Happy-ness

My mailbox received a big hug the other day.  "We are pleased to welcome you to a doctoral program designed to provide you with a meaningful study and applied research experience."  And thus, very soon I'll be wearing apparel emblazoned with this:

I am bound for Mizzou...again after so many years...and I am happy.  I do not fear failure. I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is pounding, saying, "Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?" ~General George S. Patton  (Thanks, Chruma!)

My friend Connie said she wished I had a mirror to see what others see in me. It is incredible to have dear ones to love you through your disbelief ~ your hesitance at accepting that you can do great things if only you'll try.  My little sister told me years ago that she was confident I'd pursue a terminal degree someday.  Ridiculous, I thought.  I'll concede and acknowledge that she's scored a point for that one.  Thanks, Amy, for seeing something in me that I never imagined for myself.  Today I am jumping up and down with delight.  I. am. going. back. to. school.  I am, I am, I am!!  But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

I realize that my days of leisurely reading (*sigh*) may be numbered for the next, say, several years.  And hence, I'm literally cramming much of this into the next six weeks before professional readings and research commence.  “No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” ~Confucius      Here's a peek at the good stuff on my agenda...

My Bookshelf, My Blogshelf

“To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.” ~ A C Grayling, Financial Times (in a review of A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel)

 

The Ghost Soldiers

by Pulitzer Prize winner James Tate

(a collection of 'poems'...a recommendation taken under advisement and a worthwhile addition to my library)

Unbroken

by Laura Hillenbrand

(a World War II story of survival and resilience, told using vivid imagery...another suggestion duly noted and finding a prized spot on my bookshelf) 

“Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed.” ~Anne Rice, The Witching Hour


www.danatanamachi.com

Dana Tanamachi is a graphic artist living in Brooklyn.  The chalk art found here is mesmerizing.  Absolutely stunning.  I want to draw like this someday.

There is nothing I don't love at Posey and Bloom.  The flowers, the character...When you visit, you'll see a bit of my childhood at Grandma Bea's.

One Lucky Day...The site itself is art.  Adventures.  Friends.  Things to do and places to see.  What's not to love?

I do not like pretzels ~ or so I thought.  Then I saw these.  Thank you, Junk Garden Girl.

This blog is pure creativity and I'll be visiting often.  And check out the Virtual Weekly Wardrobe she provides.  Pure genius.

 The creative and inspirational journal of Cathe Holden.  You've got to see it to believe it.  This one will soon  be added to the list on the right.  You'll find her under 'Ingenuity'. 

"Finding design, beauty, and function in motherhood."  Food Friday.  Virtual wardrobes.  Creativity.  This one gets added to the list as well.

the scent of water

Here is the author's About Me blurb:  Writer, picture taker, and maker of things: I drink too much tea, stare out of too many windows, and am a lifelong devotee to the beauty of the quotidian.  That's all it took and I was hooked.  In the event your appetite has not been properly whetted, look here:  (Yes, I'm hungry too!)

Just a bit ago while taking my daughter to soccer practice, the sun broke through a cloudy sky and strong rays were shining across the road.  My youngest said, "Hey Mom, those lines look like God is talking." She is only five, yet she knows this much is true...  I saw these words somewhere recently and think they fit well in this post: Happiness is a place between too little and too much. Yep, I'm wearing a smile.  xo, ~S.