Weddings and Renovations

It is only the 8th of January, and already more has happened at my house than usual. What started as, "We really need to get an air conditioner," turned into removing a wall, purchasing a "mini-split" air to air system, replacing the decades old upstairs carpets, and rebuilding our stairway and rail.

So far, just the carpet is up. Of course, all this means that I should repaint much of upstairs as well. Things like this remind me of a story in my Grade School reader, about the gift of a red geranium that changed an old woman's entire environment. The geranium made the table cloth look shabby. A new table cloth meant she needed new dishes. New dishes made the counter look shabby. And so on.

As soon as we had committed to beginning these grand changes in our own environment, my daughter called to say she was getting married in March, giving us two months to plan, once Christmas was over. I think I will be so busy painting and varnishing, that I won't have energy left to fret over the short period of wedding planning.

So here we are, one week into the anticipated 2012. Many believe this is indeed a year of change. Probably it will not mean the end of the world, but it could be a year when we can start fresh on many levels.

I wonder, if each of us made a small positive change, will we have a better world? Given the results of one decision at my house, we may not need to wait until December for much to be renewed.

What small renewal will you initiate? Don't wait. Start now.

First Impressions

First impressions of my future son-in-law bode well for the future. I like him. Even late at night, after flight delays, he is polite, friendly and relaxed. I am happy. Happy and tired. The late night at the airport and the excitement of the event kept me wakeful until well after 3 a.m.

I did find out about the cat's "ticket". Pixie did not need a ticket, per se, but Air Canada requires pets to be registered, as there is a limit on the number of pets on any particular flight. For a small plane, the type that comes to our little airport, two pets onboard is the maximum.

When my daughter called to register Pixie's planned presence on the flight, there were already three pets booked. An exception had been made, but only one exception. Thank goodness they had room on a later flight, and all arrived safely, after midnight, instead of suppertime. The pumpkin pie was the perfect bedtime snack, and Pixie is settled into her own sunny room until she is willing to join the rest of us in the kitchen.

Today is the Day!

Today is the day I meet my future son-in-law. I am having to wait a little longer than expected.... something to do with the cat not having a ticket. That is a mystery that will be solved later tonight, when Daughter dear, and her sweetheart arrive, with Pixie happy to be back on solid land.

I started the day by making pumpkin pie, my daughter's favourite. I had the crust in the pie plates, and many of the filling ingredients in the blender. Then I discovered that what I thought were cans of pumpkin were really tomatoes! We made a quick decision to go shopping. One can of pumpkin turned into $200 worth of turkey, ham, and chocolate. We should be ready.

Now the pies are cooling, banana bread is baked, the house tidied, and the tree lit. At my house, Christmas starts tonight! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas is Coming Early

I am counting. Just two more sleeps! The biggest event of the season happens on Saturday, when my daughter arrives home from Toronto and I get to meet my future son-in-law! Yes!

I knew she was bringing home a sweetheart, so I figured that he must be a very special sweetheart to be coming all this way with her. After she called with the news that they are engaged, I have been barely able to contain my excitement.

There will be much to be done over the winter months, as the wedding date is set for March 10, now less than three months away. What does a mother-of-the-bride need to do? Buy a new outfit! I have successfully found the perfect most beautiful black velour pant suit, with silver and gold embroidery and sparkles. Christmas specials and March weddings seem to go hand in hand.

Now just two more sleeps!

My Road and Western Civilization

Thanks to hunting season and newly spread pig manure, I have been walking my dog along our road, instead of in the field. But walking our road makes me sad.

The road was paved about 35 years ago. My father would not let me take the car, in the spring of 1976, to visit my boyfriend, as the road was too muddy. I have a photo of a neighbour pulling his car out of the mud with his horse.

After the road was paved, I missed the smooth cool surface that a dirt road has when it needs the grader. As an adult, I appreciate pavement.

These days, our road is full of cracks, looking like an elephant’s skin. The edges have broken, due to heavy rains. The holes in the middle are regularly patched, but the paved surface is narrowing, while the shoulder grows wider. I have to watch my step, not to twist my ankle or trip over chunks of asphalt.

I have read and enjoyed Jack Whyte’s novels about the Romans in Britain. Roman roads were good roads, but when the Roman empire fell into decline, so did the roads. On my walks I remember how one of Whyte’s characters stopped to pick a flower in the road, something that would be unheard of during Roman times. He predicted difficult days to come. Without roads their culture would not function. Neither will ours.

My road is fairly inconsequential in the scheme of things, but still, as I walk the dog, I am sad about the decline of western civilization.

Reaching for Wholeness

A year ago, I was posting regular draft segments of a writing project. That writing project is now a book, Reaching for Wholeness. The back cover reads:

Do you have a relationship addiction? Are you in a co-dependent relationship that is emotionally destructive, or even abusive? Do you keep getting into the same unhappy relationship over and over, with one partner after another? Lovers want to spend every minute together, and ache for each other when they are apart. They believe the ache means they are in love. But all too often, what they thought was love was an addiction to the good feelings of togetherness. When their connection ends, they float off, angry and hurt, in search of yet another relationship. Reaching for Wholeness leads you on a quest to find a lasting relationship with yourself, and personal wholeness that can change every relationship in your life. Finnamore addresses behaviour patterns such as anger, fear, people-pleasing, and difficulty recognizing feelings, as well as assertiveness, burnout, self-acceptance, and the struggles of relationships.She concludes with a dream of an unusual wedding of self to self, and invites you to join her in a journey that has no map.

A preview is available here. If you want to order a copy online, you may order from Lulu.com on that same page. If you live near me, and want a signed copy, just let me know.

Back Again

I've been away. Most of the time I haven't been too far away from my computer, as I've been writing. Soon my newest book, Reaching for Wholeness, will be ready. I wrote much of the draft here on my blog, but to change it from blog form to publishable paperback is a lot of work! Almost there. I am proofreading the galley copy this week.

Meanwhile, the world is in chaos. I wish we would all just wake up, and see what we need to learn, make the changes that need made, and carry on in peace. Our sense of security is rocky right now. What is going to happen next? many are wondering. When chaos happens, which seems to be most of the time, the automatic thing is to hold on tightly, and try to ride it out. But what if the right thing to do is to let go? to go with the flow?

Watch whatever is happening in your world from a place of detachment. Let go. Say yes to whatever is coming, and let it be.