Water please

I love water. I like to drink it, sit in it, swim in it, and let it fall on top of me. I like the way it feels to float or splash in it....so freeing. I was recently in Orlando, Florida at the NAAP Convention. There was a waterfall that I stood under and let it beat on my head. Wow. It was great.

Sadness

What if I stared sadness in the face and said, "Hello sadness, I'm Laurie, and I need to sit down and be with you for a little while. I am going to stop and listen and learn and grow from knowing you."
I have a friend who is very physically weak. She embraces her weaknesses and sadness. It doesn't keep her from experiencing joy and love and peace also. She has a powerful affect. Sound confusing? It isn't. I can be in the moment and experience any emotion that comes. The beautiful times come at other times. It's OK for now.

Divorce Rings?

There is quite a stir about "divorce rings". It sounds negative. Why would anyone want to celebrate divorce with a ring? Personally, I don't like calling the ring I started wearing after my divorce a "divorce" ring. It is a symbol of hope. It signifies the closing of one chapter of my life and the unexpected beginning of a NEW chapter. That is why I call it a Transition Ring. Everyone has transitions in life. Graduation is one. The discovery of cancer is another. The loss of a loved one is yet another. My view is that EVERYONE is going through some kind of transition. It is the "way" of life. Divorce is the biggest, hardest transition I have every been through. I look at my ring and it encourages me. It helps me encourage others. Here is an interesting turn of events. My website www.transitionrings.com is getting gobs of traffic from those going through divorce. I think that is good, but there are other transitions too.

Talking instead of Doing

In my family, there is alot of talking.....talking about plans and good intentions. Does it sound good? Yes. Does it get done? Unfortunately not alot. My goal is to be true to my word or not say it in the first place. Actions speak louder than words.

Regret

I used to have lots of regret until I started to realize that who I was "back then" was all I could be "back then". I could only be who I was and do what I thought was right at the time. Do I have it all together today? No....all I know to do, I'm doing....all I know to be....I'm being. How can I ever regret that? No one is perfect. I want to pass the beauty of self-acceptance to my songs and family.....it truly is a beautiful thing.

Making room

I'm still figuring out my life's journey. Maybe I could call it a race. I call it that because I know I must focus and run toward the goal. I can't look too much at the person running beside me on either side, nor do I try to compare. They have races to run, too, and I don't want to get in the way. We all run together. We are all made by God. We are all family. Real strength comes as God gives it. I can't get it from other people. I can inspire others to draw strength from God. I am making room for Him to work.

Technology

I decided to try something new. I uploaded a photo. It isn't that hard. Really. I thought it might be....so I never tried, at least on blogger. It's like uploading anywhere else. Silly me. These are my grown kids and my parents. Some of my art is on the piano behind. Don't ask what it is.