last summer

We flew into New York from Europe and stayed there for a few days.  I got very ill in New York for 24 hours, it was a strange experience.  I was so happy to leave the city and fly west.

We landed in northern California where we remained for three weeks. We had a very soft landing, staying in a big beautiful home with a generous host in the countryside.  It had four floors, a beautiful view that backed to open space, a pool room, and an elevator!  It even had a huge music room with piano, guitars, drums.

There we settled in and the kids attended lots of camps -- tennis, baseball, music.  We visited two colleges, saw old friends, made new friends, played music, cooked new foods, and had a wonderful time.  I loved it there and hope we will all live there someday, when it is time to leave our little island.  I found a new small town I could call home.  

corner view~something difficult

photo credit, Gary Marks

Decisions can be difficult, especially those major life ones where we know whatever way we go will determine our future.  Sometimes it can leave us feeling paralyzed.

I always want to do the right thing.  I can get hung up in that.  And yet sometimes we really don't know what the right thing is.

When we find decisions difficult, we must weigh the pros and cons of each choice and then honestly, make a leap.  That is why the term is a leap of faith.  Some life decisions are a leap of faith.

And remember, once we make a decision, we can see where that leads us and then make a detour. Because we are constantly growing, changing and adapting to our environments.  We rarely can foresee exactly where any decision will lead, including difficult decisions.

I have recently come to the conclusion that if we make a decision that has some integrity, even though it may also have some difficulties, and we live our lives the best we can in that decision, that we then need to trust that we will have our angels looking out for us and helping us on this new leg of our journey.

After all, we are all walking on a journey.  Life is a journey.  And sometimes it is difficult.  And that's okay.  The pendulum will swing.  It always does.  

our last day in europe was spent in paris

We were going to walk through the city to the carnival but it started to rain so instead we went to a closer destiny, the Eiffel Tower.  Shawn was disappointed to not ride the ferris wheel, but he rolled with it, happy to hold the umbrella, that luckily, we brought.  Later that night we took the kids out for their final French dinner -- fish, potatoes, a salad, in a little cafe close to our hotel. 

What will they take from these trips to foreign countries?  Time will tell.  I like to think they have been exposed to many different cultures and lifestyles, to art, to city life, to music, to architecture, to people.  To smells and sights different from their sweet, simple life in the topics.  And that as they grow up this will shape how they see the world.  That they will have open minds and hearts and learn from everything they do, and they will come to see that despite our differences, we are all connected. 

quintessential paris

All you have to do is spend a summer afternoon walking through these streets and you understand why this is a city of artists and poets, a city that epitomizes love.

musee rodin, interior and lunch in a paris cafe afterwards

My favorite has to be the piece pictured in the second image.

for my children~dealing with uncertainty

One thing we can count on in life is there is constant change, and much uncertainty. That doesn't make uncertainty easier.  It can be very stressful.

We like to think we have control over our lives, but in truth we have control over little in our lives.  It is important to realize the distinction between what we can control and what we can't.  We can't control the weather, or what our neighbors do, or who likes us or wants to be our friend.  We can't control what grades our teachers decide to give us, how well our team does in a season, or when we finally find all the people to make the perfect band.  We can only do our best.  We can't control what others do, or say.

We can control what we do, and how we respond, and what we say.  We can choose to see all the negatives of a situation, or focus on the positives. Things are almost never black or white.  We can give ourselves permission and time to relax and think things through before we make decisions.

Our mindset is really up to us.  We can control our attitude.  That we have a choice about.    

True wisdom is knowing what to take seriously, and what to ignore, or let go of. This is not always easy to do.  Still, please contemplate this idea.  It is deep, deep wisdom.

Remember the maybe story Dad and I have told you, especially when things don't go your way. Maybe it's for the best.  Maybe something we think is horrible is actually a blessing.  We rarely know at the time, what is truly best for us.  Time will tell, and sometimes we are surprised to see that something we thought was so bad at the time, proves to be better for us in the long run.

The deepest lesson in living with uncertainty, is practicing how to let go.  That is what the spiritual masters mean when they talk about surrender.  Because we really don't know so much.

And remember, you are all in good hands, and very loved and blessed.

musee rodin paris

In researching this great master artist, Francois Auguste Rene Rodin, I was struck by two facts. First, he was never accepted into Paris's top art school.  And secondly, he was sensitive about controversy surrounding his work, because he went against the norm.  But he refused to change his style.