The Magic of Music

I went to a luncheon today - the food was fabulous, lots of friends to hug - but the best part was 24 high school students who sang and danced and warmed everyone's spirits. What talent! Everyone was smiling and nodding. There was foot tapping as well. They weren't selling anything; they were just celebrating the season. What a joy.

And now, my yellow lab is lying at my feet snoring and my daughter's black lab puppy has finally settled down for a long winter's nap. Long being defined as 10 minutes. My Christmas cards are done and packages are ready to be mailed. I'm going to spend the rest of the month contemplating the reason for the season and loving my family and friends.

About the idea of "taking a break."

What great advice. Breathe deeply, slow down. Have we had Thanksgiving yet? Surely it's not December already. Thanksgiving is a time to share the blessings. My friend, Katie, the hostess suprema, invited us to share her family's Thanksgiving meal. Family and friends and God's blessings. You could find them all at her house Thanksgiving evening. And, there are so many things to be thankful for. Or as my mother would have preferred, so many things for which we are thankful.

Now the aftermath. I printed the Christmas cards at Costco; bought the stamps, wrote a tiny little note to go in them. I think I need a nap.

I thought about not doing Christmas cards, by my husband explained that this is the time to let old friends know we were thinking about them. Two years ago I hand-made the cards. No one noticed. (Venting is often useful.) OK, I feel better now. He's right, of course. So happy holiday seasons, everyone.

Weekend Retreat

I spent the weekend at a scrapbook retreat in the Texas Hill Country. What a delight. The surroundings were unbelievable. It was quiet; the stars were magnificent; the hundreds of butterflies magical. We were there to scrapbook – an opportunity to scrapbook for 24 hours a day, if you want. Now, if you’re not into scrapbooking, you probably can’t appreciate the concept; if you are, it was “over the top.” My friend Patty convinced me to go. It wasn’t really all that difficult. But, the women from Memories Across the Miles – Kay and Lori – set a new standard for retreats. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The real topic here is friendship. Someone once said “my friends have made the story of my life.” And what a story it’s been. It’s amazing that opportunities for friendship pop up in the strangest of places – well, maybe not really so strangely. Having never scrapbooked, I sort of thought, how hard can it be. So, I had about four weeks to make a scrapbook of my daughter from birth to age 16. I checked the web for stores in the area and found Scrapbook Cottage. I’d found my home away from home. And, some really incredible women (OK, Fred’s pretty good, too). Patty, one of the owners, became a special friend. I love her to death as she listens to me vent, never criticizes, tackles my tiny problems as her own and has wonderful suggestions.
There is no greater treasure than the women friends we find – no matter where. But, you have to make time to invest in those friendships. Patty and I scrapped til late, ate chocolate without much guilt, ate again and suddenly it was Sunday.