I Danced With My Dad Last Night


Last night, I danced with Dad.  It was a short dance, and I'm not entirely sure I remember the tune.  It was a lovely dance, where I did not attempt to lead (bad habit I have) and Dad took me in his arms and lead me around the dance floor as if we'd been partners in Dancing with the Stars all season.  When we were done, he asked me if I liked to dance to songs like the one that played.  I told him I did.  Afterward, we sat on a couch and he asked if I would make a "cover for a wedding dress" for Sue.  Not sure who he was referring to, but I figured I'd find out if I just let him talk.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  I woke up. 

My Dad passed away in 1975.  But every once in a while, I get a visit in my dreams.  This was the first time we've danced during his dream visits.  I woke up feeling refreshed, a bit melancholy, but at peace.  Ah...there's that serenity I was looking for!!

Do you ever have vivid dreams about someone who's passed?  Do you ever wonder whether it's a spirit visit to tell you all's well or whether it's a need that you have to talk to that person that brings them to your dreams?  I can say that visits from my Dad almost always leave me feeling calmer about my world.  So I choose to think that my guardian angel realizes my need for reassurance and shows up just when I need him.  What could be better than that?!? 

I'm thinking I'm going to have a great day today.  I'm going to get a lot done.  Now if I can just figure out why I woke up with "United We Stand" by Brotherhood of Man playing in my head!!!

3 Words I Love

Leslie from Words of Me Project inspired her followers to join her in a 31 Day Challenge to write, create, be.  Her day 2 challenge was to choose three words that you love and create some word art with them.  My three words were Serenity, Gratitude and Dream. 
I decided to work just a little out of my comfort zone in creating the word art.  I used paints.  Not sure at all that I'm comfortable with them yet.  But this is the wall hanging I've completed. 

It will hang in my "Craft Cave" and serve as a reminder to me of what's really important.  Just saying these words can de-stress me.  So, what words de-stress you???

What's the Word, Hummingbird???

2010 is fast approaching and as many of us do, we reflect on:

• where the heck did the year go?? (yes, Virginia, it does speed up as you get older)
• what did I accomplish this year (besides getting up in the morning and making a cup of tea)?
• did I make it a good year?
• what are my goals (a.k.a. resolutions) for the coming year?

Adding to that, might I humbly suggest you consider finding your word for 2010?

Early in my blogging career (y'like that??), I posted my thoughts about my 2009 word (which came about through my friend, Leanne).  She got the idea of the word for the year from a blog post by Ali Edwards (a.k.a. scrapbooker extraordinaire). Ali says, "a single word can be a powerful thing. It can be a ripple in a pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow." Take a minute to think about that statement alone. Have you ever heard a word, a single word that has an immediate effect on you? Either good or bad?? If so, you understand the power of a single word. I say, why not let the power of a single word work to your advantage? Why not let that single word have the power to focus you on what's most important to you in 2010?

This, my dear friends, is not an impossible mission. This, my dear friends, can actually have a cleansing effect.

So your mission, should you decide to accept it, would be to think of words that express what you want in or out of your life in 2010. But before you decide on THE word, sit on it for a day or two. As Ali says, "let it percolate a bit". Even if the words that pop into your head make no sense at the moment, don't toss them out right away. Write them down and ask yourself what they might mean to you. (You gotta give your subconsciousness some play time, y'know!!)

Need more inspiration? Visit Ali's blog post that lists links to all her previous Word of the Year posts.

My word??? I'll let you know tomorrow!  I've been blabbering on too much already.  Until then...enjoy your brainstorming.

Bucket Lists

I haven't seen the movie "The Bucket List" yet, but I'm intrigued by the idea of having a bucket list. Whether it's called bucket list, dreams & aspirations, or a to-do list (not to be confused with a "honey-do" list), it seems to me that everyone needs to have something to look forward to, plan for, dream about. Isn't that part of being human?

This blog is one of the items on my bucket list. I'm having so much fun with it (although I'd love to see more comments!!!!). I will admit I suffer from writer's block sometimes. That, to me, is weird. Anyone who knows me knows that I rarely suffer from a lack of opinion on things. So I probably need to explore some things that inspire me.

A friend asked me the other day what was next for me, creatively. At first, I didn't have an answer. Then I realized (after adding up all the conversations I'd had with people that week) that my next journey will be to learn to take better photos. I have two great digital cameras and I just don't seem to take the kind of pictures that WOW me. After speaking with an incredibly talented photographer within the family, I'm now inspired to spend more time at this. I shall keep you posted on my journey, usually by posting pics I think are worthy!!

So that's the next item on my bucket list. What's on yours?? (Photo taken in my garden-2008)

Dreams

Last night, as I tried to fall asleep, I was interrupted a number of times with weird dreams. I can't remember who or what the dreams were about, only that they were about friends or family, as if I was just an observer. I was disturbed enough by them that I kept waking up and trying again to fall asleep. I wish I knew why it kept happening. What do you think? Is it true that dreams are the mind's way of working out details that it couldn't process during wake time?