

Note: This was before Dulcinea came along, so Romulus still allowed the horses a reasonable proximity to his woman. This peaceful coexistence was short lived, though.
Note: This was before Dulcinea came along, so Romulus still allowed the horses a reasonable proximity to his woman. This peaceful coexistence was short-lived, though.

 

I was super enthusiastic about helping some legislation pass in Oklahoma that made it easier for local beekeepers to share and sell their product. It did pass, by the way! And I realized that once in a while I could write something useful, something practical. I was happy to see that writing could become something even more than catharsis.

 

bees on frame corner

 

That month, just like now, I was planting early veggies and bemoaning the transient Oklahoma weather. We had a whopper of a storm season, to put it mildly.

In that month I reviewed books like Khalil Gibran, Typee, and Don Quixote.  I did lots of outdoor reading, before our buffalo had destroyed those two awesome loungers. D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-D, you guys.

 

 

quix read chairs

 

I was random as usual and loved me some cowbell. Back then I was still subbing younger kids once in a while, not yet aware of how greatly I would prefer the junior high kids and their much earlier schedule. In defense of little kids, though, they do write more love notes.

 

 

mrs marie tag

The Boston Marathon was bombed, and of course we all were reeling from the horrific losses. I had little to say except an encouragement to increase our joy. Only light drives out darkness. Still believe that.

choose light

And, finally, just like I did this year (until recently), I had a big ol’ juicy case of nerves over the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. 2013 was my first half and I was pretty much a basket case. But you know what? It was amazing! I had such a blast; the run itself  was easier than I expected; and I was hooked on big, fun, meaningful races, particularly this one. Forever. A few days after that event I wrote about how it all had improved my outlook on life. Because I am cheesy like that.

run tank funny

Still cheesy.

So there ya go! That’s about what was going on at the digital Lazy W one year ago. Not too terribly different from what’s happening here now. What’s new (or not new) in your corner of paradise?

XOXOXOXO

Mama Kat's weekly link up is full of fun blogs, check it out!
http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/2014/04/things-that-make-me-happy/

Khalil Gibran and April Rainstorms

   I cannot remember when I first started reading Khalil Gibran poetry, but I love it. Somehow it tends to circle back to me every few months, and often right when I can appreciate it the most. This week has been one of those times.
Khalil Gibran 1883-1931
Third best selling poet of all time.
   Dark, stormy days like we’ve enjoyed this week are perfect for a poetry infusion, don’t you think? Add in a homemade latte and some toasty croissants with strawberry jam… and it’s pretty much pure indulgence.
   Following are a few snippets of what I love from this man… Remember these are snippets, just parts of longer poems. And I urge you to find the full text on your own. Read them curled up under a soft blanket or stretched out beneath the massaging sun…
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   This first one touches painfully and honestly on every aspect of motherhood. It reminds me of advice I once received before my youngest daughter underwent her first brain surgery, to regard myself only as a “vessel” for love and healing. Not as the actual Source of love and healing. This passage has helped me let go in recent years too, for the peace of mind of both of my sweet girls… It reminds me that love is not selfish and that life is constantly moving forward..
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They came through you but not from you
and though they are with you
yet they belong not to you.
   Speaking of making room to breathe and grow… Of letting go just a little bit… It applies to romance and marriage too. I know from experience that insisting on too much is unkind. Demanding too much is unproductive. And too much too much is just smothering to both of you. Those lessons are good in and of themselves, but Gibran says it so musically…

But let there be spaces in your togetherness 
and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love;
let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
   Everything passes… Keep the long view and anticipate beauty… I want my friend Melissa to internalize this next one…
Sadness is but a wall between two gardens.
   Have you read The Secret yet? These principles are cropping up everywhere I look.
All that spirits desire, spirits attain.
   This next one is startling if you think about it…
We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
   On poetry, by the poet…
Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder,
with a dash of the dictionary.
   Faith… Difficult to remember sometimes, but faith is a spiritual and emotional choice independent from reason, logic, and every other method of the intellect. Faith is a condition of the heart that you can determine yourself to enjoy. Faith is also something you can encourage in others, by letting them know they are not alone and that their hopes are not futile.
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know 
that faith is his twin brother.

Faith is a knowledge within the heart,
beyond the reach of proof.
   And last is perhaps my favorite Gibran snippet. Like icing on the cake I happened upon some representative artwork to illustrate these beautiful lines… I am day dreaming of the soft green grass that will soon be growing from this week’s torrential downpour  Oklahoma is on the road to recovery from two years of serious drought, and the temperatures are coaxing us outdoors longer and longer each day…
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair.


Isn’t this wonderful?? It is a painting by Kayann Ausherman.
I found this generous artist via Pinterest and was lucky enough 
to make contact with her and gain permission to use this colorful image.

Kayann is an inspirational artist in Kansas 
who runs the most luscious Etsy shop called From Victory Road
You can find her on Facebook and also follow her blog right here. 
Really lovely stuff. Thanks for your permission to use this beautiful painting, Kenyann! 
So very nice to meet you.

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   I hope you enjoyed that, friends! I love to temper long, heavy reading projects with doses of poetry like this. Particularly when the poet is time tested and uplifting. It teases my soul pleasantly for sure.
   Who are your favorite poets?

xoxoxoxo