Relationships and Getting Dirty

After an unseasonably warm winter and an early itch (which I resisted as much as possible) to plant and play outside. I think the time has finally arrived to get dirty. I love the smell of the damp earth and the feel of the sun on my back as I plant and work in the flower and garden beds. It is a feeling that keeps me grounded to our most basic needs. Being in the yard also allows me time to think and to sort out all that goes on in our day to day duties and obligations. My husband and I spent the weekend tilling the garden, pulling weeds and talking. I am the gardener and the country mouse. My husband would much rather be in a condo in the upper east side of "City Somewhere". His dream would be no yard work or for that matter no yard!!! Don't get me wrong he loves green space; but not the care of said space. He tells me, he does the yard "stuff" for me. I on the other hand go stir crazy if I don't have some room between me and the next home, the scent of fresh cut grass blowing in my windows and some dirt to play in (although it is a chore at times).I am one of those odd people that actually loves to mow the lawn: my second to the youngest seems to have been bitten by the same bug and helps me when he can. I love the smell of fresh cut grass so much that; up until a few years ago I would always be the one to take the boys to cut and haul hay. I still tag along ( but now behind a wheel). I decided it was time to hand the field torch over, after pulling out my shoulder three years ago. Nothing will take me back, to being about 7 years old faster than the smell of fresh cut hay or the odd scent of an iris blossom. I remember picking iris out of my mom's huge bed and taking my teachers these "quick to wilt in a vase" flowers for weeks. During the long bus ride into town, I would hold my treasure and breath in it's funny scent. Currently we try to keep mowed about 6-8 acres of yard and garden paths; along with several flower gardens and a family vegetable garden. These are enjoyed by our family and lots of others. I am always searching for a way to share this "treasure" with others. Sometimes I feel the burden of up keep and entice family (not always so willingly)to help. While out in the dirt this weekend it was a bit windy and cool as my husband and I worked. I watched as his cheeks got a ruddy glow from the sun. After several hours and most of the work done he announced he was finished for the day and retreated inside. I stayed out till way past time to start dinner and finally after planting what was waiting for a new home came in. Later in the evening after showering and heading to the kitchen my husband came in to join me while I finished dinner. As we talked and sipped some wine he announced to me, "that he is still not a big fan of yard work but the time we spend uninterrupted in the yard is priceless". With out realizing it I think he may be becoming a garden lover (maybe it was exhaustion or the wine talking)! There is a joy in being outside connected with the earth. While you usually never realize the "gift of dirt" when working hard (mowing, weeding, tilling, hauling hay or guarding a treasure for a teacher on a bus ride). You only need a particular scent on a breeze, or the sun on your back to take you to a fond place or a precious moment: to know it is all worth while. I think this summer when the tomato and cucumber plants get big I may introduce my husband to dirt salad...just you, a friend and salt shaker (snitched from the kitchen) hidden in the garden plants with dirty bums, visiting while enjoying sun warmed salted veggies! Copyright 2012 Micheline Edwards All rights Reserved

Mardi Gras and Faith

Ash Wednesday and Lent are around the corner. In our faith this is a time of reflection,sorrow,abstaining,fasting,repentance and giving. This is a preparation for Easter. Lent is a time for us to reflect upon our relationship with Jesus. This is a time to come to a greater understanding and relationship with Our Holy Father. We look upon the journey he embarked upon before his death and resurrection. I have decided to try to write a bit more during Lent not only for others but for myself. To deepen my faith and my relationship with God. First we begin with "Mardi Gras" (tomorrow),which is French for "Fat Tuesday". It is also known by such names as "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Tuesday" in England. The later name gives us some insight as to what goes on. In England this has been a traditional day to fill up on pancakes which are full of fat, eggs and dairy before fasting and giving up these things for 40 days in Lent. "Fat Tuesday" gives us visions of people filling their bellies to over stuff and then indulging even more. "Mardi Gras" as most of us know it, is a day for colorful beads,king cakes,loud parties and over indulgences. It is a day for celebrations, carnivals and parades. It hardly seems to be a fitting lead into the season to come. Most people who celebrate this day do so without any knowledge of it's religious significance. Some look at this day as a last chance to indulge in treats that they will be giving up in the weeks to come. Some say it was also a day to use up forbidden foods from the pantry; or to slaughter and enjoy a fattened calf on the last day. This may seem silly in this time of plenty. Meat was a more important food staple in the early days of the church. To give up meat for 40 days was a huge sacrifice. Most importantly it is a day of repentance; a day to look for forgiveness before embarking on a journey to follow our Lord more closely. The parties and carnivals seem so out of place unless you know that the word Carnival in Latin (carne vale) means, "Farewell to the Flesh". So maybe it is most of all a time to reflect upon the beginning of a season where we celebrate one of our faiths greatest mysteries, the farewell to Jesus in the human flesh and HIS resurrection. Fat Tuesday or Mardis Gras actually has it's "kick off" during Epiphany (12 days after Christmas) when the see the Wise Men finding Jesus and bearing gifts to the newborn King. A lot of the funny traditions also stem form this. It is believed that we make king cakes (a colorful and lavish bread associated with Mardi Gras) in a circular shape to imitate the routes taken by the wise men in finding Jesus (frequently a small baby doll is hidden in the bread to represent the Christ child). The wise men traveled in a circular path to confuse king Herod. What ever the reason that we do the funny things we do before Lent, we should keep in our hearts the solemn season which will begin abruptly at midnight of Fat Tuesday. Hopefully we will open ourselves to a deeper understanding of Christ through our Lenten journey how ever we chose to begin it. Copyright 2012 Micheline Edwards All rights Reserved

Through a Snowy Window

Sitting by the window I see small white fluff clumping together as it falls from the sky. The lumps fall & mound on our pines, around the barn stalls and in the street. Our street isn't a busy one on any day; today it is unusually serene. Looking through the window makes me feel as though I am sitting inside a Currier & Ives print. Our horses are happy in their blanket of snow. The young steer at the barn calls out ever so often to make sure we are aware of the weather change. My son just came in from the barn with his puppy. Both of them are all bundled in matching coats and covered from head to foot (tail) with heavy snow. The boy is smiling and I think the puppy is too. My son is training the puppy to stay in the entry way (our older dog would live there and respects the privilege of coming in the house). It is amusing to hear my son take on a "parenting tone" with his pup. Most of the day has been quiet and peaceful. I've caught up with a few friends and enjoyed the opportunity to not have to be anywhere or do anything. I did do some dishes, laundry and that sort of thing but it is a treat to just drop everything for a few hours. I have friends who's jobs require them to go out, I've been there. But for those of us that can stay home the snowfall can be a much needed mini "staycation". Most of us spend our days running from one thing to the next. We eat on the run, breathe on the run and run on the run. To sit by a window and sip some cocoa or tea and not "run" anything but our mind's quiet thoughts is a rare treat. When I was a child I used to love to walk through the woods and under the cedar trees heavy with snow on these days. I would shake the heaps of snow off the branches and onto myself and remember giggling as it would fall heavily onto my warmly wrapped head. Such silly idleness is not often found as we become adults or even for a lot of children (these days) but our hearts need this time to "reboot". If you are lucky enough to have a snow day. Savor being trapped at home, enjoy the space that you usually go to work to pay for. Maybe go out and shake a little snow down your collar or throw a snowball. Childlike freedom is a treasure. Instead of thinking of what you might be missing think of it as a reschedule... a gift of innocence for a day. Happy Snow Day*

Oh my sweetest Valentine, BE what you seek in others.

Awe... it is February the month of Valentines, love notes and couples. It is a time when we tell our family, friends and special loves what they mean to us. Oh wait, this could be Christmas two months into the year! This could be Thanks-Giving ten months early! This could be....should be...Everyday of the year. We should always let those we love know how we feel. Hopefully they too, will do the same. What makes us want to love someone or someone love us? Is it primal urges, good looks and all that? Sure at the romantic level some degree of physical attraction does help. None of us wants to introduce our date or spouse by saying," Oh yes and this is Bob" and then point to the guy with a lunch sack over his head! We have also all seen the odd couple too. You know the one...how did "he/she end up with...". What DID "so and so" see in ???? Good question for sure. That question can also be applied to couples that have stood the test of time. What makes them stay together and remain in love even through the storms of life? I think the same answer applies to all of these questions. Is the person you are directing your affection too "LOVABLE"? are you "LOVABLE"? We all like to think we are. How do you respond to your spouses touch? Would you want your touch reciprocated? How do you react when they have had a bad day? What would you want to hear? What does it mean to be lovable? I think to be loved, you most go beyond looks, beyond the expected and strive to be cherished. To be loved and cherished you must be someone who is lovable. Here is the biggy..."Love is the the motivation behind the attitude we are driven to emulate". Our attitude affects our decisions, our choices, our actions and our contentedness. Our decision to be love directly affects our ability to attract love, to maintain it, to build upon it and it give back to others. Our Father served us with a servants heart. Throughout his life and beyond he loved us with an unconditional love. Do you love unconditionally? Do you serve those you love with a happy heart? If not, look at yourself; WOULD YOU LOVE YOU? What makes one spouse love their partner no matter what and another turn away while they seemingly have "everything"? Maybe "everything" is not what we think it is. I have a favorite author Debbie Pearl. One of my favorite quotes from her is: ~"Discontentment is not a product of circumstances but a state of the soul".~
We come into this world with nothing and we can take nothing out, but our soul. Why is it then, that we apply our focus of attention on the superficial; worldly goods and not on our soul? We should practice happiness, contentment, understanding and forgiveness even when serving; when we place a smile on our faces who could not be inclined to love and cherish us? Philippians 2:5 tells us that in all we do we must think and act like Jesus. Certainly EVEN those of us who are not faithful can agree that if we love unconditionally and bear our burdens with joy, we could be found more lovable in return. For those of us of faith we know for sure, that the more we love and are content we are; the more loved and content others find us. So are you lovable? Do walk around with a smile, do you offer to help with a happy heart, do you embrace others who reach toward you, do you do what needs to be done even if not asked. Are you someone who is a joy to be with? If you wish love, if you wish to be cherished; then look at yourself in the mirror of your soul, not in the mirror of your bathroom. Do not spend you time seeking the perfect outfit to attract love, the best thing you can wear is a smile. If you seek love or to deepen the loves you have, deepen your own demeanor. Make cheerful your continence, be what you should seek to have at your side in life. When you are content and beautiful from the inside out (old but true saying) Love will grow from you and its vines will wind their way back to you full of blossoms. As with all gardens this will take time, patience and practice. Practice being cheerful, practice how you would like to be responded to, practice your reactions to others. When you are full of love (practice makes NOT perfect but perfect goodness) love will find you. For even the most homely of us shall be loved and cherished if we are servants with cheerful hearts. Tell others you love them everyday not just in words (although these are good to hear) but in your actions. Don't show your love just on holidays or with gifts of material goods but with smile in your soul. Happy Valentines Day to everybody, may you seek to be cherished, to love with a greater passion this year, all year and from now on.
Copyright 2012 Micheline Edwards
All rights Reserved

Sharing cookies and other responible acts.

With the new year well into swing and resolutions already put into action...as well broken by some of us; I started thinking about what are our responsibilities in life. I don't mean just weekly blah blah..cleaning the house, the bill paying or personal hygiene; which are obviously good things to keep up with. First of all; I feel respect ranks high on the list. You know the common sense efforts bestowed upon us by others and to others. We all learned in kindergarten to "Treat others as we should wish to be treated". We know all about this and hopefully try our best to follow this rule. What about life beyond just "playing well with others", paying our bills and taking a bath? What are our responsibilities to our families, children, friends (or those not friends)? What kind of things make us good people? Is it our resolutions each year? The diets we tried and failed at? The cool gift we got our kid when we failed to be there. Was it spending an afternoon twice a year with grandma, Aunt "Boresomebody" or with the friend that you would rather go to the dentist than see? Was it taking your kids to Disney? dressing nice? eating the four food groups and flossing? Maybe not. What drives some of us to be responsible and others to not care. Yes, there I said it; "To be responible". What is this word? What does it mean and why do we always attach it to everything except what really matters. Yes! you should pay your bills, do your homework, take a shower and visit Grandma (hopefully more than twice a year) etc etc... What I am searching for here is what makes us responsible to others; to ourselves; and just in general? Responsible to our children, our extended family, our friends and sometimes those that are not our friends or people we don't even know. What makes us responsible humans beyond "flossing twice a day"? Who taught us to do this or not do this? Young children are naturally nurturing and even responsible, they love to help others; and keep us informed of things (Ya, ya they all go through the "me stage"). Who takes this natural tendency to pat another's back, hold a friends hand, kiss a "booboo" on some sandbox buddy or share a cookie even if it is their favorite. Who fosters our caring instincts or turns them off? I know I have probably beaten this horse many times but again I will say it. There are eyes and ears on us, even when we don't know it. Others develop opinions of us, not based solely on our job performance, attendance of the "right" things, or good work out skills but on our "work ethics". By "work ethics" I am not referring just to responsibility exhibited on the job, at church, to impress others, get a great review or a pay raise; but by those things you assume nobody will ever see; and in everything you do. That friends, is responsibility! So how responsible are you? Do you need to review just how much further you could take the old saying "Do unto others, as you wish them to do unto you". Maybe in 2012 even if we have kept or failed at our resolutions as January comes to a close we should foster a new mantra "to do everything we do, as though Our Father was watching us". Maybe we should take responsible steps to not only keep up with the day to day but go a step beyond. Maybe help, reach out or do something for somebody who could never repay you. Care for others and the gifts God gives us even if no one is watching. Be forgiving, lend a hand, lead by example. Do something because it was the right thing to do: because you want to be responsible as a human being and teach others by doing. Let's follow a "Do as I do" idea. So are you truly responsible? While others are watching you; Do you do what you do because of this? or because you are watching yourself. When YOU look at YOUR actions, and how responsible you are, how do you feel? It is said that we are our own worst critics but we usually only apply this to superficial things. Are you responsible?

"Tis the Season to...."

"Tis the season"... to be with family, friends and loved ones. "Tis the season"... to bake, decorate, shop, host, wrap, give, and receive. "Tis the season"... for carols, parties, get togethers and travel. "Tis the season"... to love, be loved, need and be needed. "Tis the season"... to live the magic, gaze at the lights and expect mysteries. "Tis the season"... to know why?
Our Savior is the reason.
When you have family, friends and loved ones around you...think of our Blessed Mother Mary. Mary, not more than a mere child herself who was scared and alone, yet loved and trusted God so much that she agreed to be alone and afraid to bring forth her son our Lord.
When you bake, think of the hungry both now and when Mary made her journey. Savor each cookie as if it were all there was. Decorate your space, not for the neighbors but for Jesus who will be a guest in our homes. Shop but don't engage in greed, remember those less fortunate. Don't ask for more than you need. Wrap and give gifts that are from your heart and hands. Make your gifts those that keep giving; so they emulate our Father's love, which is unceasing. When you receive, give thanks.
When you sing, do so as if in great prayer. Fill the room with the sound of voice reaching unto the Heavens. When you go to parties, dinners and get togethers think of "The Last Supper" which our Lord will be at sometime after his Christmas birth; when the parties end. When you travel fall to your knees at night before retiring and be with a glad heart that you arrived safely, in comfort and that there was "Room for you" when you got there.
When you love do so with your whole heart. When you want to be loved open your soul. When you need unconditional love, look to Our Father for he will fill your empty heart. Remember that HE wants nothing more than to be loved, needed and accepted by you.
When you look for magic in the season enjoy the world around you but do not forget the great mystery of faith. Faith that by it's very definition is a belief in the unseen and sometimes intangible. It is the knowledge that in your heart you know what is just and true. If you can believe in Santa, wish for things you have not seen; with hope to receive... Then receive HIM, believe in HIM and you will always have faith. Have the faith to gaze into the sky at the starry lights that guided the shepherds years ago and know that the same presence that lead them, will lead you in the right way.
Christmas Magic is always in Season because it is not just a season...All year "Tis the season" to be Holy, give thanks and to believe.


Copyright © 2011-2012 Micheline Edwards
All rights reserved to by Micheline Edwards.

The Dirt Road Traveled (not often enough)..........

To my followers I apologize for taking such a break. I was not lacking material but the time to write about it. I am sitting here now deciding which direction to take this entry. So much has happened in our lives over the past few weeks. A lot of it gives me pause to reflect not just the past month or two but the last twenty five (and then some) years. Today is the birthday of my oldest son. He is grown and married with three children of his own now. My daughter has been married a little over a month. Our middle son engaged for almost 2 months. Our two youngest both in high school are moving full speed ahead in their lives. We have been involved over the past few weeks in everything from a wedding to a charity home build for families that lost their homes a while back: as well as all the other day to day events. I have sat with friends who have laughed, cried and also reminisced about the past, the present and the future. I have friends with new babies, friends who have sent their babies to God. I have friends who have also had marriages take place and watched sadly as some marriages did not make it. I have watched friends pray and prayed for friends who are losing loved ones and for friends who have lost their battle. I have seen joy, and watched in dismay at unexplained sadness. I have been witness to the most beautiful acts of kindness and heard about things that some should not ever be privy too. This my friends has just been since my last entry. Our world moves at such a pace that we often just keep trudging forward but seldom pause long enough to really look at where we are, at those around us and where we are heading. I work closely with an Amish community not far from my home. It is such a privilege to be counted among their friends, to help care for their families and to be included in their homes and events. Yesterday I got dressed and headed to the "community". This was the first Monday in weeks where these were my only appointments for the day (I am there most Monday afternoons). I sat with my first appointment, took care of her needs and met her sister from out of state. We visited with another friend to see her new baby and I checked in on two other mothers while there. Each time I entered their homes they stopped what they were doing and sat down in the quiet that is their world. They laughed, joked, nursed babies, chased small children, occasionally stirred or moved something around in the kitchen and even took notice of who had spent the morning doing laundry (clothes lines tell stories Lol). They talked about their lives and those of distant family and friends:they spoke of them like they lived down the street. This amazes me as they only correspond via the post office; "My goodness if we had to do such things". As we visited with one lady who was enjoying her newborn she expressed how she realized this was probably her last baby (she has some that are almost grown as well). We talked about the pace at which our families change. She commented that it made her want to slow down and savor every moment. "This quiet slow paced Amish woman thought she needed to slow down?" I was amazed. This left me in deep thought. We headed back to return my friend who had been riding along with me. As we drove at a "buggy pace" (10-15mph) down her remote dirt road, she commented that "The scholars were out" I looked over to the field and saw 3 small Amish children heading home from school running across a path through a field. They were complete with books and pails. I told my sister, they looked like a scene from "The little House Series". I dropped off my friend, her preschooler came down from his perch on the cattle gate (complete with his straw hat adorned with a funny grocery bag) to tell me good bye and I headed home. Funny thing I noticed years ago was that on the way to the Amish community I usually have my radio on in my car. I usually turn it off as I arrive (I often get stopped in my car by friends saying "hello" when they see me)I seldom turn it back on as I leave. Sometimes I have turned it on when leaving only to quickly turn it back off. It is like this everyday "thing" suddenly becomes almost distasteful or annoying. Without distraction I drove home the hour drive in deep thought. I rolled around in my mind, all that has occurred in the past few weeks. The joyous, the sad, the busy and the slow. I thought about how precious life is and how blessed I was. Somewhere in my "slow afternoon back in time" I had the moments to pause and reflect on what to be "thankful for" and why. I realized how important it is for all of us to make time to be quiet and slow down. We should all try to take a few hours this Thanks~Giving month to be quiet, to turn off the world. To maybe have a cup of tea with a friend at our kitchen counter where it is peaceful so we can listen. Take a walk deep into the woods where there are no distractions but maybe the leaves crunching under foot. We should pause to hear, to pray, to meditate, to ponder and to marvel at what we have. I know we can't all go on a retreat, spend a couple of hours or travel back in time but try to "steal" a few moments. You will feel more giving and more thankfulness. Your life will seem so much more at peace. Take the time to travel down that dirt road at a slower pace for a few minutes. What a gift to ourselves and to those around us to prepare for our coming season of Advent.


Copyright © 2011-2012 Micheline Edwards
All rights reserved to by Micheline Edwards.