Well first things first.
I'm here, in my local laundry mat (which I love, I should mention) and apparently, Saturday night is Abba Night. It rocks my socks (every last pair) and makes me want to pop a huge bowl of popcorn and watch Mama Mia for the bazillionth time.
Ok, now more Important things second.
You know that giveaway I keep mentioning, dangling from the pitch of my long limbs like a tasty treat? LET'S DO IT NOW!
This stone, which is no small token - over six inches in length, is for you.
She is dear to me.
I'll just say that for starters.
I've been thinking, meditating, reminding myself constantly of late on Dwelling. In the long lifetime that this last year has been, there have been too many moments where something in me sprinted ahead of my present time, to every last (and often worst) possibility, dragging my head in places it never belonged. I think it is in our very human nature to dream, but the antithesis to that is our nature to worry. We have these built-in mechanisms for brilliant reasons, to protect us, to help us plan for the future, to propel us forward on our individual paths and the grand highway that is mankind.
But flying into the future is not always healthy for our hearts. Sometimes we forget that we are where we are, right now, right here. And this place, where our soles rest on the ground and our lungs pull in air is exactly where we need to be. To dwell in the present. To see the true nature of what surrounds us in the current second. To be present with our bodies, our hearts, our laughter, our tears.
I say these things to you as no expert on the matter. Rather, I paint these words because I need my hands to spell out a physical reminder. Again and again, and no doubt, I'll need to again in the future. Which means to me, that I'm not the only one craving that reminder.
So.
We strive to Dwell.
Here and Now.
Ok.
Giveaway Rules?
This time it's as simple as can be: just leave a comment below telling me ONE thing in your life you're celebrating right now. I'm going to be a stickler on it, no celebration, no entry! Entries close at midnight PST on Monday December 27th 2010 (after I return from celebrating Christmas!). I'll announce the winner on Tuesday December 28th.
***
Now. It's time for me to wiggle my nose like Mary Poppins and watch the laundry fold itself then settle into place on best behavior.
Ship Shape!
47 comments:
i'm game. i'm celebrating family. with all i've gone through, all of the changes and growth i've experienced, no matter who i've been and who i've yet to become, i have alway and without question had my family. i celebrate our commitment to each other, both the generations before me and the ones that now come after me. i love and celebrate them passionately.
I am celebrating love.
it's everywhere around us :)
I am crossing my fingers that I get to celebrate being the owner of this incredible stone :)
Love,
Allison
I am celebrating a stress free holiday season with my family... no matter the little bits that come up here and there, we're taking it all in stride & remembering what's important <3
I'm celebratin' the birth of the sweet baby Jesus, who was God in man form on earth, who died for us & rose again!! I'mma celebratin' that I get to live in Christ and that power that rose Him up! Such hope, joy & loooov in that! Yeahhhh!!!
Your art is so lovely dear friend--I wish your stones could grace all gardens world wide!!
Much love to you! X
Ps. Have you gotten my package yet? It's been like 2 weeks, and I'm hoping it got there!
A beautiful stone and sentiment ! I am celebrating life, my children and the joy they have especially this time of year. I am celebrating Christmas and the birth of the Christ child. I am celebrating you. Your positivity and strength through your ordeal is commendable and amazes me. Thank you for the chance to win something made by your heart and hands....
I'm celebrating family, health, love, kindness, and generosity. This is my favorite time of the year because it seems to bring out the best in everyone-- people seem to slow down and are kinder and gentler (so long as you aren't trying to get the last parking spot at the post office or mall). Come to think of it, I suppose they are dwelling.
Happy holidays to you!
Ah what a lovely thought missy.
Right now, I am celebrating awareness. Going to the right places at the right time after listening to a nudge in my heart, and actually being able to perceive what is telling me to do. I was recently very aware of my own dwelling on something I should get over, but somehow kept waking up without being able to do so. Until I listened. By the way, I like this sort of new definition you are giving to dwell. You, more than the stone also work as a constant reminder of goodness to your readers. Thank you so so much, and have a super jolly holiday! I discovered your blog on January this year, and it's been a lovely ride, so let me also raise my hot chocolate to that!
Love your work.
I'm celebrating Jesus' birth in as much simplicity as my family will allow ;)
Being reminded how He came into our world so humbly for us so that we could live in such an abundance of spirit.
Merry Christmas to you sweet Umber Dove xo
Only one thing I'm celebrating? Because I love this season and I'm feeling especially blessed this year, so there's A LOT to celebrate.
But if I must choose one, I'm celebrating my husband who was recently near to death and is now almost entirely better. And in the midst of his hospital stay I spent a lot of time reminding myself to dwell and not jump ahead to the possibilities.
Thank you for the giveaway, and for the honest post.
--Holly Fike
i am celebrating my son's first Christmas. even more importantly, i'm celebrating the birth of His Son.
so much to celebrate, indeed!
merry christmas, lovely one :)
At the risk of sounding too in-the-moment, I am celebrating the bites of pulled pork I stole from my husband's $3 sandwich at our (new) favorite, four-blocks-from-our-humble-apartment dive bar. I suppose more broadly, I am celebrating new discoveries with the man I love so completely, whom I am still learning.
I'm celebrating a few successes in letting my children be who they are rather than who I want them to be.
I am a quiet, bookwormy, nerd and they are boisterous self-confident free spirits. Isn't that wonderful?!
Although not eligible to win said stone, there are many things that I am celebrating this season:
1. The end of Chemo. The lovely Umber and I just had a delicious and engaging meal (booze included!) to that end. So much has come from that ride, too much for a simple blog post comment.
2. A crazy lovable Sancho Pup! Our new boxer puppy has only been with us a month and we are absolutely smitten. He is bouncing around my feet as we speak attempting to explain to me how important it is to throw his rope toy.
3. In the spirit of Trista's comment about Pulled Pork (which I can completely get behind), I am celebrating the slight buzz of my Maker's Mark on the rocks. Yes waiter, I WILL have another.
4. Above all else, an amazing, courageous, beautiful wife whose support and love knows no bounds of such a thing like cancer.
Love you babe.
I am so thankful that my finals are over and I can relax for 3 weeks!
I'm thankful that there is snow on the ground!
I'm thankful for this giveaway too!
Zorah
i love you by the way, and am glad that you're getting back to yourself these days!
i'm celebrating becoming a mother (holy CRAP!) in the next few weeks - i've been going through the ritual of washing and folding all my baby clothes in preparation for his arrival...which is intensely enjoyable for me, as pathological as that may be. i finish working on Christmas eve and then i'll be working hard on relaxing and taking good care of myself (and likely cooking a bunch of things to put in my freezer for the days when i don't want to cook). and, of course, i'm gearing up to celebrate this season of love (i see xmas as a time to spend time with family and friends and show them how much we love them - so i'm working hard on that).
all the best
j
ps you have an incredible husband. i know you know that. his post made me tear up.
I am celebrating the memories of my father. He will not be giving me that bear hug this year on Christmas morning whispering happy birthday KitKat. These are thoughts that make me smile and tear up at the same time. I also have been trying to focus on the good rather than the what if and really just celebrating the many years of memories with him and all the things he meant to me.
I am celebrating the promise of hope and things to come! A new year is a clean slate, a chance to finish or create new projects. A time to travel to distances unknown, new cultures to embrace, new people to call friends, a new love perhaps (oh, i hope so).
Celebrate is my "word" for the new year. I will celebrate in all things! Everyday.
I wish you a very Happy New Year Kelly! A really fantabulous, kick a$$ kind of one! There is nothing you CAN'T do! In my mind, you are the "shizzle"!
ps. I promise to really celebrate when you anounce you are cancer FREE!
pss. and I'll celebrate again and again if I win a creation made from your hands! whew....that was a long comment!
I am celebrating new, unexpected blessings and a new nephew this year!
ps. your painted rocks are just lovely. :)
Celebrating the creative flow that's residing in my soul these days! It makes me terribly happy and full of love that I want to spread as thick as icing on a cupcake.
xo Cat
The stone is amazing :)
This year I am celebrating renewal.
xo
I am celebrating tons this season as well, but one thing I am especially feeling grateful for is my first home. Just bought it and have lived here one month now. I totally am celebrating! :D
A beautiful and much needed reminder. Today, I am celebrating my son. This is his first Christmas with a true awareness and understanding for the season. Watching him revel in the magic, and feeling like a child all over again myself- these are very much worth celebrating!
Beautiful stone. You're in a zen place with that paintbrush.
xo
Tomorrow is a very special day:
It's the eve of the winter solstice AND the day of a total lunar eclipse (late evening on the west coast). This past year was rough. But there is something special about turning 40 and feeling nothing but HOPE and POTENTIAL in the days leading up to the New Year.
So that's what I'm celebrating. People might tell us our dreams are foolish and our mistakes unforgivable. But the night sky gives me strength and reminds me that every moment represents something fresh and new.
Thank you.
this year i'm celebrating survival. physical, mental, emotional, spiritual...my own, and that of others. i'm celebrating that bone-tired, deeply triumphant feeling of having made it through something i wasn't sure i could weather. it's a joy edged with tears and an abundance understood through loss. a bittersweet thing indeed.
this is so spot on.
i must keep my regrets in the past, stop worrying about the future and embrace every inch of NOW!
much needed reminder.
(especially around the holiday rush)
merci, madame!
I'm celebrating Light. The Light within, the lightness within my family, and the magical warmth of rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes, and the glow of glimmering candle light!
Along with the light all you gals bring to my soul!
Happy Holidays, love!
I am celebrating my family right now. Despite all the crud that has been thrown at us over the last few years, we keep on keeping on ( even when I thought maybe we wouldn't be able to) Strength from that is something I truly celebrate :-)
xo
jaime
For the first time in my life, I'm celebrating pain...
The pain that reminds me to stay fully present;
The pain that beckons me to a father I can't stop pursuing;
The pain of motherhood, which sits just beyond my reach.
It's in the pain, that faithful companion, that I wrestle my mortality, my need, my hope.
I'm celebrating a story that can find the strength to rise up within the pain, a vigilent flower that refuses to let dry, alkaline soil prevent her growth.
Pain connects me to those whom I love that suffer; the courage of a dove can endure poison and emmerge without blemish, except perhaps for the few intimate scars that carry the memory of mortal terror and the victory over such a hateful disease.
Today, I celebrate pain.
I am celebrating my body: everything it can do, the way it continues to function after years of ED abuse and only a few months of healthy habits, its muscles, its bones and its scars, its beauty in the eyes of my new husband, and its emerging grace.
i'm celebrating the best re-used clothing find of my life...my perfectly stretched, impeccably kept, $50 pair of prada flats.
there MUST be a god, so these shoes say to me.
and they ALMOST seduce me into forgiving said god for this year.
$50 Prada flats? Pre-stretched? I think forgiveness is inevitable.
I'm celebrating spending another year spent living my dreams with the love of my life!
Beautiful work from a beautiful lady.
Thanks for the chance to win a lovely stone!
Love, Bee in the sea
I'm celebrating the last year - I quit a part-time job at the very end of 2009 in order to focus on writing and art. It has gone better than I could ever have imagined and, though I've been grateful for it every single day of 2010, I guess I'm hardcore dwelling on it (in a good way) as the last days dwindle.
I'm celebrating being happy with who I am and where I am in life... sometimes, most of the time.
Okay, in all honesty I'm still working on this one but am so much farther than I've ever been.
:) I am celebrating right now the snow, which fall gently, and slowly from the sky. It is such a beautiful winter right here, and i try to learn to celebrate the present moments:) i think they are the most beautiful one:)
I am celebrating CHANGE.
I do not fear it, I embrace it. Change brings new loves, new lives, new opportunities, new or regained health.
Change keeps us alive. If you fail to embrace it with all your loving strength then your life will surely not live up to its glorious potential.
Im celebrating being 50 and really shaping my life to please and feed my soul everyday in many small ways. I love that word, dwell. To be present, still, rooted, at home, to belong. Much like a stone, solid and at home with itself.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday and feel well the whole time. Blessings, Kate
At this moment I celebrate dear friends and fresh air (that is to literally breath deep and feel the immediate sense of healing, relief, and satiation, to feel alive and well).
Thank you for sharing your art with us and for being such a bright spot in the day! You have a tangible, infectious spark, lady!
Celebrations galore beyond the holidays! Celebrating with excitement and bliss an upcoming move and an engagement to my long term boy. Hip hip hooray!
Also celebrating and toasting your swift health recovery - yay for the end of chemo!
Happy cheers and cheer,
Sara
CeLEbRatINg...new friendships!
love U lady...
x
I'm celebrating slowing down at the end of this year that has blasted by full tilt, trying to savor what's left before heading off into the new year. I'm also celebrating the fact that I get to do what I love, all day long, everyday.
I am celebrating life, in all its marvelosity and magic...its capacity to bring us what we need at times that perhaps we did not even know we are in need....
and the fact that for all of us as human beans, even when things seem at their darkest, there is always, always possibility....
and
celebrating a beautiful soul who is almost finished kicking cancer in the butt......xoxo
I'm celebrating my place in life right now. In the last year I've had an amazing opportunity to buy my new house, live with my boyfriend, buy a new car, keep growing in my job, become closer to friends and just be happy. I'm in such a good place right now and I'm really embracing that - just being happy where I am right this minute instead of where I wish I was.
I am celebrating my husband! we have been married almost 26 years...in all this time he has always been kind, consistantly kind to me. He is a gentle man, a thoughtful man & I am celebrating his goodness.
Blessings,
Robin
At this very moment I am celebrating great deals on ski lift tickets! But more meaningful, I am celebrating my resolve and decision-making, as several difficult ones came to light in the past few days.
I am celebrating family!
My girls are all home together for the holidays.
I am full of joy and thanksgiving for the love that surrounds us.
Life is good.
(I'm also happy to be able to join in!)
Thank you for this wonderful give-away.....you are an inspiration of strength and courage.
I'm celebrating having time with friends who are family. Time is such a luxurious splurge!!!
I am celebrating the darkness in which I will find my brightest light. The shadow which reveals my true metamorphic self through it's cloudy path to truth. The dark knight bringer of the messages which I need to hear most but can avoid in the bright light. I celebrate all the shining little stars that guide me back to the sun. I celebrate the darkness that will pass like an eclipse, revealing what wants to be born in my heart and soul during this time.
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