Using the quote by Henry David Thoreau that Tasha often shared. . . .
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.. . . .we will spend the coming year focusing on fulfilling our dreams--whether they've been in the background or newly acquired. To facilitate this I presented each member with a journal in which they were to answer the following questions. . . .
2. If you had five
other lives to lead what would you do in each of them?
3. Is there something in one of those lives you could be doing now?
3. Is there something in one of those lives you could be doing now?
Then I sent them off into the woods to contemplate their answers. . . .
When they returned we celebrated Tasha's birthday with Becky's Birthday Cake with Cocoa Frosting. . . .
I had a list of corrections for this cookbook and corrected the amount of butter before printing this out. When I made it I discovered that the 1/2 cup of milk was not nearly enough, so I added an additional 1/4 cup. It was still almost like cookie dough rather than cake batter. It was a very dense cake, so if you wish to make this recipe I would suggest you experiment using similar recipes to see what might be amiss. . . .
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| Cindy, Debra, Carol, Edie, Linda |
To name a few of our activities: we made gingerbread ornaments. . . .
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| Art by Susan Branch |
Gratitude
At the heart of Simple Abundance is
an authentic awakening, one that resonates within your soul: all you have is
all you need to be genuinely happy. All you need is the awareness of how much
you really have and then give thanks.
Simplicity The simpler we make our lives, the
more abundant they become. There is no scarcity except in our souls.
Order Lasting change does not happen
overnight. Lasting change happens in infinitesimal increments: a day, an hour,
a minute, a heartbeat at a time.
Harmony Harmony is the inner cadence of
contentment you feel when the melody of life is in tune.
Beauty Creating a beautiful life is your
highest calling. It is in the ordinary and overlooked details of the every day
that beauty is revealed, sustained and nurtured.
Joy Your happiness is not a frivolous
expendable luxury. Joy is your soul’s purpose.
And because I like to give surprises, I had a copy of Tasha Tudor's A Time To Keep to give away. This was the book I used to plan our monthly themes this past year. I put a small flower sticker on the back of the gift tag of the bag containing the book Simple Abundance. Cindy handed out the bags and Debra ended up with the winning tag! She said she never won anything until she joined this group (she won the book at our Christmas Tea, too!)
Other handouts were . . . .
Susan Branch's. . . .
I included a poem about keeping a dream in the making. . . .
As we wrapped up our evening I took everyone past our little pond to see the lily pad candles--representing Becky's Birthday cake floating down the stream. . . .
It had grown dark by the time everyone departed, but "The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. TAKE JOY!
Our agenda this coming year? We will explore what it means to Take Joy in the little things. We'll express our creativity; look for ways to help others (i.e., make cards for members' shut-in mothers, visit them taking along tea and scones); take steps toward fulfilling our dreams; notice the beauty all around and share it with others. These are just a few ideas so far....won't you join us?
P.S. Take a moment to explore the resources on this web page: The tabs at the top of the page: Poetry, Music, Quotes, Movies, Books which I will add to as I find them (feel free to suggest links). Along the side is the Fra Giovanni poem that inspired this Web Journal; a beautiful meditation with video that reminds me of a Monet painting; and other Web Journals, as I discover them, that embody the message of taking joy in the little things that life has to offer.
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Take Joy!
Cathy
