Comforting Rituals

Every night, as I get ready to go to sleep I find comfort and peace in simple rituals. A cup of tea in a pretty cup, a love note left on the kitchen counter for my wonderful husband to read in the morning, the soft hum of the dishwasher, the sound of my slippers  as I walk to the window for one last look outside. I love the perfect silence, the twinkling of the fairy lights wrapped over the picket fence. At this time, my thoughts fly across the Atlantic to the other side of the world. I close my eyes and I'm at my son's apartment, I hug and kiss him good night. I pray for his safety and happiness. I pray for acceptance and understanding.  As I make my way back to the kitchen I pass "Titania" my dear fairy friend. There she sits surrounded by flowers and tiny lights, holding a small candle, she is the very picture of peace and serenity. I stop and admire her beauty and I smile.

I head upstairs, pause for a moment outside my daughter's bedroom and force myself not to think of the time when she too, leaves home, so I go into the guest bedroom, plump up a cushion, close the curtains, look around. 

My habits have evolved through the years, and just like our family, they've developed, progressed, adapted, and changed. Tonight, as I get ready to go to sleep, I realize that even though so many things are different, I am still able to find peace and beauty in these simple, comforting rituals.

A brand new look

Hello everyone! Yes, it's me, you are aboard the Purple Caravan :0) Hope you like the new look! I really did not plan it, I was just visiting my friend Paulette at Beedeebabee and noticed her Blog had been re-designed by Karen Valentine. I liked it so much I decided to contact Karen who in just three days was able to not only understand what I wanted, but was also able to create it, and install it all for me! I did not have to do anything! If you are looking for a change in your Blog's appearance you will not be disappointed by Karen. She is talented, friendly, and what's best, she listens!  I hope you will visit her at Valentine Design.  Thank you Karen! 

On another note, I've been enjoying four consecutive days without severe allergies.   After numerous visits to the doctor and many changes in medications I can finally sleep all night and look "human" (no puffy, watery, itchy eyes, no runny nose, etc., etc.) Needles to say, I am very HAPPY!  This total feeling of joy reminds me of something I once read :"It is amazing how much crisper the general experience of life becomes when your body is given a chance to develop a little strength" (Frank Duff) So true!

Hope everyone is having a great week. Please don't forget to stop a while and just BE!

Photo by Weheartit.com

Only a Dream

There she sits.  She and her beauty.

Oblivious to everything.

Playful thoughts,

Dreamy eyes,

A smile on her lips.

It's a perfect moment.

Suspended in time

By fragile, glimmering threads.

Untouched, just breathing.

 Her feelings like a shawl, wrap around her shoulders.

This is a day like no other,

Dream big!

Because just like the others, this too will end...

Image by Raymond Leech

Kindred spirits

Have you ever had the feeling that no matter how long you know someone, you don't really  know that person, and that person doesn't really know you? People you see and talk to everyday, people with whom you work and play, they seem to remain perfect strangers.


Then, once in while you come across someone you've just met and for some strange reason there is an instant connection, an unexplained bond. I notice this to be even more so in the world of Blogs. Perhaps this is because when a post is written in the peaceful silence of the night, a person doesn't have to struggle to keep up a front, to make an impression, to behave a certain way. We are relaxed and our words are truly attuned to our feelings. You could tell a lot about someone by the way they write! There is no middle man between the thought and the word.  You think it, you feel it, you write it. It's there in black and white, and the reader captures the message, pure and undiluted. Hence, that instant magic bond.


In the short time I've been blogging I have come to know and love so many Kindred Spirits. Ladies I would probably never, ever meet in person and yet, I look forward to listen to what they have to say, I enjoy seeing what they want to show. Pieces of their lives, everyday thoughts, tears and laughter. These people are no longer strangers, they have a name, they have a soul and strangely, the "body" is not important. In my world they YOU are real and they YOU matter.  


Mxtodis123 is one of those Kindred Spirits I am referring to. An interesting and talented woman whose Blog I enjoy visiting. Our friendship is fairly new and yet the bond is already there. I am happy to share the Award (and the questions) that she has passed on to me. Thank you Mary! This is fun :0)

1. What is your favorite food?  Comfort food. Soup, mashed potatoes, anything that tastes like home.

2. What is your favorite television show?  ANYTHING British. I'm such a fan!

3. If you could live wherever you wanted, where would it be? In the countryside, in a cottage surrounded by a wild, lush garden full of butterflies and birdsong.

4. Who is your hero?  I admire the "average" person who quietly makes a difference, the "behind the scene" guy or gal who hardly ever get the recognizition they deserve for their efforts and daily sacrifices.

5. Favorite drink?   Wine ^__^

6. What are your hobbies?  Decorating, reading, gardening, daydreaming.

7. Who is your favorite author?  This is a hard one. I love so many! Beverly Nichols, Muriel Spark, Jane Austen, Alice Thomas Ellis (to name a few)

8. Favorite subject when you were in school?  English.

9. Day or night person?  I could not choose. There are times when I get up very early and enjoy looking at the raising sun, but then, on those magic nights when the moon is full, I become restless, unable to go to sleep because I don't want to miss it!

10. Favorite holiday?  Halloween!!

I hereby pass on this Award  and my ten questions to:

Katy http://inthesunnyspot.net/

Miss Sandra http://musingsfromharmonie.blogspot.com/

Catherine http://cornerofcatsmind.blogspot.com/

Vicki http://vickisbitoearth.blogspot.com/

1- How many pairs of shoes do you own?

2- What foreign countries have you visited?

3- Which day of the week do you like the most and why?

4- If you had one word to describe yourself, what would it be?

5- What is the best thing that has ever happened to you?

6- What crazy things do you dream of trying someday?

7- What three things would you take with you to a deserted island?

8- What is the one thing that you love the most about yourself?

9- What do you do when you are feeling sad or depressed?

10- What is your idea of fun?

All the Blogs I follow are wonderful places, filled with beautiful images and heartfelt stories. It's quite comforting to know that I am not alone in my quest to learn new things, to dream, to enjoy life, and to try and be a better person.  It's a great feeling knowing that somewhere, near or far, someone might be thinking of me, and that my name might be written on someone's list as a special Kindred Spirit.

Photo by Bing Images

Rocking chair days...

Rocking chair days…I felt lazy and slow,

Walking in a daze, waiting and dreaming.

I was a clock, my hands moved in rythm with the ticking of my baby's heart.

Rocking chair days… the vision I held on to as Pain

Knocked loudly and kicked down my walls.

My body was held prisoner but my spirit escaped to that cozy corner, that dear, sweet space.

Rocking chair days… early mornings, feeding time.

Amazed by the perfection of what was laying on my lap,

Rosie cheeks, tiny toes

 a fragile little hand surprisingly strong as it held on to my own.

Rocking chair days… cozy afternoons.

Idle hours spent with my baby sleeping on my breast.

It’s breath and mine one whisper, our hearts a perfect union.

Rocking chair nights… softly singing a lullaby,

Sleepy eyelids translucent and thin,

Tiny windows through which I saw my baby’s dreams.

Rocking chair nights… sleepless, disheveled, and tired.

Heavy, with dark circles under my eyes.

Oh, but what a brand new song was in my heart!

Rocking chair days… a place to read a story, share a cookie, dream some dreams,

and kiss a bruise good-bye.

 Anything was possible, everything was done.

Rocking chair days… the refuge we all sought,

The place we knew was safe.

At times I was the teacher, at times I learned instead.

Rocking chair days…they were no longer needed.
The magic it once held began to fade away,

Replaced by new adventures and the start of new beginnings.

Rocking chair days… how I thought of you today!

The book of youth and childhood has been written…

How I wish I could start over and begin it once again!

Rocking chair days… rocking chair nights,

Precious gems I’ve linked together

The best chapter of my life.

Wishing all you, lovely ladies, a beautiful Mother's day.

Photos by Weheartit.com and Bing Images

Special dates

They are there, already marked and highlighted on the calendars we buy, Presidents Day, Secretary’s Day, Groundhog Day, etc. Then come the more personal ones, the ones everyone ought to observe and celebrate. Television commercials provide examples of these special dates: healthy happy children eagerly awaiting Santa’s visit, beautiful slender girls receiving huge diamond rings from tall dark and handsome men, elegant Halloween parties in which everyone looks smashing no matter what costume they’re wearing. The flashing of perfect white teeth, beautiful shiny hair, well, you get the picture.

The point is, all this perfection sort of ruins the enjoyment of special dates. Let’s face it, not everyone is healthy, not everyone is beautiful, not everyone has perfect teeth, not everyone looks good wearing a hat! Lately I hear more and more comments such as “I’m not looking forward this (whatever) holiday”, “I’m not ready”, “I don’t feel like I used to.” Mind you, these are nice people who are usually happy and have sunny dispositions. So, what is it about the lack of “spirit” when it comes to special dates? I blame it on the way we are expected to act and feel. We are stifled by the pressure and the many rules. Deep inside mostly everyone strives to celebrate emulating that perfect television image while at the same time being painfully aware this cannot always be.

Mother’s Day is approaching (for those of us living in the USA) and I find that as a daughter I, too , would love to be able to celebrate “television style” but the truth is, I have never felt close to my mother, I always found it difficult to get her a card (I could not relate to words such as “thank you for always being supportive” I mean, she never was!) Back when we were younger, my parents and I, we went through the motions and rituals but I never felt the way I knew I should have felt, the way I heard my friends talk about, the way I wished it could have been. Time went by, I became a mother myself and the gap I felt became wider and deeper. I noticed what I did for my children, and it was a vivid reminder of what she never did for me.

I don’t want to be unfair, my mother was not “mean” she was just cold, she was demanding, stern, domineering. For those of you who have heard of Margaret Thatcher (the Iron Lady), well, there’s my mother’s image. Always dressed properly with a stiff upper lip. Her favorite word was NO.

I suppose I was a big disappointment for her, what with my free spirit, Bohemian inclinations, and wishes to travel aboard a gypsy caravan. I did obey her rules but it was never enough, there was always something missing.

My mother is 86 years old, she has Alzheimer and lives in a nursing home. She is still the Iron Lady and her caretakers fill my ears with stories about “how difficult she is” I nod and thank them for their patience. I know what they mean!

I have come to accept that I will never experience what it is to really love my mother. I don’t mean the lukewarm affection I’ve sustained through the years, I mean that special love, the kind that makes you teary eyed and choke in mid sentence.

No, as a daughter, this Mother's Day will surely not be perfect (according to "television guidelines") however, my children are my cloud's silver lining, because of them and their love I can celebrate this coming special date joyfully, and definetely my way.

Photo by Bing Images