Show-Me State Games

This past weekend, my boys were in the Missouri Show-Me State Games, the largest of this type of "Olympics-style" competition in the USA. Brandon had two days of tennis and Bryan had a day of TaeKwon Do... We pulled 12-hour days and there was a lot of sweat, great experiences and people and at the end of the weekend they had medals and stories.

I am so proud of who they are becoming as young men. Seeing them in their elements and sharing it with them makes me the happiest. The thrill of victory, the agony of a close defeat, the determination to keep going, to learn more, to try again, all of this makes for learning for me, too. They were Showing-Me so much...

my river

There are so many blogs and there are so many people who post every single day - not me... I have wondered why I can't seem to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard with all that has been happening in my life. I don't journal about these last months either; it is all I can do to live it, it seems.

What do I want to say? It has been a very hard stretch these last few weeks. Some dark times in rough waters and I don't like to talk about it (but I do because it needs to come out) since I want to focus more on the light. My river is moving towards warmer waters.... each day, one at a time....

Mini-MO HMM Art Retreat: The 3rd Annual

The 3rd Annual Holy Moly Art Retreat just wrapped it up here in Missouri. The amazing duo of Dorothy www.theartfullhand.com and Sue P. hosted the event that came to be known as "The Mini-MO Retreat" and it was a wonderful time!

HMM friends (we have been together as a Yahoo group since October 14, 2002) gathered from all over the country. There were 14 participants and more wonderful folks connected, too.

It was such fun to meet together in Columbia on Friday - the Retreat was based in Washington, MO, about an hou- and-a-half from here. My friend Sandi and I spent the day with everyone in Washington yesterday.

No way to describe the whole experience. Not only did I love it all, I needed this so much.
"We are family..." as the song goes... so true, so deeply true...

how can you say thank you to everyone?

My family and I are so grateful. How can we ever say thank you to everyone who has touched our lives during these past months, during our whole lives (when it comes down to it)?

Some of the names we know, many we do not. I am trying to make cards and trying to find a tangible way to do what may not be even physically possible - to personally thank each and every person.

"I am a card-maker" I keep telling myself! But I don't have the stamina right now to stand at the art table and make the individualized cards I envision... A plan will come to me... Every breath in and out is voicing my gratitude and that I know for sure.

trying to post a link to "Band of Sisters"

Let's try to post a link to the article "Band of Sisters" and see what happens. Thank you, Jolene, for this... if it doesn't work, I'll try something else...

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/Apr/20070408Ovat013.asp

The actual paper article also included a nice big photo of two of my cards and a canvas piece that was in Art Stamping Workshop with nice captions. Of course, I wish that more people and amazing things that people did were mentioned in the article. So many prayers and styles of prayers! And the prayer shawls and jar of lake water from my magical Lake Congamond from my childhood, Brandon's tennis team and what they did, my Mom being here for over three weeks... on and on...

"Band of Sisters" article in the paper

This morning I woke up early, wondering about the newspaper article that was to be in the Ovation section of the Sunday paper / Columbia Tribune - it is about our art critique group and the Art Raffle fundraiser they created for our family.

The article is called: "Band of Sisters" and it is just great.

There was no way to include all the stories that I wish could have been included, but the heart of it was perfect. It would take a whole book, not just one article, to say what I would really want to say, to thank all the people I would want to thank personally, and to reflect on so many things...

gratitude beyond words...

How can I ever express all the gratitude that is overflowing in my heart for so many people? Getting diagnosed with cancer meant that I faced death and saw Life like I never did before. It meant being so overwhelmed at times I felt as if I was in a dense fog that would swallow me up, and then there would be loving hands reaching in so I could grab hold and walk into the light.

I had no idea how much I loved people and I had absolutely no idea of how many people loved me, too... I have read things that cancer survivors write and one thing that jumps off the page so many times is that on this path, your life and your view of life in general is completely changed. I am still recuperating from some big-guns treatments. I do not have the vantage point now of years down the road, or even knowing if this first round is effective yet. I do know that I am filled with gratitude, way beyond words to so many people, many I have never even met...

There is so much more that I want to give. No person has any guarantees on time. How wonderful that Love is infinite and eternal...