Tuesday Through The Winter Window (3)

When I found my beloved bed frames at a

yard sale I immediately saw them
in my yard--not the bedroom.
Add some snow and you have winter lace.

The shapes I see out my window
this brisk morning in northern OH
fluctuate with movement
and rigid form.

Soft, and fluffy as cotton balls,
stacked like pancakes atop
a sleeping Shepherd's hook,
snow waits for a thaw or
a subtle wind to blow it
onward, upward or out of sight.
Today out my winter window
I hope it stays awhile.
It truly makes me smile.

Every window frames the splendor of winter.
Even where Opie Taylor, my sweet kitty, dines.
My studio is directly to the left of Opie's dining room.

Window treatments borrowed from nature
and neighbor's yards create an airy view.
This is decorating magic at its finest~

Winter bonnets on bird feeders
and slumbering bird baths
make me believe for a moment
that I'm at Disneyland.
Or in Sweden.
Or tucked inside a storybook
in a magical place only the wee ones get to see.

This morning's window brought me to a place
of gratefulness of being able to behold
the hands of God at work.
Or maybe it's play....
Yes, I'm quite certain it's play.

To see more of Tuesdays Through The Winter Window
visit Julie at The Swedish House.

Julie was in London this morning and I was surprised
to see what she saw when she woke up today.

Also, I want to encourage you to check out Creative Every Day. My dear friend, Leah Piken Kolidas, owner of Blue Tree Art Gallery, and founder of CED, is the lovely host. Leah invites everyone to come along for the journey of learning how to become creative doing every day things, in every day ways. You'll love the weekly themes she creates to help you look outside the box of limitations you may place on your creative mind. This week's theme is air. You could simply sit and mediate this week and practice being mindful of the way you're breathing. Or you could go all out and find ways to dry food in your oven. There is no pressure or demands, only encouragement from an amazing woman who loves to teach. Plus, you'll meet lots of inspirational people in the group who'll teach you ways to grow creatively, and help you see creativity is inside everyone--not just artists. It's just waiting for you to invite it to come out and play!

Join me, Leah, and hundreds of other people seeking to find ways to color their worlds with fun, with passionate joy, and with or without a paintbrush. This will be my third year to participate in CED, Creative Every Day. Come on! Before you know it you'll even find ways to bring creativity into the work place, the commute and especially the every day moments of living. Learn how to make your day a creative one, inside and out~

Kayak Therapy

This is my chill pill.
~My Bliss~

Being in my kayak on a lake
is my outdoor church.
This month, Leah Piken Kolidas,
founder of CED,
Creative Every Day,
asked us to share how we find our bliss.
Kayaking is one way I find bliss.

Yesterday I saw a turtle, approx a foot and a half in diameter, swimming close to the surface of the water as I paddled by. On the shore line we saw deer drinking from the cool blue waters. Multiple herons flew overhead, and we saw a pair of herons standing guard like soldiers indicating there was a nest nearby. Awkward goslings nibbled in the grass by their proud parents. The sky stretched out above us like a painting while the breeze kept us cool. We were as close to heaven as I've ever been.

How I started kayaking...

After the auto accident I spent a few months in physical therapy. I loved the therapy but every time I was in there it reminded me of the accident. I saw a few women kayaking on the lake. I was in awe of these women being brave enough to kayak, so I decided to get a kayak. I took a HUGE risk in buying a kayak without ever being in one. I found it was the beginning of getting my power back. Kayaking made me feel strong. It calmed my PTSD and anxiety attacks. I stopped PT and continued kayaking as often as possible. I guess you could say it was Kayak Therapy.

But then my "boat" got rocked
by an unexpected turn of events...

My regular readers know I moved away from my lakeside home, the Tree House, last August. I hadn't planned on moving but when my landlord rented the apartment below me to smokers--I had no choice. The smoke came up though the vents. I couldn't even sit on my lovely deck because they smoked on their deck. At the time it was heart breaking, and I wondered how I would ever get over not living in my sky high Paradise.

The lake I lived on was extremely beautiful AND huge. But it was also a very popular lake for all kinds of boats, and rowdy people due to all the bars on the lake. I spent a lot of time rocking in the wake of a boat speeding by me. I would kayak for miles to find a waterway that was out of the way of all the boat traffic. After moving, I wondered if I get to kayak again as much as I had before. I'm learning The Universe can turn bad things into good things if you allow it to.

Here's how God/Spirit/the Universe
turns ashes into beauty....

Last November I found my new therapist, Dr. Ed. He's helped me advance quickly toward my goal of being healed from PTSD. One day, while sitting in his office, Superman found a brochure about a woman who practiced Reiki in the same building. Superman called her and set a visit for me. It was the first of many healing sessions. She, too, has helped my body and mind heal from the trauma created by the auto accident.

She told Superman and I about the lake we just explored TWO days in a row now. The new lake is very close, and [insert HUGE grin here] it doesn't allow gas powered boats. [insert squeals of delight HERE] Only electric motors and watercraft with paddles can go out on the lake. Plus, the lake is huge. It's quiet. Peaceful. It is my church. The Universe gave me a new lake to kayak in again.

With more beauty, privacy, trees
and amazing sky lines.
No homes side by side
on every square inch of shore.

Everything happens for a reason.

And in due season
I believe I was given
my heart's desire
in finding this new lake.
I'm learning to see
that trauma, accidents,
and the things that
appear to be hopeless messes...
can be turned into the biggest blessings.

How have your upsets in life
been turned into
things of awe and beauty?