Thoughts this Thursday...

This is yours truly taking on caffeine, sugar, and whipped cream, as well as spiritual nourishment before Tuesday's dentist appointment. Yes, whipped cream; I knew that I wasn't going to be able to eat or drink anything for quite a while, so why not splurge? As it turned out, the novacaine didn't wear off completely until nearly 12 hours later...
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Have you ever gone into a card shop or health food store and seen those awesome quote cards on the spinning apparatus? I always enjoy reading the quotes, but rarely do I buy the $4.95 cards because I never know who I'd send them to. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the quotable cards website and wrote down a few of my favorite quotes. Here are a smattering of the ones I copied into my journal.

• Roald Dahl: Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in the magic will never find it.

• Harriet Tubman – You have within you all the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.

• H Jackson Brown Jr. – Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.

• Leo Buscaglia – Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring – all of which have the potential turn a life around.

• Camus: Live to the point of tears.

• DaVinci – Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.

• Dawn Dais – When there are no words, know that the silences are carrying the thoughts and prayers of all who love you.

• Heinlein – To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites.

• Jung – The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

• Helen Keller – The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

• Jack Kerouac – The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything tat the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the sky.

• St. Ignatius of Loyola – Go forth and set the world on fire.

• Cadet Maxim – Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.

• Henry Miller – The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.

• Minor Myers Jr. – Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

• Gilda Radner – Some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.

• Eleanor Roosevelt – Do one thing every day that scares you.

• George Santayana – The world is not respectable. It is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever. But it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter, and in these, the spirit blooms.

• Carol Shields – Go for long walks. Indulge in hot baths. Question your assumptions. Be kind to yourself. Live for the moment. Loosen up. Scream. Curse the world. Count your blessings. Just let go. Just be.

• Solbeam – Fall in love – or fall in hate. Get inspired – or get depressed. Ace a test or flunk a class. Make babies or make art. Speak the truth or lie and cheat. Dance on tables or sit in the corner. Life is divine chaos. Embrace it. Forgive yourself. Breathe. Enjoy the ride.

• Souza – Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.

• Unknown – Beautiful young people are accidents of nature. Beautiful old people are works of art.

• What would you attempt to do if you know you could not fail?

• Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

• Marcel Proust- Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls bloom.

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I expect that someday I will write blogs with some or most of those quotes as my theme. They are all so thick and juicy and beg to be torn apart, explored, and feasted upon. There is so much beauty: so many beautiful quotes, beautiful friends, beautiful days, beautiful moonlit nights, so much to gaze upon and give thanks for that I feel overwhelmed much of the time.






The newest photojournalist in our family (see top photo) sat in on the crowning ceremony of her mother (see bottom photo). Isn't the pink plastic impression-making tray gorgeous? I may suggest that the dentist replace the protective eyewear in the near future... Perhaps something by Ray Ban? Coach? Armani?
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As I sat in the dentist's chair on Tuesday undergoing the trauma of being crowned (not crowned queen or princess, mind you) as I continue to battle the invasion of the tiny six legged critters (at long last, we, the humans, seem to be gaining ground against them, the aliens), as I read the news about more earthquakes in Indonesia, flooding in central and south America, in Texas and other southern states, as friends tell me of lost jobs and broken relationships, as my tears flow over personal, relational, and universal sorrows, I confess that I am still able to find reasons to be thankful. I continue to learn lessons about marriage, motherhood, friendship, and poetry nearly everyday. I am still able to find cause for joy and reasons for laughter in the midst of the pain and fear. My children still delight me. My husband still makes me laugh. Friends still call and write and share their lives with me.





On same day as my dental trauma, the sun set in its usual majestic way over the fields where Daniel played baseball. In the greater scheme of things, I wondered, what is one cracked molar?
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Once again, I thank you all for all the ways that you cause my soul to bloom.
Once again, I thank God.
All is well.