Postcards!

Postcards! Long ago, I read a newspaper article where someone advocated sending postcards in place of letters, which took too long to write. That's still a valid suggestion. Dash off a thought!

I like to send postcards, always have and probably always will. As I get ready to go to WA State for our annual summer visit, I am wondering if any of my friends would like me to mail them a postcard. . . .If I don't already have your address, which could be likely for blogging friends anyway, please send it to me!

I have my postcards stamps along with my little address book ready to be packed. I can easily pen in a new address.

It will be nice to leave the heat and humidity behind for a few weeks and to see daughters, Chuck's parents and family, and friends. We are always reassured that two people stay in our house to take care of the dogs (and one cat) while we are gone.
Do you want some mail?

Remembering

Flowers from daughters AE and KA!

We Remember
from the Gates of Prayer
Reform Judaism Prayerbook

In the rising of the sun
and in its going down,
We remember them;

In the blowing of the wind
and in the chill of the winter,
We remember them;

In the opening of the buds
and in the warmth of the summer,
We remember them;

In the rustling of the leaves
and the beauty of the autumn,
We remember them;

And in the beginning of the year
and when it ends,
We remember them;

When we are weary
and in need of strength,
We remember them;

When we are lost
and sick at heart,
We remember them;

When we have joys
we long to share,
We remember them;

So long as we shall live
they too shall live,
For they are now a part of us as
We remember them.

 I am remembering my mother who died 22 years ago today.  I am appreciating friends who have birthdays today, as well as my family still with me.

Pledge Allegiance

At church on Sunday, our wonderful choir sang a "Growing Allegiance" written by Paul Priest. 

It is quite lovely and one that resonates with me:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of these United States, and to the founding principles its pattern celebrates: that as the stripes and stars combine in unity more grand, so my allegiance has to grow beyond my native land.

"And as a tree grows ring on ring in ever widening girth, I love my family, town, and state, my country and my Earth. And soaring on beyond the sun, beyond the galaxy, I find my home in endless Love that has its home in me."

Happy Birthday!

35 years ago, Chuck and I were overjoyed to have our first baby, DC and on a big learning curve to learn how to be the loving parents we wanted to be. Happy Birthday!

August 1981, DC in Bellingham, WA on Grandma and Grandpa's lounge chair.

We would go to Bellingham, WA every summer to visit our parents and experience the cool temperatures and beauty of the Pacific Northwest. It was also an opportunity for the children to play and explore in large parks with creeks and trees. Wonderful memories.

And how he looks today with Avery and Emma!

July 6, 2014: Avery, DC, and Emma

Procrastinating (through reading)

Went to Austin last weekend to help DC and AA move and to babysit Emma and Avery. Chuck stayed two days longer to paint rooms in their new house, where they move next week.

Chuck and I ordered our dinners from Mama Fu's two nights in a row (I like the Spice General Fu), while we babysat the girls. That's when we learned that Avery loves the fortune papers in fortune cookies, but she doesn't like to eat the cookies.

Coming home, I have been reading and reading. Since the Jung talks by Robert Moore at Oblate School of Theology, I have become very intrigued by dreams and books about them. Currently, I am reading several books about them, while starting others:

• Wisdom of the Heart: Working with Women's Dreams by Karen A. Signell, Ph.D.
• The Living Labyrinth: Exploring Universal Themes in Myths, Dreams, and the Symbolism of Waking Life by Jeremy Taylor
• The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim (which I wish I had read when my children were young!)
• Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer by Ann and Barry Ulanov (which I read over a decade ago by the recommendation of Mary Jane and remember very little)

These are being read; no wonder I am confused!

Plus, I read a mystery on my Kindle, which turned out to be very similar to other mysteries by the same author, though I only noticed this at the end: Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon.

All these books point to further procrastination, since I have not listed most of the books I have read  this year in my "2014" list. I might as well delete that!